Cruise Ship Rooms: Selecting the Perfect Category

 

 

When planning your next cruise holiday, one of the most important steps is choosing the right ship and the right trip. Once that’s done, you need to figure out how to choose and book one of the right cruise ship rooms. Our category guide will help you use our data and serices to book your perfect holiday for the best price.

 

Some of Our Definitions:

Cabin Classes:

Almost every cruise ship offer four different cabin classes (some luxury ships only offer suites):

1. Interior Stateroom
   • located inside the ship and doesn’t have a window or porthole, no direct access to a balcony
2. Oceanview Stateroom
   • has a window or porthole but no direct access to a balcony
3. Balcony Stateroom
   • has direct access to a balcony or verandah
4. Suite Stateroom
   • has separated sleeping and sitting rooms, includes a balcony

 

Categories:

The cabin classes divide the ship into four different classes with different specifications, but we go even more fine-grained than this. The average cruise ship features about 25 cabin categories. Each cabin category contains different sub-categories to precisely differentiate room types.

An Example from the Carnival Breeze:

Oceanview = cabin class

6A = category

6L = category

6M = category

OV = category

 

How Are the Categories Differentiated?

You will find a short description of the different categories on our webpage. If you still need more information, you will get more details about every single room type after starting the booking process.

 

Choosing the Right Cabin Class

There is no right and wrong choice when it comes choosing cabin class—it’s an indvidual decision. But to help you make the choice that best suits your needs, we will list some pros and cons for each class.

Interior:

+ best price

+ more of your budget can be spent in the common areas

+ ideal for those who like sleeping in absolute darkness

– no view of the outside

– can feel a bit claustrophobic

– no waking up to the sunrise and a view of the sea

– no natural light to give you a sense of the time of day

Summary: ideal for passengers who are sure not to spend too much time in their cabin

 

Oceanview:

+ outside view with porthole or window

+ natural light facilitates a normal circadian rhythm

– portholes and windows cannot be openend

– some cabins face public areas and not the sea (choose the right category)

Summary: good value for money if you want a view of the sea. Good choice for first-time-cruisers

 

Balcony (sometimes Verandahs):

+ outside seating

+ fresh ocean air

+ larger rooms

– balconies are small with very limited space

– higher price

Summary: ideal for passengers who want to have a panoramic view of the sea in a private atmosphere

 

Suites:

+ largest space

+ separated sleeping and sitting rooms, including balcony

– highest price

Summary: best suited for families or passengers who enjoy luxury and are willing to pay for it

 

What to Consider When Choosing the Category

After choosing your preferred cabin class you can start selecting one of the categories to further differentiate cabins according to:

• location on the ship
• size
• facilities

 

Location is the most complicated choice. Some general tips:

• if you’re prone to sickness choose a cabin near the center of the ship
• cabins on higher decks tend to rock more than cabins on lower decks
• if you are a light sleeper, choose a cabin far from public areas (e.g. dancefloors, kitchen, engine room)
• if you have an outside view, make sure you check where it faces

 

Analyze and Monitor Your Preferred Cruise Ship Rooms

Once you know the perfect ship and trip for your cruise holiday you can choose and analyze the cabin classes and categories. All you need to do is click “Find Your Cruise” or “Price Drop”, filter according to your preferred criteria, and select the “Show Details” button (click the cruise trip in the Price Drop layer).

Now you can see the trip details for your selection:

 

 

This gives you a first impression of the different cabin classes and prices listed at the top. You can scroll down or click “Price History.”

 

Now you will see this screen, which allows you to analyze the four different cabin classes. The price shown is always for the cheapest available category.

In this example, you see the price curve for the interior and it had an initial price of $3,949. That former price was reduced 23 hours ago by $150 and now sits at $3,799. This is still very expensive (factoring in a comparison to all other cruise ships and trips) and our prediction (you need to be logged in to see it) recommends waiting, since the price is likely to drop.

This analysis all takes place on a cabin class level. You can get even more detailed information by clicking the link just below the cabin class picture. Your screen will change to one like this:

 

Here you get the relevant category level information: a brief description, the current price, and information about the last update. You can modify the category screen by selecting the two boxes above the data grid. The first one allows you to see all cabin classes at once and the other hides unavailable cabins.

Once you’re sure you’ve identified the best category for you, you can start the booking process. Simply go back to the former screen (click the trip name or just click “back” in your browser) and click on the “Book” button. This will direct you to our trusted partner to finalize the booking.

If you‘re not happy with the price, all you need to do is set an alert by clicking the “Add Alert for This Cabin” button (you need to be logged in to access this service). In our alert section (see this link) you can easily handle your alerts:

 

You can choose from five different alerts:

• Sold out: we notify you when this category is no longer available
• Available: we notify you when the category is available again.
• $ Up: we text you if the prices increases
• $ Drop: we make sure you never miss the price going down since the last drop
• $ Limit: we will let you know if the price drops below your customized limit

 

Save Money by Selecting an Alternative Date

If the cruise ship will be making the same trip repeatedly, we will show you our “alternative dates” layer (see the lower section of the cabin class picture above). There, you can compare prices on a cabin class level for your selected ship and trip at a single glance. You will find out immediately how much money you can save. All that you need to take advantage of these better deals is the flexibility to change your departure date.
We hope this introduction has been helpful. If you have any further questions don’t hesitate to get in touch with us on our forum!