the
BEST CABIN
for your dollar on 64 ships
(Selected from a Travel Agent Poll)
Here, are cruise accommodations that offer the best value on specific ships. These cabins won't suit everybody, but they do represent the vast range of staterooms available and are selected to the give you the best value on the given ships and cruise lines. Please ask our Cruise Specialists to check further their suitability and availability for your cruise experience.
Carnival Cruise Lines
Celebrity Cruises Clipper Cruise Line
Cruise West Crystal Cruises Cunard
Line Disney Cruise Line
Holland America Line Lindblad Expeditions Norwegian Cruise Line
Orient Lines Princess
Cruises Regent Seven Seas
Cruises
ResidenSea Royal
Caribbean Seabourn Cruise Line
Sea Dream Yacht Club Silversea Cruises Windstar Cruises
CARNIVAL CRUISE LINES
Carnival Destiny, Carnival Triumph, Carnival Victory
Midship balcony rooms on Deck 6 are only one floor above the main drag of bars, shops, clubs and the casino, but you won't be bothered by noise from below; and they are less expensive than identical rooms in less desirable fore and aft locations on higher decks.
CELEBRITY CRUISES
Constellation, Infinity, Millennium, Summit
Of the least expensive veranda staterooms, 6048 and 6053 have the largest balconies, due to a widening in the hull. Cabins 8170, 8172, 8176 and 8185, running along the stern on the Panorama Deck, also have larger balconies than other cabins in their category and offer sweeping views off the back of the ship.
CLIPPER CRUISE LINE
Nantucket Clipper, Yorktown Clipper
You may prefer category 2 Lounge Deck cabins that provide immediate access to an aft deck (L38 to L41 on the Nantucket Clipper, L43 to L48 on the Yorktown Clipper). Few other passengers ever discover this public area, so it might become your own semiprivate veranda.
CRUISE WEST
Spirit of Oceanus
On a small expedition ship like this, having a balcony is important so you can get outside quickly to see marine life. For about an extra $100 per person per day, suites 505 to 512 on the Sports Deck will give you a private balcony, a walk-in closet and 27 extra square feet of space.
Crystal Harmony
Cabins 7126 and 7127 offer whirlpool baths and 102 more square feet than other staterooms in the same category; there's no veranda, but the stairs just outside your door lead to a deck area which is so seldom used that it's practically private. Also, balconies off cabins 9106 to 9117, 8001 to 8015, 8124 and 8126 to 8137 measure 73 square feet, rather than the usual 48.
Crystal Serenity
Cabins 10001 through 10017 and 10108 through 10125, will give you the amentias (but not the spaciousness) of a penthouse room - a butler and a complimentary stocked bar - at a lower price; they also have larger balconies than other cabins in the same category. And, by choosing them you can save about $3,000 per person on a two-week 'European' cruise.
Crystal Symphony
Cabins 8076 and 8077 are midship gems; they're priced as 'limited view' cabins, since they're on the deck where the lifeboats hang, but they sit between lifeboats and offer unobstructed ocean vistas. And, they'll save you $1,280 to $2,380 on a 20-day 'South Pacific' cruise.
CUNARD LINE
Queen Elizabeth 2
The P2 cabins on Three Deck are spacious and midship (both desirable on transoceanic voyages). P2 guests dine in the Princess and Britannia grills, which are smaller, quieter and less ostentatious than the other dining options - perfect if you want to feel 'exclusive' but don't want to spend more. And, Cabins 3087 and 2090 are 21 square feet larger than the other P2 cabins.
Queen
Mary 2
(maiden voyage January 2004)
On the QM2, your diningroom will be determined by your cabin category. If you're a food connoisseur and really enjoy time outdoor on a balcony, select a junior suite on Deck 10 with Princess Grill dining. If your wallet is a little thinner and the dining experience isn't a major issue, the standard oceanview cabins without balconies with dining in the less intimate Britannia is good. (There are balcony cabins with Britannia dining, but since these balconies are set back within the ship's hull, your view is narrowed so they may not be an option.)
DISNEY CRUISE LINE
Disney Magic, Disney Wonder
The veranda staterooms on Deck 8 sleep a family of five, so you needn't pay for two adjoining cabins. These rooms have a queen or two twin beds, plus three pullout singles. There's a divider between the master bed area and the pullout beds for privacy and the bathtub and toilet areas are separate, each with their own door.
HOLLAND AMERICA LINE
Amsterdam, Rotterdam
The verandas in suites 7032 to 7043 on the Amsterdam and 7030 to 7039 on the Rotterdam are shaded from the sun by an overhang (part of the Lido Restaurant above), making them a great choice if you prefer 'shade'.
Maasdam,
Ryndam, Statendam, Veendam
(Photo looks identical to the one above.)
Category B suite on the Veranda Deck, set high and midship, costs only $35 more per person per day than the staterooms without balconies. Besides a sitting area, you'll get a whirlpool bath, usually available only in more expensive cabins on comparable cruise lines.
Oosterdam,
Zuiderdam
The aft corner suites on the Veranda Deck (S4186 and S5187) have huge wraparound balconies - at least three times larger than those of comparably priced suites - and are great for entertaining. Cabins S56052, S56108, S56117,S58074 and S58099 on the Navigation Deck also have larger balconies than other rooms in the same class.
Prinsendam
Cabins A196 and A197, located at the stern of the ship, are extra-large with oversized balconies - 36 additional square feet inside and 24 outside, but cost the same as the others in their category. They also open onto a huge deck with a whirlpool that most other passengers don't even know exists.
