Inside vs balcony: the great cruise cabin debate
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Your cabin shapes your cruise more than almost any other choice. Here is an honest look at the inside cabin, the balcony, long voyages, sharing to save money and the small cabin questions nobody tells you about until you are on board.
- Inside cabins are usually the cheapest way to sail
- Balconies matter most on scenic and long itineraries
- Hair dryers are generally allowed on board
- Unpack on day one and use the drawer space
Updated 26 September 2026 · By the Woodford Chauffeur Cars team · Tell us your view in the comments on our LinkedIn page
Be honest: could you survive two weeks in an inside cabin?
Plenty of seasoned cruisers not only survive, they prefer it. An inside cabin is dark, quiet and perfect for sleeping, and it frees up money for excursions, dining or an extra cruise a year. The trick is to treat the cabin as a bedroom and live on deck. Leave the TV on the bow camera channel for a "virtual window", and set an alarm, because without daylight it is easy to sleep through breakfast.
Once you sail balcony, you never want to go back. Agree?
Many people do say this, and on scenic routes such as Norway, Alaska or long transatlantic crossings, a balcony is worth every penny: morning coffee watching a fjord slide past is hard to beat. On a busy port-intensive Mediterranean cruise where you are ashore every day, the case is weaker. Our advice: splurge on the balcony for scenery and long sea passages, save with an inside cabin for city-hopping itineraries.
What is a 30-day cruise in a balcony cabin like?
It becomes home. You unpack completely, get to know your cabin steward by name, and the balcony turns into your private sitting room. Long voyages usually include laundry facilities, which means you can pack less than you think. The one tip every long-voyage guest gives: choose a midship cabin on a middle deck for the least motion.
Would you ever share a cabin with a complete stranger to save money?
Some lines and cruise clubs run cabin-share schemes for solo travellers to avoid the single supplement, and some guests love them. It takes the right personalities, though: tiny bathroom, one wardrobe and very different sleep patterns. Increasingly, the better answer is a dedicated solo cabin, which several lines now build on newer ships.
First thing to do when you walk into your cruise cabin
- Check the safety card on the back of the door for your muster station.
- Unpack straight away and slide the suitcases under the bed.
- Check the fridge, sockets and safe, and report anything broken early.
- Book the popular extras such as speciality dining and shows on day one, before they sell out.
- Take a photo of the cabin number; on a big ship every corridor looks the same.
Can cruise cabin sockets handle a Dyson hair dryer?
Hair dryers are generally permitted; Cunard, for example, lists hair dryers, straighteners and curling tongs as allowed, while banning irons, kettles and appliances with heating elements. British ships such as P&O's usually have UK three-pin sockets, and every cabin already has a basic hair dryer. Plug a high-powered dryer straight into the wall, never through a multi-plug adaptor, and check your own line's prohibited items list before you pack.
Start (and end) your cruise the easy way
A fixed-fare Woodford Chauffeur Cars car from Heathrow, Gatwick, London or Essex to any of the five Southampton terminals, and home again when you are back. Luggage included, ship and traffic tracked. From £146 per car.
Inside or balcony on a winter sailing, and reaching the ship in December
The balcony argument changes once the clocks go back. On a December run north, or a grey day crossing the Bay of Biscay, plenty of balcony owners admit they opened the door twice all week, while an inside cabin stays dark and snug after the late-night festive parties. Head south towards the Canaries or Madeira and the sums flip again, because by day three you may be eating breakfast outside in shirt sleeves. Pick the cabin for where the ship is going, not for the month you leave.
Whichever cabin wins, the first test of a winter sailing comes before you see it. December embarkation mornings start in the dark, the M3 can sit under fog, and coats, boots and formalwear swell everyone's luggage. A private car collects from your door with the heater already running and drops you at the terminal entrance, so the only cold air you meet is the few steps between the boot and the porters.
- The car is warm before you leave the house, even on a frosty pre-dawn start
- Bulky coats and an extra case go in the boot, because luggage is included in the fixed fare
- Rail engineering works and replacement buses make no difference to a road journey
- An MPV takes up to four large cases if you are packing for both deck and dinner
Planning a quiet winter break before you sail? Our New Forest country hotel chauffeur service covers a night or two at Chewton Glen just along the coast from the docks.
Quick answers
Is an inside cabin worth it on a cruise?
Yes, if you spend most of the day out of the cabin. It is usually the cheapest option and the darkest for sleeping.
Can I bring a Dyson hair dryer on a cruise?
Hair dryers are generally permitted on major lines. Plug it straight into the cabin socket rather than an extension lead, and check your line’s rules.
Can you share a cruise cabin with a stranger?
Some cruise clubs and a few lines offer cabin-share schemes for solo travellers. Solo cabins on newer ships are an alternative that avoids the single supplement.
We have booked a balcony on a December sailing. Can you fit our extra winter luggage in the car?
Yes. A saloon is right for up to four people with two large cases, which suits a couple travelling light. If you are bringing heavy coats, formalwear and gifts, choose an MPV, with seats for six and space for four large cases. Every bag is covered by the fixed fare agreed before travel, so packing for a cold-weather cruise does not change the price on the day.
What happens to our pickup if bad weather delays the ship coming back in winter?
Your driver follows the ship rather than a fixed clock time. Most ships tie up in Southampton around six in the morning, but a winter storm can hold a vessel offshore or change its berthing slot. We check the ship's progress before setting off and adjust the collection, so you are not left on a cold quay and you do not need to phone us to rearrange.
Cruise line rules change. Always check the latest policies with your cruise line before you travel. This guide is general information, not legal or medical advice.