Researching for their first cruise, families have a ton of information to digest determining where to go and when. Another tough decision is selecting the stateroom/cabin. Selecting one stateroom/cabin type over another can come with a noticeable price difference, especially for a family. The question really is: what is affordable and what is practical, right? Based on cost and some practicality, the author recommends inside or interior cabins for first time cruise families.
The rationale for this recommendation is two-fold. One, the cost of the interior staterooms are among the lowest you'll see anywhere on the ship. The author is all about sailing at the lowest cost possible. The second, it is an affordable way to see if you like the cruise experience in the first place. The author believes the dining experience, the onboard activities, and the excursions are what make or break your cruise experience. If you feel that the cruise was an enjoyable vacation, you can always upgrade your stateroom type on your next one!
There are other considerations regarding the interior room, cons if you will. If a member of your family has had motion sickness issues in the past and having a view to the outside relieves the symptoms, than an interior room will not do.
As with all cruise ship staterooms, the space inside the room is rather small. If you are traveling with young children, the small space isn't much of a problem. However, if you are traveling with teens, the space could get small real quick and rattle some nerves. If cost effective for your family, a solution could be two adjoining inside cabins. It’s hard to put a value on having two rooms as opposed to just one, but those families in that circumstance can. The word on message boards is this works well. (The author will have an opinion on this when his children are teens and decide to join the family on cruises. So far, they don't want to be left out of any of our cruise plans!)
If going for two adjoining cabins, there are some things to consider: An adult will have to be booked with a minor. For example, Mom and teenage sister will be booked in one cabin and Dad and teenage brother in another. How you end up sleeping in the cabin is up to you. It’s recommended that the teenager's card keys are set up to prohibit purchases or you will not like the bill at the end of the cruise.
The author would be happy to answer additional questions or please feel free to comment with your opinions if you are experienced cruisers yourselves. Hopefully a good informative dialogue can start.
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