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Cabins & Ships

Choosing a cabin and a ship: which grade is worth the upgrade, where on the ship you want to be, and how the lines genuinely differ from one another.

Black six-outlet power strip with a switch and a coiled cord

Cabins & Ships

Cruise Approved Power Strips and Cabin Outlets: What Each Line Allows

A cruise approved power strip is one without surge protection, usually with a few outlets and USB ports. Carnival and Princess allow those but ban surge protectors. Royal Caribbean bans all power strips and extension cords, Celebrity bans extension cords and multi-plug adapters, and MSC does not allow your own extension cords. On every line, a USB charging cube that plugs straight into the wall is the safe choice.

Cabins & Ships

Which Cruise Cabin Should You Book? Inside, Ocean View, Balcony or Suite

Which cruise cabin to book depends on the itinerary more than your taste. On a port-heavy Caribbean week, an inside or ocean view cabin is the better buy, because you are ashore all day. On Alaska, the fjords, the Panama Canal or any cruise with four or more sea days, a balcony earns its premium, about $380 per person a week over inside on Carnival in 2026. Suites pay off mainly for their perks.

Side of a cruise ship showing balcony decks above rows of portholes

Cabins & Ships

The Best Cabin Location on a Cruise Ship: Deck, Midship and What to Avoid

The best cabin location on a cruise ship is midship on a low or middle deck, where the ship moves least in a swell; the CDC's advice for motion sickness is to avoid places of maximum motion such as the bow. Then check the deck plan for what is directly above and below your cabin, and avoid sleeping under the pool deck, buffet or jogging track, or above the theater, nightclub or galley.

Traveler alone at the ship railing looking at the coast

Cabins & Ships

Solo Cruise Single Supplement: Why You Pay Double and How to Avoid It

Cruise fares are priced per person based on two people sharing a cabin, so a solo traveler booking a standard cabin pays a single supplement, often up to 200 percent of the per-person fare, which means paying for both berths. You can avoid it by booking a dedicated solo cabin, such as Norwegian's Studios, Celebrity's single staterooms or Holland America's solo ocean view cabins, or by watching for reduced-supplement promotions.