What does booking a suite get you that is not included with a balcony, and what makes one a balcony a better choice over a suite? 

These sort of questions can stymie new cruisers who want to know if moving up to a suite from a balcony is worth it, and what the differences are between these types of staterooms.

If you want to know what makes a balcony different from a suite, here is a good breakdown between these popular categories of cruise ship rooms.

Price

Off the bat, you may notice a difference in price between a balcony and a suite.  Depending on the type of suite, this price difference can be substantial.

While a balcony stateroom price is widely regarded as "affordable" for most vacation budgets, suite prices can really run the gamut from "reasonable" to "outrageous".

Royal Caribbean has a wider variety of suite categories to choose from than balcony rooms.

Many repeat cruisers will compare the price of both types of rooms, before deciding if the extra cost is worth it.

What's included

Of course, what you pay for these rooms has to factor in what you get with the stateroom.

Balcony staterooms are like other standard cabin accommodations, where essentially it is larger cabin than smaller stateroom options, with the primary benefit being you have a private verandah to enjoy anytime you want.

A suite is an even larger balcony room that comes with a variety of additional benefits meant to justify the higher cost.

The exact benefits you can expect with a suite can vary, but here are the most common amenities included:

• Priority embarkation/disembarkation
• Complimentary Pressing on First Formal Night
• Concierge Service
• Priority Dining Reservations
• Bridge, Galley & Backstage Tours
• Suite Lounge/Concierge Club Access (Hors d’oeuvres and Cocktails Each Evening)
• Priority Tendering (Where Applicable)
• Welcome Fruit Amenity
• Welcome Evian Water
• Main Dining Menu Available for In Suite Dining (During Operating Hours)
• Complimentary 24-Hour Room Service
• In Room Mr. Coffee/Tea Service (kettle)
• Reserved Section in Theater - Main, Studio B, AquaTheater, Two70

You should be aware that Junior Suites do not include the full set of suite benefits that other suites do. Despite its name, Junior Suites are more like "extra large balcony rooms".

Living space

A big difference between a balcony and a suite is the amount of room you get with each cabin.

Balcony rooms are fairly large spaces that can accommodate between 2-4 guests (depending on the type of balcony room).  

As an example, on Allure of the Seas, a Superior Ocean View Stateroom with Balcony comes in at 182 square feet, plus a 53 square foot balcony.

Suites start out being a bit larger than a balcony room, and some of the biggest suites can span the size of multiple smaller cabins.

Suites range in size from 350 to almost 1,400 square feet, and the biggest ones feel like a luxury apartment, rather than a cruise ship cabin.

Not only do suites provide more living space, it also means these are the kind of rooms you would need to book if you want to have more than 4 people in one room.

Families traveling with 5, 6 or even more passengers can find larger suites that can accommodate them. Family suites on some of Royal Caribbean's newer ships have multiple bedrooms and are designed for multi-generational cruisers.

Loyalty points

Another key difference between a balcony and a suite is how many Crown and Anchor points you earn by staying in either cabin.

A balcony cabin will get you 1 point for every night of the cruise (2 points per night if you are solo in that room).

A suite will earn 2 points for every night of the cruise (3 points per night if you are solo in the suite).

Staying in a suite is one of the best ways to move up the ranks of the Crown and Anchor Society (the name of Royal Caribbean's customer loyalty program) because those double points add up quickly.

Should you book a balcony or suite?

Ultimately, the decision to book a suite or balcony cabin is going to be a personal decision based on price, what's included and other subjective considerations.

If there was an equation for deciding, the variables change from sailing to sailing, and ship to ship.

While some people will stick to one category over the other on principle, many more weigh the options and prices before picking.

There is not a right or wrong decision, just a question of what you have budgeted and what you are looking for in an onboard experience.

Balcony staterooms on a cruise are a very popular category of cabins, but Royal Caribbean breaks down its balcony rooms across a variety of subcategories leaving many to wonder what does it all mean.

Naturally, you might be wondering what the difference is between each category of balcony rooms, and why there are price differences.

Here is what you need to know about these balcony room to know the difference between them all.

1D vs 2D vs 5D vs 7D

When you decide to book a balcony stateroom, you will see a variety of category numbers: 1D, 4D, 1A, 1E, 2F, etc. There are sixteen sub-categories of balcony staterooms across Royal Caribbean's fleet (not including suites or interior balcony rooms).

