Booking a cruise almost guarantees excitement—but first-time cruisers often overlook one important detail: cabin location. While cruise lines rarely label cabins as “less desirable,” experienced cruisers know exactly which ones to avoid.
Case in point: Virgin Voyages’ XL Sea Terraces are up at the front of the ship (the bow). And the ones closest to the tip of the ship? They’re not the same as the other XLs.
Because the ship narrows, some of those cabins lose Virgin’s signature “balcony with a hammock” and get a smaller balcony with an egg-shaped chair instead. Sometimes you also get a solid metal balcony (not the clear plexiglass), so your “ocean view” becomes “ocean… if you stand up.”
Oh, and Virgin charges about the same price as the XLs that actually include the hammock and the clear balcony. Cute
Other less desirable locations
It’s not just Virgin Voyages who does this. Every cruise ship out there has cabins that are in less optimal locations for some reason or another:
Just above or below entertainment locations
If your cabin is directly above or below a theater type room – especially a nightclub that plays dance music, that music is going to bleed into the cabins directly above and below it. And if the dance party is scheduled to end in the wee hours of the morning, expect that to be when your sleep will finally start.
Directly below the gym
You don’t have to worry about being above a gym, but if you’re below it, expect to hear weights hit the floor. Often.
Directly below the pool area
The pool itself won’t make noise but if lounge chairs around the pool are dragged from one place to another, there’s a good chance you’ll hear it if you’re directly below.
Near the elevators or stairs
Elevators and stairs are where people gather. Depending on the cruise line, there’s more chance of hearing conversations – especially when larger groups are gathered in the area – from your nearby cabin.
Near the smoking section
Cruise ships are doing a better job of keeping smoking sections further away from cabins. But if the wind is right and you’re close enough, there’s a chance you could smell the smoke from your balcony.
Near the casino
Between the noises from the machines and the people gathered to play, casinos are known for being loud. If you’re close enough, that noise could bleed into your cabin. Plus, again, if casino players have to go past your cabin to enter or exit the casino, you’re going to hear all that hubbub, too.
Connecting cabins
If you’re in a larger group that’s rented 2 cabins next to each other, having them connect can be a great convenience. But if you just reserved one cabin and it happens to be connected to strangers you don’t know, you may or may not get to hear all their conversations and who knows what else. After all, cabins connected by a door are going to be less sound-resistant than those connected by a wall.
If you’re prone to seasickness
Sometimes a less desirable room’s location has nothing to do with noise and more to do with how susceptible you are to seasickness. If that might be you, heads up that the lower the deck your cabin is, along with how close you are to the center of the ship, the less of the chance of your having seasickness.
Wheelchair accessible cabins
The great thing about wheelchair-accessible cabins is that most things in the room are designed for wheelchair users. The not-so-great thing about wheelchair-accessible cabins is that if you’re not someone who uses a wheelchair for mobility, some of the more accessible features in the room can be a little inconvenient. Such as low beds and sinks. Roll-in showers.
How to avoid these less desirable cabins
As we wrote earlier, people who have already cruised know which cabins to avoid for certain reasons. But there’s no reason why you can’t learn all these things too. Here’s how:
Ask around
There are plenty of ways to decrease your chances of getting a less desirable, just by asking questions. Social media, such as Facebook and Reddit, have entire areas that discuss your cruise brand of choice (and sometimes even your cruise ship of choice). Join the groups and ask questions. YouTube will also have videos of cabins people have had that they didn’t like because of some of the reasons we mentioned above.
If you use a travel agent, you can also discuss which cabin will work best for you, before you make the reservation.
Look at the deck plans
Use a search engine to find the deck plans of your intended ship. Learn where the nightclubs, gym, wheelchair accessible cabins etc. are, and make notes so you can avoid those.
Pay to pick your cabin
Sometimes people are stuck with less desirable cabins because they paid the cruise line equivalent of “basic economy.” You pay less, but your cabin gets assigned to you, last minute, because it’s the “leftover” that nobody else wanted (just like a middle seat in the back row of a plane).
Pay the little bit extra, and you’ll get to choose your cabin, instead of having it assigned to you.
Our thoughts on it
A little research can go a long way. Knowing which cabins to avoid—and paying a bit extra to choose your own—can make the difference between a great cruise and a noisy, uncomfortable one.
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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary
