Royal Caribbean is one of the largest cruise lines in the world, has many ships and consequently also tens of thousands of cabins.
As you can imagine, not all of them are the same. In fact, there are many different types and sometimes it can be confusing.
In order not to make the wrong choice, I decided to create this article with the 10 types of cabin that, in my opinion, are the worst on Royal Caribbean and you should therefore avoid.
I hope these tips will be helpful in making your cruise vacation even better!
1. Cabins below the lido deck
I always say this whenever I am asked which cabins to avoid: please absolutely avoid the ones below the pool deck.
You can imagine the reason behind it. From the cabin, you can often hear noises coming from the upper deck.
Children screaming, people talking, and music from the theme parties that they often have on Royal Caribbean.
But cruise ships are well soundproofed, surely someone will say. I agree with you but I also assure you that, especially early in the morning or late in the evening, if you have the balcony door open you can hear the noises.
You simply have to book two decks below the lido it will be perfect. As I always say, choose a deck that has both above and below other cabins.
2. Balcony cabin facing inward
You’ve probably heard about (or seen) areas on Royal Caribbean like the Royal Promenade, Central Park, or Surfside. They usually are boulevards of shops, bars, restaurants, and attractions outdoors on the ship’s deck.
On many ships, there are some cabins with balconies or windows overlooking these areas.
Should you avoid this kind of cabin? I think you should and I’ll tell you why.
These are still quite decent; you have access to the outside, to fresh air, and you can see the activity and the people walking down the deck, but they completely lack privacy.
You will have both other cabins facing your one and people that can see inside your cabin from below.
If you are like me and like to relax on the balcony while watching the sea, definitely avoid them.
3. Cabins that are too far from the elevators
Let me immediately say something about elevators. They can be your friend or they can be your enemy, you have to be at the right distance, neither too close nor too far away.
I’m telling you this because if your cabin is right in from of the elevators you can usually hear some noises. Not from the actual elevators, the modern ones are very quiet, but from the people chatting in front of them.
On the other hand, don’t choose a cabin that is too far from them.
Especially if you are a senior cruise passenger, a person with disabilities, or with mobility impairments, choose a cabin that does not make you walk too much.
As I said take the right distance, I usually move 5 or 6 cabins maximum starting from the one in front of the elevator door.
4. Connecting Cabins
If you have read my articles on the cabins to avoid on Odyssey of the Seas and the cabins to avoid on MSC Meraviglia, you probably already know that I hate communicating cabins. Let me explain why you should avoid them too.
First, connecting doors are never as soundproof as a cabin wall. Again, some passengers say that even the door between the connecting cabins is well soundproofed. In my opinion (I am very sensitive to noise) it is not the same, the wall lets less noise through.
Second, but maybe this is just a fear of mine, I always feel that someone can open the door at any moment.
It may sound silly but I never have that feeling of complete privacy with the presence of this door right in the middle of the cabin. Sorry but for me it’s a no.
5. Cabins that move too much
If you suffer from seasickness, be sure to avoid all cabins that are most affected by sea motion.
As a matter of physics, cabins that are at the far ends of the ship, either at the stern or the bow, have greater motion because they are farther from the center of gravity.
Similarly, cabins on the higher floors sway more than those on the lower floors.
If you get seasick, therefore, avoid those cabins and choose one that is in the middle of the ship and on a low deck.
6. Expensive cabins
On all cruise ships, there are both cheap cabins and expensive cabins.
My advice is to choose one in the middle, which has the right price/quality ratio.
Choosing luxury suites on a cruise seems to me to be a bit of a waste of money, especially if you are like me and spend little time in the cabin.
The great thing about cruises is to enjoy the ship, the pools, the food, the activities on board, not to have a huge cabin that you’re probably just going to sleep in.
In addition, think carefully about getting a cabin with a balcony in winter or for cold itineraries. You probably won’t be able to enjoy it.
With this in mind, I recommend you to read the article on why inside cabins sometimes are the best choice.
7. Cabins with a porthole
Another thing you need to watch out for is the cabin window.
I don’t know why very few people know this but windows on cruise ships are not all the same size.
Sometimes they are big while other times they are just small portholes. So be careful to avoid outside cabins with very small windows, especially if the price is the same as the others.
8. Cabins with obstructed view
The cabins with obstructed views are the most feared of all, and in my opinion, view obstruction is also the thing you have to watch out for the most.
Usually, these cabins are well-marked on the ship’s plan so be sure to carefully check it before booking.
Cabin views can be obstructed for several reasons. One of the most common is the presence of lifeboats, which may be right in front of you, in which case it is called a totally obstructed view, or on the sides of the cabin and in this case, it is called a partially obstructed view.
Another common case is the presence of parts of the ship, which may be mechanical parts or metal parts of the hull.
For example, in the picture below you see a balcony with a partially obstructed view because it has a smaller than normal round frame. This is actually not a serious case; it may even be a good cabin for those looking for one that is more sheltered from the wind.
However, I can assure you that I have seen cabins with really bad obstructions with the lifeboats placed right in front of the balcony. Definitely avoid them if you can!
9. Guarantee Cabins
Some cruise lines have a reservation type that allows you to book cabins that are called ” Guarantee“.
These mean that you book a type of cabin (inside, outside, balcony, or suite) but do not choose a cabin number, which will be automatically assigned to you a few days before departure.
With this type of booking, if a higher-category cabin is available before departure, it will be assigned to you as a free upgrade.
The problem, however, is that if the other cabins are all occupied you will still receive a random cabin, which may also be with an obstructed view or in a location you do not like.
I personally tend to avoid booking with this option, I prefer to choose my cabin number and to decide exactly where I want to stay.
10. Cabins near the maneuvering thruster
If you are not a ship expert, you probably do not know about maneuvering thrusters.
They are small, very powerful propellers that are located on the sides of the ship.
As the name implies, they are used during maneuvering to make the ship move sideways and make it easier to enter and leave port or to position the ship in the dock during docking maneuvers.
What is the problem with these propellers? As I mentioned, they are very powerful and can literally make your cabin shake.
This is something that only happens during maneuvers and not while sailing, but since cruise ships usually enter port early in the morning they could still wake you up.
Therefore, I recommend avoiding the cabins above the maneuvering thrusters, keep in mind that they are located at the extreme stern and extreme bow of the ship.
You can see two of them in the picture below (the two round parts).
So again, to avoid making a mistake, it is best to choose a cabin that is as close to the center of the ship as possible and, even better, not on a deck that is too low.