The basic difference between each category code is the stateroom location and/or size of the room. The lower the number, the more desirable the cabin, in terms of size or location on the ship.

As the numbers start to climb, you will find rooms further away from the mid-ship, as well as less square-footage.

The differences can be very subtle from one category to another, but the price tends to drop as the number climbs (i.e. a 7D tends to be cheaper than a 1D).

In addition, the difference between staterooms can include rooms that have third and fourth berths.  Rooms with this distinction can result in different pricing compared to staterooms that cannot accommodate third and fourth berths.

In May 2018, Royal Caribbean simplified and re-categorized their staterooms to have more consistency across the fleet. In some cases, D1 or D4 balconies simply became 1D or 4D rooms, while other categories were combined or broken apart.

Other balcony categories

In addition to balcony staterooms that have the letter "D" in the category, there are other categories of balcony staterooms that may be on the same ship.

• A : Ultra Spacious Ocean View with Large Balcony
• C: Ocean view with Large Balcony
• E: Obstructed Ocean View Balcony
• F: Studio Ocean View Balcony
• X: Ocean View Balcony Guarantee

Which room should I book?

Now that you understand what the categories mean, you might be wondering which category is the right choice for your family.

First and foremost, you will be limited by the room capacity, so if you want a room that can handle 3 or 4 guests, then any category that can only sleep up to 2 guests is out of the question.  Similarly, rooms that can accommodate 4 guests may be "overkill" for what you need.

The other two considerations are price and location.

The location is arguably the next most important consideration, as where your room is on the ship (mid-ship, aft, forward, or somewhere inbetween) is an important consideration for some. 

If you are concerned about getting seasick, or prefer convenience to the elevators, then a room mid-ship should be your choice.

Lastly, price moves a lot of guests one way or another. Those higher balcony room numbers (6D and 7D) are going to cost you less, but expect a longer walk down the hall. The obstructed view rooms will save you money as well, but you will not have full view out of your balcony.

Ultimately, the rooms left to book and budget tend to dictate which room categories are really under consideration. Knowing how Royal Caribbean has categorized its rooms provides better insight into picking the right choice for you.

Is booking an inside cabin on your Royal Caribbean cruise a good idea, or a mistake waiting to happen?

An inside stateroom is usually the cheapest option available when booking, and it offers a "home away from home" to enjoy during your cruise. In fact, a lot of people end up booking an inside room for a variety of reasons.

If you are deciding between room choices, here are a few good reasons why you should book an inside cabin for your Royal Caribbean cruise!

How much time will you really spend in your room?

Royal Caribbean offers so much to see and do onboard its ships, and then there are all the activities you can do in the ports you visit, that you have to start wondering how much time will you actually spend in your room.

Unlike a hotel room, stateroom cabins are somewhere to get ready for your day ahead, but not a focal point of where you will spend your time. In practice, many guests find themselves outside of their room for most of the day, so why invest in space you will barely use?

An inside room and a balcony room offer the same basic amenities, but if you are going to be at the pool deck, exploring ruins, swimming, learning how to fold a napkin and dancing the night away, an inside room will still provide a place to shower, sleep and change.

Good idea if you are worried about getting sea sick

Experts say if you are prone to motion sickness, the best location for any stateroom is to be on as low a deck as possible, and towards the middle of the ship.  On most ships, that location is where the inside staterooms are located.

Obviously there are no guarantees that any room will be able to completely prevent getting sea sick, but the location of a room is among the most important factors in reducing the likelihood of it occurring the in the first place.

Inside rooms are not always tiny

Some cruisers hear "inside stateroom" and think a closet posing as a cabin, but that is not always true.

Royal Caribbean offers a great variety of interior staterooms to choose from, especially on their newer ships. Larger interior stateroom category can offer up to 178 square feet of space, and family interior staterooms range between 260 square feet to 324 square feet.

While inside rooms are not the most spacious rooms on the ship, they do offer more space than you might be giving it credit for offering.

The best room for sleeping!

If you want the best sleeping conditions, an inside room is just what the doctor ordered.

Since there is no natural light in an interior room, your cabin can get pitch black when you turn off all the lights, and that means prime sleeping conditions.

Unlike at home or in a balcony room, where the morning light seeps in and wakes everyone up, 3pm and 3am look exactly the same in an inside room (so pack an alarm clock!).

