Think cruise ship cabins are basically floating hotel rooms? Think again. Upon entering your cabin at the start of a cruise, you’ll notice lots of things that make the room different to any accommodation found ashore — from immovable furnishings to the whoosh of air you get when opening the window.
Here, we’ll explore 5 of things you (probably) don’t know about cruise ship cabins.
Not All Cabins Are Created Equal
Book a cabin or stateroom of a certain class, and you’d expect all other rooms in that category to be the same, right? Wrong — depending on the size and shape of the ship, cabins can differ greatly depending on where they’re located on-board, even if they’re in the same category.
For instance, a corner aft cabin with a covetable wraparound balcony will likely be priced the same as a standard aft cabin, something that may surprise some readers. Sadly, it’s the pick of the draw which size and shape of cabin you get, unless you pay through the nose for a balcony stateroom with guaranteed wow factor.
Cruise Cabins Are Magnetic
That’s right — most components aboard a cruise ship are constructed from metal components, including the walls, ceiling and floor of your cabin. That means if you’ve got some magnets handy, you can stick all sorts of stuff to the walls — either to keep yourself organised or just to test the theory.
In fact, a lot of cruise passengers carry a set of magnets with them on a cruise so they can affix valuable documents to their cabin so that they can be easily accessed later. During a cruise, you’ll normally receive a lot of paperwork from the crew, so sticking these to the wall is a great way to keep the place free of clutter.
Need More Storage Space? Look Under the Bed
With a small cruise cabin comes limited storage space, so you’ve got to play it smart if you don’t want to trip over your suitcase everyday. Rather than cramming everything into the paltry wardrobe space, check under the bed. Often, the bed will have a large, free space underneath where it’s possible to store suitcases and other bulky items.
Be aware, however, that these items could easily move around in the event of bad weather, something which could quite easily cause an accident. Make sure suitcases are properly secure if you choose to store them under the bed — either by weighing them down or jamming them in place.
The Furniture Doesn’t Move
Unlike a hotel room, where you could literally pick up a chair from your room and walk out the front door with it, the furniture in cruise cabins can’t be moved so easily. In fact, if you so much as attempt to move a small table or chair in your room you’ll struggle. The furniture is either fixed to the floor or weighted so that it doesn’t move around in choppy conditions, leaving you with limited configuration options.
It may surprise you to hear, however, that beds are actually one of the easiest objects to move in a cruise ship cabin. If for whatever reason you’re unhappy with the position or location of your bed, crewmembers are often happy to move it for you. This is particularly handy if you’ve accidentally booked a twin cabin and would like the single beds pushing together to make a double.
They Can Feel a Tad Gusty
On a baking hot summer’s day, you’ll doubtless want to open the window to allow a gentle sea breeze into your cabin. But be warned — upon opening the window, a strong of gust of wind will gush through the gap, knocking your loose bits and bobs for six. This effect is doubly troublesome for those with a balcony door.
If you want to open the window, stow any loose travel documents somewhere safe, and get ready to feel the cool, refreshing sea breeze on your face.
So there we have it — five things you didn’t know about cruise ship cabins. If you’re interested in browsing the latest Australian cruise deals, visit the Cruise1st Australia website or call us on 1300 857 345.
