P, E, O, P, L, E - LET'S BEGIN WITH PLANNING -
SELECTION OF ROOM ACCOMMODATIONS
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Now it's time to choose your room accommodation.
Most cruise ships offer a wide range of accommodations.
Some refer to those rooms that are not suites as cabins or staterooms.
To keep this simple, we will refer to the standard rooms as cabins and the larger rooms as suites.
We will list some of them.
Some lines offer inside cabins which are usually also the smallest in size. These rooms might have no outside light, but on some ships they are similar to hotel rooms where there is a window that faces the atrium area of the cruise ship so that you will have some light. For those rooms with no outside light, or light only from inside the ship, think through whether or not you will be happy with this choice. Some people always want to know whether or not it is light outside.
Some lines also offer cabins with an outside window, without a verandah (deck). These also tend to be some of the less expensive rooms on the ship. The downside is that you cannot open the window to get some fresh air nor can you walk outside.
Next are the staterooms with a verandah (outside deck). To reach the verandah you will open up a sliding door from your room and the verandah's will include some outdoor furniture so that you can sit and enjoy the views from your verandah.
Some ships might have rooms that are of varying sizes in this category while in the majority of the cases the rooms will be the same.
The next category are suites and depending on the ship a wide range of suites might be available for booking that come in a range of sizes from around 300 square feet to some as large as 2,500 square feet. Some have a separate living area from the bedroom area and even some such as owner's suites usually have a powder room in addition to a full sized bathroom. Suites come with a butler on many cruise lines. They are assigned to several rooms and will take care of a variety of items for you. We will go into more detail about the role of a butler on a future post.
For all rooms, sometimes the pricing for the same type of room might vary based on its location on the deck or what deck the room is on. Often in these cases, rooms with no obstructions and rooms more mid-ship and rooms on higher decks carry higher price tags than rooms in other locations of the same size.
There is no right or wrong when it comes to choosing an accommodation. While some cruise lines provide some additional perks for booking a suite the vast majority of the amenities found on board the ship are the same regardless of accommodation booked. Again there are some exceptions to this with some lines offering those in suites a private club room with concierge and in the case of Cunard dedicated dining rooms to those who book their two highest categories of suites.
As you make your decision study the floor plan which can be found either in a hard copy cruise line brochure or on their respective web sites. Consider the cost of the room as well as how much time you plan to spend in your room.
Also consider room location as part of your decision process.
We do not place priority on being on the port (left) or starboard (right) side of the ship. When out to sea often you will not see land from either side of the ship and when you do often you can get the best views from the open decks on the ship.
We do place more emphasis on the rooms location on each deck. If you are or think you might be bothered by the rough seas try to avoid being too far forward on the deck and on one of the highest decks.
For those who want to feel the seas to some extent but prefer to avoid the bow (forward portion of the ship) consider the stern which is located towards the back of the ship. Some ships place some of their larger suites on the bow to provide larger decks for each suite.
In our case, we prefer being more mid-ship for a number of reasons. They include being more centrally located to get to areas of the ship which might be forward to towards the rear as well as we find that we do not feel the rough seas as much from a central location.
Once you select your room category the next step is to have your Travel Specialist contact the cruise line to verify pricing and room availability. This will be covered in the next post.
Most cruise ships offer a wide range of accommodations.
Some refer to those rooms that are not suites as cabins or staterooms.
To keep this simple, we will refer to the standard rooms as cabins and the larger rooms as suites.
We will list some of them.
Some lines offer inside cabins which are usually also the smallest in size. These rooms might have no outside light, but on some ships they are similar to hotel rooms where there is a window that faces the atrium area of the cruise ship so that you will have some light. For those rooms with no outside light, or light only from inside the ship, think through whether or not you will be happy with this choice. Some people always want to know whether or not it is light outside.
Some lines also offer cabins with an outside window, without a verandah (deck). These also tend to be some of the less expensive rooms on the ship. The downside is that you cannot open the window to get some fresh air nor can you walk outside.
Next are the staterooms with a verandah (outside deck). To reach the verandah you will open up a sliding door from your room and the verandah's will include some outdoor furniture so that you can sit and enjoy the views from your verandah.
Some ships might have rooms that are of varying sizes in this category while in the majority of the cases the rooms will be the same.
The next category are suites and depending on the ship a wide range of suites might be available for booking that come in a range of sizes from around 300 square feet to some as large as 2,500 square feet. Some have a separate living area from the bedroom area and even some such as owner's suites usually have a powder room in addition to a full sized bathroom. Suites come with a butler on many cruise lines. They are assigned to several rooms and will take care of a variety of items for you. We will go into more detail about the role of a butler on a future post.
For all rooms, sometimes the pricing for the same type of room might vary based on its location on the deck or what deck the room is on. Often in these cases, rooms with no obstructions and rooms more mid-ship and rooms on higher decks carry higher price tags than rooms in other locations of the same size.
There is no right or wrong when it comes to choosing an accommodation. While some cruise lines provide some additional perks for booking a suite the vast majority of the amenities found on board the ship are the same regardless of accommodation booked. Again there are some exceptions to this with some lines offering those in suites a private club room with concierge and in the case of Cunard dedicated dining rooms to those who book their two highest categories of suites.
As you make your decision study the floor plan which can be found either in a hard copy cruise line brochure or on their respective web sites. Consider the cost of the room as well as how much time you plan to spend in your room.
Also consider room location as part of your decision process.
We do not place priority on being on the port (left) or starboard (right) side of the ship. When out to sea often you will not see land from either side of the ship and when you do often you can get the best views from the open decks on the ship.
We do place more emphasis on the rooms location on each deck. If you are or think you might be bothered by the rough seas try to avoid being too far forward on the deck and on one of the highest decks.
For those who want to feel the seas to some extent but prefer to avoid the bow (forward portion of the ship) consider the stern which is located towards the back of the ship. Some ships place some of their larger suites on the bow to provide larger decks for each suite.
In our case, we prefer being more mid-ship for a number of reasons. They include being more centrally located to get to areas of the ship which might be forward to towards the rear as well as we find that we do not feel the rough seas as much from a central location.
Once you select your room category the next step is to have your Travel Specialist contact the cruise line to verify pricing and room availability. This will be covered in the next post.