The inside room X factor: virtual balcony

So you like everything so far about an inside room, but giving up that view of the world still bugging you? Try a virtual balcony!

Virtual balcony rooms are available on select Royal Caribbean ships and they are inside cabins that feature a floor-to-ceiling LED screen that offers real-time, high definition views of the outside world.

This fun application of technology provides an on-demand option to see what is going on outside, whether to see if the sun is shining, or catch a view of the port your ship is docking at, the virtual balcony provides a balcony experience, without the balcony cost.

Save money!

Perhaps the most compelling reason to book an inside room is the cost.

Without a doubt, the best reason to book an inside room is for the cost savings, relative to other stateroom categories.

Often, inside staterooms are the least expensive option, which means you can spend a lot less money on your cruise vacation, or have more money to spend during the cruise on things like drink packages, excursions, the spa and more.

Unfortunately, not everyone has a vacation budget for booking higher room categories, but an interior stateroom gets you on the same ship as people in a balcony or suite, and any cruise vacation is better than no cruise vacation!

The bottom line

Anyone that typically books inside rooms will tell you that you will find lots of public space and open decks on the Royal Promenade, pool decks, helipad give you ample opportunity to go outside and enjoy the fresh air and passing scenery.

The interior rooms may not be the right choice for everyone, but if it is the difference between going on a cruise or not, I will gladly stay in an interior room!

Royal Caribbean announced today it has decided to discontinue the introduction of Spa staterooms beginning with the 2021-2022 season.

After much consideration and as our product offerings continue to evolve in today’s environment, the brand has made the decision to discontinue the introduction of Spa staterooms beginning with the 2021-2022 season.

In a communication to travel agents, Royal Caribbean indicated beginning on May 5, 2020, all bookings in a Spa stateroom will be temporarily moved from their stateroom into a guarantee. Once the accommodation process is complete, guests will be moved back into their original stateroom with the stateroom location, dimensions, and cabin number all remaining the same.

There is no action needed from you as this process is completed.

In addition, Royal Caribbean is offering guests booked in these rooms a repricing to the prevailing fare of a comparable Ocean View Balcony and will also receive a refundable $50 USD onboard credit per cabin that can be used anywhere onboard – including in the spa as well as pre-cruise.

Royal Caribbean announced the new stateroom category in October 2019 that offered guests in-room amenities and spa privileges.

It included amenities and perks like lush bedding and bath products, daily tea and bottled water, and priority spa reservations.

Which is the best side of a cruise ship to be on? Is it better to be on a higher deck on a cruise ship? Where is the best place on a cruise ship to avoid seasickness?

New cruisers often are curious about how important their cabin selection is, and what is the best spot for them on a cruise ship.

There are a number of considerations when it comes to picking the best place to stay on a cruise ship, and a lot of has to do with convenience and seasickness.

Cabin size and cost

Likely the first consideration when picking the perfect stateroom for you is the price and how much space it offers.

Just like picking a hotel room, your cruise ship cabin options come in a variety of sizes, layouts and prices.

When choosing a room, you will first have to figure out which stateroom category you desire, which places the stateroom in a ballpark of price and amenities.

Interior rooms will offer the least amount of space at usually the lowest price. Balcony rooms and suites offer the most space and amenities with also the highest price tag.

Exact room dimensions, layout and price will vary and you can see a large discrepancy in price depending on a variety of factors (check out How far in advance should I book a cruise to get the best price).

Read more: How to choose a cruise cabin

Location

Where the room is located can dictate price and options. In general, many cruisers prefer mid-ship room locations on a lower deck, especially if getting seasick is a major concern.

Rooms that are located at the very front or very aft of the ship, and/or rooms on higher decks have a reputation of there being more noticeable movement.

Whether your room is on the port or starboard side of the ship is in most cases totally irrelevant. There are a few rare itineraries where the side of the ship your room is on may matter subjectively, but it is not a factor that I recommend considering.

Picking the right room is often a question of determining which public areas you prefer to be near.  Rooms in close proximity to pools, restaurants, Adventure Ocean, elevators, the fitness center and more may be something to look into when picking the right room.

When in doubt, go for a room towards the center of the ship. Getting a mid-ship cabin means shorter walks to get places, because you are always near what is happening onboard.

If mobility is a concern, picking a room near an elevator towards the middle of the ship is usually the best course of action.  In addition, Royal Caribbean offers special accessible room categories for those in a wheelchair.

