The cabins to avoid on a cruise

There’s no such thing as an objectively “bad” cabin on a cruise ship – but some locations are far more prone to noise, motion, or inconvenience than others. If you’re after a restful holiday, it pays to know which spots to steer clear of when booking. As the cruise experts, these are our cabins to avoid.

Cabins directly below the pool deck

During the day if you want an afternoon snooze, you may hear the pitter patter of children’s feet running up and down the pool deck. And in the morning, the staff usually will be dragging out sun chairs which can make a fair amount of noise in your cabin. On many ships this zone also sits below the buffet, so add pre-dawn trolley and cleaning noise to the mix.

Cabins near nightclubs, theatres or live music venues

Unless you’re a party animal or you’re a heavy sleeper, avoid cabins are situated near the night club or bars with live music. You might even be able to feel the subwoofer reverberating through your cabin as the DJ spins his tunes late into the evening (or the early hours of the morning). This is worth checking regardless of ship age – modern venues are often just as loud as older ones, even if they’re better insulated.

Cabins near kids’ clubs or arcades

Most newer ships have positioned their kids’ clubs and arcades away from the staterooms. But some cruise lines still have cabins which surrounds the kids’ clubs. You could have kids running around your stateroom at all hours of the day, so you may want to pick a cabin away from the area.

Adjoining cabins

These are perfect if you’re in a large group, but if you’re not, the extra door between cabins means you can hear every word from your loud neighbours. The doors are not soundproof, so make sure you don’t choose an adjoining or connecting cabin unless you know the people next door.

Wrong location for limited mobility

If you’ve got limited mobility, make sure you check where the lifts are when booking your cabin. As well as lift position, note that cabins at the very front or back of the ship can mean a long walk to dining rooms, theatres, and gangways.

Budget ‘guarantee’ cabins

On many cruise lines, the cheapest interior cabins are booked as ‘guarantee’ (GTY) fares, where the cruise line – not you – assigns the exact cabin shortly before sailing. It’s a reasonable way to save money if you’re not picky, but it removes your ability to avoid the noisy or awkward spots above, so book it knowing you’re trading certainty for price.

A few more things worth considering:

• Elevator- and stairwell-adjacent cabins: constant foot traffic and the ding of arriving lifts can disturb light sleepers, at any hour.
• ‘View’ cabins that don’t face the ocean: some ships sell cabins overlooking an internal promenade, atrium, or garden walkway rather than the sea. Fun for people-watching, less so for privacy or quiet.
• Forward and aft cabins: forward cabins tend to feel the most motion in rough seas and can pick up anchor noise in port; aft cabins get engine vibration and, on some ships, soot from the funnels landing on balcony furniture.
• Cabin construction: cruise ship cabins are typically prefabricated, lightweight, fire-resistant modules, not built like a hotel room. That construction limits how much sound insulation is possible, so even on newer ships, wall and floor noise is never fully eliminated.