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We're booked in an inside stateroom (deck 7 aft) for our cruise next year. It'll be our first time in an inside stateroom and honestly, I'm not sure how much I'll like it. Do you guys have any tips/ suggestions on how to make a stay in an inside stateroom more enjoyable? How do you keep from going stir-crazy in those tight quarters without daylight? I know it's not as bad as all that but still!
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I don't recall which ship you'll be on but when we stayed deck 7 aft there was a little hidden sun deck on the wonder that hardly ever had people on it. There are lots of areas on the ships to go out and enjoy the view and fresh air that are less crowded, just gotta find one that works for you!
You'll love it when it comes to sleeping! In fact, you may end up finding you need to set an alarm, with no sun peeking in to wake you. Just find those quiet little spots on deck when you want to enjoy some fresh air.
And you can always keep the view from the bridge on the TV.
The one thing I did like about the inside stateroom was the configuration. With the bed at the end of the room , the bed can be curtained off if someone else wants to watch tv, or even come and go.
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Last edited by Lumieregirl; 07-12-2014 at 11:19 AM..
When we sailed on the Dream we had an outside stateroom with two large portholes, so I can't speak specifically to your question from direct experience.
However, some ideas:
- one of the TV channels is a camera "view from the bridge"; leave the TV on that channel and you get to see daylight, the view lightening from sunrise, etc; plus it can be neat watching coming into or out of a port
- become familiar with the deck plan and explore the ship !
- Deck 4 has a promenade that circles the ship. It is sheltered because it is wide and it has a "roof" overhead (either a real roof or lifeboats and they have a roof above them). On the Dream, and I assume the other ships, there were comfortable padded lounge chairs in groupings placed regularly along it. I loved taking a walk along it, whether for just a stretch of it or around the whole ship. I could set the pace I wanted, stop at a railing and just watch the sea go by, whatever set my fancy. I also enjoyed sitting on the lounge chairs and just relaxing; they were a great place to curl up with something to read. Because it is sheltered overhead, no need to worry about sun glare on a book/ereader/tablet/laptop, or the sun overhead. Being sensitive to the sun, I **really** appreciated walking and lounging in the shade !! :-)
- with so many activities happening on ship, we found we were in our room when we chose to be, but if we didn't want to be there were things to do
I don't recall which ship you'll be on but when we stayed deck 7 aft there was a little hidden sun deck on the wonder that hardly ever had people on it.
We'll be on the Magic and that sun deck is the reason we picked a stateroom on deck 7 We haven't made use of it much in the past as we've always had a stateroom with verandah but always thought it was nice!
You might be right! I always sleep in complete darkness (we have exterior rolling shutters over here that make a room pitch-black) so the light that filters into the stateroom with verandah in the mornings does usually bother me.
The one thing I did like about the inside stateroom was the configuration. With the bed at the end of the room , the bed can be curtained off if someone else wants to watch tv, or even come and go.
That's something my DH will like especially. He usually stays up later than me
- one of the TV channels is a camera "view from the bridge"; leave the TV on that channel and you get to see daylight, the view lightening from sunrise, etc; plus it can be neat watching coming into or out of a port
Great idea! We'll just leave the TV on (on mute) while we're in the stateroom during the day
Quote:
Originally Posted by Starwind
- Deck 4 has a promenade that circles the ship. ... I also enjoyed sitting on the lounge chairs and just relaxing; they were a great place to curl up with something to read.
I'm trying to find more places like this. On past cruises, I've loved to sit on our private verandah and read. Gotta find me an alternate place for it!
We had an inside stateroom on the Wonder and we never felt cramped. Most of the time you are not in your room. We love to spend it on the deck in the adult area. On the dream we had a stateroom with Balcony but we still went upstairs to spend time on the decks.
For this year we will cruise on the Fantasy and we will have a Stateroom with 2 portholes.
I know for sure you will be okay in your room. Happy Cruisin'
DH requires an accessible cabin, so last cruise was in an inside 11C on deck 2 on the Fantasy. We have booked the same cabin for our next two cruises on the DREAM. We do spend time in the cabin when DH needs to rest. On the Fantasy we just leave the magical porthole on during the day when we are in the cabin. When we cruised on the Wonder we had an inside standard regular cabin and it was not bad. We will continue to book insides if it means more cruises on DCL.
We have only done one cruise - 12 nights on the Magic on deck 7 (cabin 7039)!!!
We loved it. It was an inside cabin (once of the cheapest on the ship) close to the mid section and elevators. We had no issue with space (there were 4px) but we didn't really get much time to spend in the room. We were struggling to find time to get back from port excursions and wash up before the show and dinner.
You must have an alarm set as the cabin gets completely black! We could have easily overslept at the pace we were going but we used alarm clock in room plus several iPhone alarms too just in case.
The storage for four large suitcases was tight. We put two in the wardrobe with cabin luggage inside it and two down the side of the bed. It didn't feel cramped but it wasn't as spacious as our room at home-lol.
I expected the bathroom to be much more tight but after seeing the split bathroom in our friend's cabin we thought ours was pretty good too. There was space for everything. The long shelf under the vanity was more than enough storage for the four of us. One person at a time also worked okay as the main part of the cabin had a mirror that my DD could use to get ready whilst the rest of us rotated through the bathroom!
With the bunk beds we told the room steward to leave them set for sleeping all the time but he never did - he packed them away every morning and set them out again at night. Considering the little time we spent in there we didn't want to cause him extra work! With the top bunk pulled down into sleeping placement, the room felt a little enclosed but nothing too major considering we did have four people sitting around in there after dinner before bed. 12 nights is a long time for my family to spend in such close proximity but with us spread all over the ship on sea days I was pleasantly surprised that we got along so well!
The only thing I would change about the cabin was the seat in front of the mirror and the coffee table. We always had to walk around them and heard later after our cruise that we could have requested that they be removed altogether!
On that deck we did not feel any movement of the ship (except in the bathroom on one particular evening when seas were rough) and we did not hear much noise - only the hallway runners late at night. We never heard a peep from our neighbours at any time so walls must be insulated well.
We will cruise with Disney again. We will choose a mid deck section. We will chose a 'cheap' category. We will love checking out each ship! Have fun!
We've just done a cruise in a inside stateroom. We initialky missed the window/verandah but after first night we fell in love. It was quiet and dark and we slept like a baby.
We spent most part of the day outside, enjoying the ship areas so we didnot felt we've missed the sea. We return to the cabin for bath, change and sleep and it was perfect.
We tend to spend more time in the stateroom than other people, I think. We don't have kids, it's just DH and me, so on a Disney cruise we're very laid-back, not go-go-go Plus, I have a back condition that forces me to take frequent breaks throughout the day.
How do you make your inside stateroom feel more homey?
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I know it's not as bad as all that 
but still!
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Plus, I have a back condition that forces me to take frequent breaks throughout the day. 
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