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Health & Fitness

How to Choose a Cruise Cabin

Choosing a cruise cabin can be confusing. Here are some tips to ensure you have the best cruise vacation possible.

Getting ready to book a cruise? How do you choose your cabin? You'll find a wide selection of cabins, which are also called staterooms. The best cabin for you depends on your idea of a perfect vacation.  Here are some cruising personality types and the cabins that fit them best.

1. Party Till You Drop, Patty

Patty is in her 20's, doesn't have a lot to spend on vacations, and isn't interested in spending time indoors in a quiet space ... that would be BORING!

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She wants to get out at the port stops as soon as the ship docks and check out new places she's never seen before. She loves to meet new people and hits the dance club around 10:30 pm. She dances and parties till the wee hours of the morning and heads straight for the hot tub once she rouses herself out of bed around 10:00 am or so.

An inside cabin is perfect for her—it fits her budget. She likes that the cabin has no windows so she can easily sleep in till later in the morning.

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2.  Let the Sun Shine in, Stanley  

Stanley sought a bargain on his first cruise and booked an inside cabin ... and hated it. He felt disoriented by the lack of daylight and found himself constantly checking his watch to figure out what time it was. He now spends just a bit more for an ocean view room. He prefers a full window over portholes and is careful to specifically request this from his travel agent. He leaves his curtain open and enjoys waking to the sun streaming in with a beautiful view of the ocean.

3.  It's Got to be a Balcony for Beth

A cabin is a sanctuary to Beth. She enjoys quiet coffee and a light breakfast on her balcony in the morning before she faces lots of people.  In the late afternoon, she relaxes on her balcony with a good novel, a glass of wine and her favorite snack.  She loves the thrill of getting her first glimpse of  exciting new ports from her private balcony.  She wouldn't have it any other way—balcony cabins are a must for her.  Balcony cabins are also called verandahs and almost always have an additional small seating area inside the cabin.

4.  It's a Suite Life for Sasha.  Sasha wants her precious vacations to be the best they can be. She knows that many suites range from 250 square feet (sometimes called mini-suites) to multi-room penthouse palaces—up to 5,350 square feet! When she and her husband travel alone they get an average size suite. They enjoy the small fridge or the mini-bar with complimentary beverages and the extra perks that comes with being a suite passenger.  Most ships provide private areas on board for suite passengers only, complimentary canapés delivered by a butler and other luxuries that make Sasha feel special and pampered.

For her husband's 60th birthday, they splurged and got a penthouse suite to accommodate their kids and grandkids. It was grand and so special—they have memories, videos and photos of that trip that they'll always treasure!

Here are a few more tips to guide you in choosing a cabin you'll love. 

For bargain hunters, choosing a "guaranteed" cabin can be a good deal. You are guaranteed to get a cabin in the category of your choice or sometimes on that is even better. The downside is you don't get to choose a specific cabin and you won't know what cabin you'll get till you board.

If you're prone to seasickness, choose a cabin in mid-ship on the lower levels—you'll feel less motion here. Typically the lowest decks for passengers is the fourth. The crew sleep in the very lowest decks of the ship.

Check out a diagram of the ship showing the deck layouts. If you plan to spend quiet time in your cabin, you'll want to avoid being right over the lounges where bands may practice or provide entertainment at all hours. Also steer clear of the elevators where there will be high traffic.

Cabin choice is highly personal. A good travel consultant will steer you in the right direction to be sure your vacation is perfect for you!

I'd love to hear your experiences with choosing cruise cabins.  Post a comment here and tell us your tips!

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