LINDBLAD EXPEDITIONS
Sea Bird, Sea Lion
Cabin 108 on the Bridge Deck is just around the corner from the Sun Deck, the best vantage point for spotting marine life - so you'll be well-placed when the captain announces a breaching whale or a spawning ray in the 'Sea of Cortes'. And, it's also 13 square feet large than other cabins that cost the same.
NORWEGIAN CRUISE LINE
Norwegian Dawn, Norwegian Star, Norwegian Sun
The mini-suites are a great value! For as little as $100 more per person over a seven-day 'Caribbean' cruise, you'll get a sitting area, a bathtub, concierge service and extra touches like fresh flowers and plusher bathrobes. And, If you're headed to 'Alaska' on the Norwegian Sun, try to book rear-facing cabins 8079, 8279, 9078, 9278, 0067 or 026, since sea life seems to congregate behind the ship.
Cabins 504, 505 and 507 on the Main Deck have two windows; other sat the same price have only one. (Choose one of these cabins and you won't have to spend your voyage gazing at the view from over your roommate's shoulder.)
PRINCESS CRUISES
Dawn Princess, Ocean Princess, Sea Princess, Sun Princess
Outside cabins 222 to 237, 311 to 314 and 712 to 749 on the Dolphin Deck have huge windows that are almost three times larger than those in comparable cabins. Another good choice, if you don't want to pay extra for a veranda, is the Baja Deck's foremost cabins B206 to B224, which are a very short walk from a deck area that's almost always empty.
Grand
Princess
Cabins 752 and 753 are corner balcony rooms at the stern; their triple-exposure views are a photographer's dream, yet they cost thousands of dollars less per person than the larger premium suites next door. And, on a vessel this large, you needn't worry about motion.
REGENT SEVEN SEAS CRUISES
Paul Gauguin
The least expensive cabins are on Deck 3, but it's worth spending the extra $450 per person on a weeklong Tahiti cruise to upgrade to Deck 4 so you can have a picture window instead of two tiny portholes. The rooms are the same size, but the additional light makes the Deck 4 cabins seem much bigger.
Seven
Seas Mariner
Every cabin has a balcony, and the least expensive rooms are extraordinarily large - 301 square feet - so these entry-level cabins are actually a great value; unlike some rooms that are the same size but cost more, they're midship and down low, so motion isn't an issue. They even have walk-in closets!
Seven
Seas Navigator
Balcony suite 601 is 180 square feet larger than the same-priced cabins one deck above. Cabin 600 has no balcony and a limited view, but it's 160-square feet larger than same-priced cabins on that deck.
Seven
Seas Voyager
Book a suite along the stern, rather than the slightly larger ones toward the front. For several hundred dollars less, you'll lose only 14 square feet inside your cabin, while more than doubling the size of your balcony. And, since you'll be able to see what's happening off the sides of the ship, as well as off the back, you'll have panoramic vistas!
ResidenSea
The World
The Studio Residences on Deck 6, except 667 and 668, are the best value. They are the least expensive cabins that have unobstructed views and balconies. Another value, are cabins in category SR4, which are about 30 square feet larger than those in SR3, with walk-in closets and vanities, yet on certain sailings, they cost the same.
ROYAL CARIBBEAN
Adventure of the Seas, Explorer of the Seas, Navigator of the Seas, Voyager of
the Seas
Worth the extra $60 per person, is one of the least expensive balcony cabins midship on Deck 6 for a week-long 'Caribbean' cruise (but no need to pay the additional $200 to upgrade from there, since you'll get only another 20 square feet of space.)
Majesty
of the Seas, Monarch of the Seas, Sovereign of the Seas
The outside cabins on Decks 2 and 3 are the best bargain. But make sure you get a room away from the bow - where windows have a tunnel view - and ahead of the aft rooms on Deck 3,which are under the noisy atrium.
Rhapsody
of the Seas, Vision of the Seas
The cabins facing the stern on Decks 7 and 8 have balconies that are almost twice as large as the others on the same decks but cost no more. Try to book corner cabins 7152, 7652, 8088 and 8588, since their wraparound balconies have fabulous views.
SEABOURN CRUISE LINE
Seabourn Legend, Seabourn Pride, Seabourn Spirit
Some cabins have minibalconies; they aren't wide enough for a chair, but you'll get floor-to-ceiling views, ocean breezes and the sounds of the sea. Cabin 204 to 223 on Deck 5 are almost $1,000 less per suite for a 7-day Caribbean cruise than the identical rooms a deck above.
SEADREAM YACHT CLUB
SeaDream I, Sea Dream II
Since you'll spend more time outdoors on these yachts than you might on larger ships, you should be perfectly comfortable in the smaller (and less expensive) of the two cabin categories. Cabins 201 and 202 are well-positioned - low and midship - which is important on a small vessel.
SILVERSEA CRUISES
Silver Cloud, Silver Wind
The Silver suites - 527, 627 and 723 - are the best buy: You get almost twice as much cabin and balcony space as in the cabins next door for only 50 percent more. These suites have separate sleeping, living and dining areas.
Silver
Shadow, Silver Whisper
If you choose Vista suites 521 through 537 (odd numbers only), you'll get a shared balcony without paying for it. On a weeklong cruise, this will save you about $1,400 per person off the cost of a cabin with a private veranda.
WINDSTAR CRUISES
Wind Spirit, Wind Star
Adjoining cabins 132 and 134 work well for a large family or a group because they can each accommodate a third guest. With six passengers, you'll pay as little as $1,500 per person for a weeklong Mediterranean cruise.
Wind
Surf
(Photo looks identical to the one above.)
There's really no reason to spend about $100 more per person for a luxury category A cabin. In fact, if the sea gets rough, you're better off one deck lower in category B, where you'll fell less motion. If you want to splurge, the suites are a good value: They're two cabins put together, but the price is only 50 percent more per person.
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