What Part of the Ship Should You Choose For Your Cabin?
Regardless of the stateroom type you choose, the position of
the cabin may be critical to you ...
A cabin positioned on a high deck and toward
the bow (jargon for front of the ship) may contribute
to motion discomfort (politically correct term for sea sickness)
on the off chance you encounter rough weather at sea.
In a similar way, being aft (back of the ship)
can also affect your comfort in bad weather.
Today's modern cruise ships employ exceptional stability innovations.
It's rare that you'll encounter discomfort due to motion ... however,
if this is a concern to you, make sure your booking agent knows
that you want to have a cabin on a lower deck (for
less side to side motion) and mid-ship (in the
middle) to reduce movement (less pitch and roll in the jargon).
OK I think you get it…
Your research is coming right along. Let's cruise ahead once more
and take a closer look at some of your options ...
- Inside or Interior Cabin (no view)
- Inside View or Interior View
- Ocean View or Outside Cabin
or are you going for the top of the line ...
- Mini-Suites, Suites or Penthouse or Garden Villa
What will it be?
Study Accommodations on the Ship
Your Stateroom - What is it and Where is it?
Your room ... that's your cabin or your stateroom on
a ship ... It's where you'll "live" while you're on your
cruise. You have to pick where you want it and you have to be able
to find it once you're on the ship.
Cruise ships are designed much like modern hotels; cabins are
located on different floors. On ships these "floors" are
called "decks". Decks may
be given a number or a letter or a name so you can identify which "floor" you
live on. Here's what I mean:
Cabins and Decks -- Got It? Now, What You Need to Know ...
1) What SIZE Cabin?
On newer ships, rooms are all built with the same plan (cookie
cutter).... that means that "equivalent" cabins on most
decks will be identical. So an inside cabin on
the lowest deck will have the same layout as an inside
cabin on the highest deck within that cabin category.
The same applies to ocean view cabins on different
decks.
The same size, but different prices depending on which deck you
choose! One of the first things you want to choose is the size
cabin, but we'll get into more of that later.
2) Which Deck do you want?
When choosing where you want your cabin to be, you'll be choosing
the deck you're on. Remember that some mega-ships are fifteen to
eighteen stories high!
Wow! You're thinking the higher up you are, the better your view
...
........But think about this too ... The higher above the water
you are, the more motion you will feel should the ship encounter
rough weather. The irony here is, most cruise lines tend to charge
you more as you move higher up the deck structure for the same
size cabin!
3) Where on the deck do you want to be?
Ships come in small, large, very large and mega. The large, very
large, and mega-ships will have a series of elevators and stairwells
...
- Aft (the back of the ship for you landlubbers)
- Mid-ship (that's easy -- it's the center)
and
- The Bow (the pointy front end).
You want to strike a balance here. Watch carefully to make
sure your cabin is isolated from the noise of the elevators and
the stairwell traffic, but close enough if it's hard
for you to climb stairs and you need (or want) the elevator service.
4) What's on your deck besides your cabin?
Some decks have mostly cabins or staterooms with few or no public
areas. That keeps things quiet because only passengers staying
on those floors will normally be there.
Other decks may have only entertainment areas, such as theaters,
dance clubs, and casinos. Other public areas include the restaurants,
gyms and spas, a library, a lounge and shops, etc. These are busy
decks.
Some decks may have a combination of passenger cabins and "public
areas". If you want to be close to a gym or a library, this
could be good for you, but if you want a little more quiet, choose
an “accommodation only” deck or a room well away from
the public areas.
Let's Study those Glossy Brochures
The brochures you get from travel agencies and from the cruise
line themselves will illustrate deck plans for each individual
ship. Decks and cabins will be colour coded. Somewhere in that
brochure you'll find a colour code guide. The colours help you
identify where on the ship a cabin is located ... which deck, forward
or aft, and how much each different category will cost you depending
on location.
Find a price (more on pricing later) you think you want to pay,
and find the cabins that fit into your budget and choose your location
from the deck plan, or ...
If money is no object, the colour code guide will help you find
the size and location you want, and then you can look up the price.
The actual brochure pages often require a magnifying glass to
read, but as deck plans regardless of cruise line will be similar,
once you understand one you will understand almost all of them.
You may want to obtain a brochure from a local agency before reading
further ...
You will see that many decks are all accommodation or cabins.
On a large ship, there are balconies and outside (or ocean view)
cabins along the outsides of the ship and interior cabins down
the center. You can also find the position of the elevators, the
stairwells, and the lifeboats.
Study the "legend". Cabins without symbols accommodate
only two passengers. The legend indicates cabins that can accommodate
more than two passengers with convertible sofa beds and upper berths.
Some of these will accommodate 3 people, some 4 people. Some deck
plans may show the legend somewhat differently. Some ships are
more family friendly than others. All of this is important to research
when you're planning your cruise.
NOTE
It’s a good idea to watch out for cabins that are near
or under the entertainment areas, galley areas and/or restaurant
or late night clubs. You end up with a little more noise at night
than you're willing to put up with. On some cruise lines these
cabins are referred to as "Night Owl" cabins and they
may be available for reduced fares if you're willing to put up
with the noise!
Having warned you of cabins on mixed function decks, you'll find
that most modern ships are designed with public areas on decks
that do NOT contain cabins ... but you still have things to check
...
- Check to see if there ARE public areas are ABOVE or BELOW you
and
- Check what kind of activities will take place there.
Remember ... sound travels, and when YOU travel, you want to get
your cabin in just the right spot, so if you're looking forward
to peace and quiet, you'll get it.
Let's study more pages from a cruise brochure ... for
price this time ...
Notice that the colour code legend is tied to the pricing page
in the brochure. As I said before, you can choose your cabin, and
then look up the price, or you can choose your price and find a
cabin. Studying the brochure will help you choose.
Deck plans and colour codes in brochures will be similar for all
ships ... whether it's a brochure for the largest cruise liners
or for an intimate small ship.
Are you getting the hang of reading these brochures? Starting
to find your way around the ship? Getting an idea of where you
want your cabin to be?
Coming Next ... 6. How to choose
your cruise cabin.
This Guide to Cruising is being updated regularly - Please bookmark this page
and come back again for the next 'chapter'
-
Introduction
to this Cruising Guide ...
-
How
much more you can enjoy a cruise compared to a 'land' based holiday ...
-
How
to research a cruise holiday
-
Types
of Cruise Ship Accommodation
-
What
Part of the Ship Should You Choose For Your Cabin?
-
How
to choose your cruise cabin
-
Choosing
and Booking your Cruise Part
1 and Part 2
-
Should
I book my Cruise through a Travel Agent?
-
Cruises - FAQs ... Answers
to frequently asked questions on Cruise Holidays
-
Your
Cruise Checklist ... Things to consider when choosing your cruise ...
-
So
what do all those sailing terms mean?
-
How
to Choose a Cruising Holiday - What different Itineraries mean ...
-
Cruise
Destinations - Caribbean Cruises
-
Cruise
Destinations - Alaska Cruises
-
Cruise
Destinations - Hawaii Cruises
-
Cruise
Destinations - Mexican Riviera Cruises
-
Choosing
the right kind of cruise ship for your kind of holiday
-
What
kind of cruise traveler are you?
- Next ...Singles Cruising
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