Cabin selection

Cruise pointers
to bear in mind

Engine vibrations
and noises

You risk losing a good night's sleep if you have a rear lower-deck cabin.

Visual
obstructions

Be sure your porthole or window ocean view isn't eclipsed fully or partially by a lifeboat or other fixed object.

Alarm-clock feet

Avoid rooms adjacent to deck jogging tracks. Otherwise, the thumping feet of early morning runners might prematurely awake you.

Other noise
polluters

Be certain your room is not located above, below or near dining rooms, bars, nightclubs, pool areas, kitchens, and laundry rooms. Also don't be next to elevators, high-traffic stairs and busy thoroughfares.

Watching the
world go by

If your cabin faces a deck and you like to keep your curtains open in the daytime to enjoy the peaceful ocean, you will likely be distracted by a stream of people walking by your window.

Convenient
location

Remember, mega ships are several football fields long. You don't want a cabin in the boondocks. You want to be reasonably near the ship's core activity area, unless you like to walk a lot.

If you're
seasick prone

Select a cabin with minimum vertical and lateral movements. Ideally, you want one that's in the middle of the vessel in all directions (front to rear, side to side, and bottom to top). Cabins near the bow and stern can seesaw up and down. Outside cabins sway pendulum style more than inside ones. The same is true for top deck and lower-deck cabins versus mid-level deck cabins. Also see the related item on seasickness on my "Booking Knowledgeably" web page.

Smoking

If you don't smoke, request a non-smoking room to forego lingering odors embedded in curtains and bedspreads.

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