Location, Location, Location—Pick Your Stateroom as You Would Your Home

What’s the perfect location for a stateroom on a cruise ship?

Well, that depends.

What would you look for in a home? How far it is from work? Is it near good schools? Where’s the closest supermarket? Is the neighborhood quiet?

On a cruise ship, it’s not too different. Maybe you want to know how close your room is to the dining room, buffet or pool. And how far are you willing to trek down that long lonesome hallway to get

somewhere? Does quiet matter?

How far are you willing to walk down this long lonesome hallway on Allure of the Seas?

One thing for sure—like with a home, where your bed is on a cruise ship can impact how happy you’re going to be. 

Decorations won't help if you pick the wrong place

So, you want to give some thought into what you want and time into planning. Here are a few tips on selecting a room:

Know what you want. Prioritize what you want to be close to, and then select a room that's nearest the elevator that will take you there. You don’t have to worry about elevator noise; I haven’t been on a ship yet where a room near the elevator is a problem. Elevators tend to be set away from staterooms.

If it’s quiet you’re after. To find the quietest rooms, avoid adjoining ones (which can draw families) and those across from inside rooms (slamming doors, folks hanging out in their doorways). Pick decks that don’t have these above or below: pools, buffets, restaurants, gyms, jogging track or discos.
 

If it's quiet you're after, don't get a room below the pool...

...or under decks like the Promenade on Navigator of the Seas

And when looking at deck plans, be sure to note empty spaces near rooms—they can be the crew’s linen closet or galley, which can mean a lot of activity early in the morning. Be careful too to avoid baggage areas and laundry rooms.

...or near laundry rooms like the ones on the Regal Princess

Steady as she goes. The parts of the ship with the least amount of movement tend to be mid-ship. If you don’t think location is important, check out how the prices vary—you’ll pay a premium for being in the middle of the ship. And these rooms tend to go faster.

Help for planning. Looking at deck plans can be as fun and easy as reading a camera manual. If you can even read the print (which gets smaller all the time!), it’s hard to know what you’re even looking at. Fortunately, the cruise lines generally have decent online versions. Also consider cruisedeckplans.com for an easier online experience.

Deciphering deck plans can be as fun as studying for finals

The last step. Say you’ve narrowed it down to an actual room, but you want to make sure it’s what you want. You can:

* Call the cruise line for information, but what you get may be limited

* Throw a question out on the cruisecritic.com boards; see especially Cruise Discussion Topics/Cabin Selection Tips

* Google the room number (including the ship name)

One last idea is to scout out the rooms and decks on Disembarkation Day. If you can spare a few minutes, note where you’d want to be—or don’t want to be—should you (hopefully) find yourself on the ship or same class of ship at some point in the future.