As regular readers know, I’m a big fan of cabins with balconies. As I explained in a recent story, there’s nothing better than being able to step onto a ship’s balcony to breathe in the fresh ocean air.
But that doesn’t mean I’m against living in a cabin without a balcony. In fact, sometimes I’ll even book a cabin with no windows, or, as they’re called in the cruise world, an “in-house” cabin.
If you’ve never been on a cruise before, you probably didn’t even know there was such a thing as a cabin without windows. But they do exist, and they’re actually quite common. Many ships operated by major cruise lines like Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line have hundreds of windowless cabins.
For people who are used to staying in hotels on land, this is almost unimaginable. After all, there aren’t many hotels with hundreds of windowless rooms. If anything, we’re guessing they won’t be big sellers.
But it’s fair to say that accommodation on a cruise ship has its own unique features.
internal benefits
The lack of windows isn’t the only reason to turn your nose up at the idea of living in an interior cabin.
In addition to not having an unobstructed view of the world, the cabins (so named because they are usually located midships, away from the exterior walls) also tend to be the smallest cabins on the cruise ship. Many are very small. This latter point can be a big stumbling block for some cruisers.
But there are advantages in the cabin, too. First, interior cabins are usually much cheaper than ocean view cabins. They also offer a “less is more” minimalism that appeals to those seeking simplicity.
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At least for me, sometimes a cheap, decent-sized cabin is enough, even if it doesn’t have anything blocking the view.
After all, for the most part, I don’t take cruises to spend a lot of time in a cabin. Like most cruisers, I come aboard to enjoy everything they have to offer in the public spaces and to explore all the wonderful places they sail to.
In this case, does it really matter if the room I sleep in every night is large and luxurious?
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To paraphrase Arthur Frommer, legendary travel guide author and founder of Travel Guide Company, “Most of the time you stay in your room on vacation with your eyes closed.”
In an interview with me a few years ago, Frommer talked about his favorite hotel room. He believes that spending huge sums of money to build luxury homes is a waste. His words have stuck with me over the years, and now I see their wisdom.
Here are six reasons why you might want to seriously consider the cheapest interior cabins on a cruise ship.
you will save money
There is no doubt that this is the great appeal of the interior cabin. They can be an incredible deal.
For example, at the time of publication, interior cabin fares on a six-day Royal Caribbean cruise departing Fort Lauderdale in January 2027 were approximately 23% lower than balcony cabin fares. Interior cabins cost less than half the price of the cheapest suites.
Specifically, if you’d rather stay in an interior cabin, you can sail aboard the company’s amenity-filled Explorer of the Seas from Fort Lauderdale on January 24, 2027, for $801 per person. That works out to just $134 per day.
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The thing to remember here is that all of Adventure of the Seas’ main attractions, from the deck-top pool and surf simulator to the indoor ice rink and giant theater that puts on Broadway-style shows, are open to everyone on board, whether they’re staying in the smallest or largest cabin. The same goes for nearly every restaurant, bar, and lounge on the ship.
Aside from having to sleep in a smaller, windowless room, you’ll get the same in-flight experience as those who pay more for a swanky cabin that’s much cheaper.
you’ll sleep like a baby
There is nothing darker in the world than the darkness inside an airplane cabin. Once you turn off the lights, it’s pitch black – an almost frightening darkness.
For people who are used to having at least a little moonlight entering their bedrooms at home, this can be a little disorienting. But if you’re the kind of person who has trouble sleeping with any kind of light disturbance, then an interior cabin might just be pure bliss. You don’t need to worry about the morning sun peeking through the curtains to wake you up early when you go to bed. And moonlight is definitely not a problem.
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If you’re sailing north around the summer solstice, when the sun is in the sun most (or all) of the time, the cabin interior can be particularly attractive. We’re talking about Alaska, the coast of Norway, and the areas around Iceland and Greenland. The same is true if you sail south to Antarctica or further south in South America during the winter.
You’ll spend more time enjoying the boat
The secret to having fun on a cruise is to learn more about everything the cruise has to offer. If there is a rock wall, you need to climb it. Karaoke? Get ready to sing. Don’t let waterslides or late-night comedy shows pass without your experience. Of course, to do that you need to get out of your room, and there’s no better incentive to venture out of your room than having a room that lacks enough space or even a window.
When I booked the in-house cabin, I found that I got up very early. Instead of ordering room service breakfast, I would head to a restaurant with a view and spend the morning exploring the ship more than usual. I would play on the top deck of the boat during the day and in the bar, lounge and showroom at night.
Related: 7 Reasons Why You Should Spend the Money on a Suite on Your Next Cruise
The cabin is nothing more than a small, dark place to rest your head at night, and it can be the boost you need to make the most of your cruise vacation.
You may experience less seasickness
Worried about seasickness on your next cruise?
The most stable place on any cruise ship is low on the ship, near its point of balance, usually near its center. Because inner cabins are closer to the center of the boat than “outer” ocean view and balcony cabins, they can be more stable in rough seas. The trick is to find the inner cabin towards the center of the boat, both longitudinally and transversely.
For the record, the rebuttal to this is that you can’t look at the horizon when you’re in the cabin – a common cue for people who get seasick. And you won’t be able to breathe the fresh air like you would in a balcony cabin.
You may avoid additional charges if you are traveling alone
Almost all cruise ship cabins are designed for two travelers, each paying their own fee, and solo travelers often have to pay an additional fee to stay in a room alone. But some ships have special interior cabins designed specifically for solo travelers. If you’re traveling alone and stay in one of the special cabins, you can avoid the additional solo traveler fee, known in the industry as the “single surcharge.”
Norwegian has been at the forefront of the single-occupancy cabin trend and now has hundreds of interior cabins for solo travelers spread across more than a half-dozen ships.
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While Norwegian’s single cabins do have windows, they open onto a hallway rather than outside the ship. They’re also unusually small, at around 100 square feet, but beautifully designed to maximize storage space. Additionally, they are clustered around exclusive lounges where singles can mingle during daily happy hour gatherings.
Cruise lines such as Royal Caribbean, Cunard and Holland America have added single occupancy cabins to some ships – many of which are inside cabins.
There are some ocean view cabins in the industry designed specifically for solo travelers, but they are very rare.
You still get an ocean view (it’s a little different)
On some innovative cruise ships, thanks to the magic of technology, there are no windows in the cabin to see the outside world.
On some Disney cruise ships, some interior cabins feature “magic portholes” that display a live view of the exterior. They’re actually screens built into the cabin walls, giving the illusion of a porthole view.
Royal Caribbean has gone a step further and added large “virtual balconies” to cabins on some cruise ships. These floor-to-ceiling LED screens, which display a live view of the exterior, are built into the walls of the cabin, giving the illusion of a balcony.
If the idea sounds a bit contrived, it is. But I’ve lived in these cabins, and the illusion is eerily real. The addition of the screen really changes the feel of the room. The Disney Cabin is especially fun because Disney characters sometimes make cameo appearances in the magical portholes. If you have kids with you, they will love it.
bottom line
Booking a windowless room on a cruise ship may seem like an odd choice. But there are good reasons to consider one, not the least of which is that windowless rooms on cruise ships (called “interior” cabins) can be an incredible value.
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