When picking a room, be sure to consider what is one deck above or below your room. Public venues above or below your room can sometimes lead to unwanted noise bleed.  Consulting deck plans for your ship is the best way to figure out what is around your cabin.

Views

What you can see from your cabin is a major consideration when picking the perfect room. 

Inside staterooms tend to be the cheapest option available, because they offer no windows or balcony and the least living space. You could move up to an oceanview room, which features a porthole to the ocean.  Adding a private balcony means much more living space in your room, and outdoor space to see, smell and take in the views around you.  Then you have suites which offer the most space and balcony area, at the highest price.

There are some rooms that offer obstructed views, which means you get a discount on the normal cost of the room, but something is blocking your view outside. How much of your view is blocked will depend on the room.

Royal Caribbean also offers staterooms that face inward to the ship, rather than to the ocean. Central Park Balcony rooms, Boardwalk Balcony rooms and Promenade View rooms are all examples of staterooms that offer windows and private verandas sans the ocean around you. These can be fun alternatives, that are often much cheaper than their ocean-facing counterparts.

Which cabin location on a cruise ship is best?

The short answer is, there is no one cabin location that is best for everyone. 

You have to weigh the considerations outlined here and decide which is most important for you.

Overall, the cost and location of the room are the primary factors when picking the perfect room on a cruise. This may mean paying more than others to get that awesome stateroom in the perfect spot.

Many first-time cruisers are very concerned with getting seasick, and while it can happen, it should not be a primary concern when choosing a room. Do not let this fear force you to overpay for a cabin that looks to be the only choice worth considering. Yes, staying somewhere toward the middle of the ship on a lower deck is the best spot to minimize the sensation of movement, but you can venture a bit off center if it means saving a lot of money.

One of the new staterooms added to Oasis of the Seas during her 2019 amplification was the category 6N Ocean View room on deck 14. We had the chance to take a look into the room to see what these rooms look like.

Located on Deck 14 forward, these rooms can accommodate up to 5 guests and feature 179 square feet of space.

The defining quality of this room is the large windows that provide an unobstructed view of the front of the ship, with sweeping views through the day or night.

Being a new room, these rooms feature an updated bathroom design.

Also unique to these rooms are the built-in USB plugs.

When you get onboard your Royal Caribbean cruise, you are probably ready to hit the ground running with all the fun things you have planned.  To ensure you have a great cruise, we are sharing a few important things you want to do as soon as you step foot into your cruise ship room.

In today's video, I have a few tips for what you should take care of in your room as soon as your cabin is ready. Since your room is your home base of operations for the duration of the sailing, these steps will get your cruise vacation off on the right note.

And if you love this video, we have lots of other great cruise videos to watch on our Royal Caribbean Blog YouTube Channel!

By the way, have you subscribed yet? Be sure to subscribe to our channel and never miss a single video!

So check out the video and then let us know: What do you usually do when you first enter your room? 

Now that you booked a Royal Caribbean cruise, you might be wondering if there is an option to upgrade your stateroom to a larger, better or conveniently located room. 

Perhaps the price dropped, or your financial situation has changed, or perhaps you simply want to splurge. Whatever the reason, here are the ways to upgrade your cabin.

What to know about Royal Up

Royal Caribbean has introduced a new way to upgrade rooms with its Royal Up program.  This is a blind stateroom upgrade bidding program, where close to your sail date you can let Royal Caribbean know how much you would be willing to pay if an upgrade situation presented itself.

With Royal Up, there is a suggested bid price for an upgrade, but there is no way to know how much to bid beyond that. Moreover, Royal Up's options are not indications of an actual cabin upgrade availability.

How to upgrade the traditional way

My preferred way to upgrade a stateroom is to call a travel agent and have them price out the room upgrade choices and then make the switch. 

If you booked with a travel agent, you have to go through your travel agent to contact Royal Caribbean to upgrade you.  

Your travel agent will give you the new price and apply payments you have made towards the new stateroom.

If you booked your cruise on your own directly with Royal Caribbean, you can call Royal Caribbean directly and give them your reservation number and tell them you want to upgrade.

The Royal Caribbean operator will price the new stateroom out for you and tell you what the new price will be.  Any payments or deposits you've previously made can be applied to the new reservation.

How to upgrade with Royal Up

Prior to your cruise, you may have the option to place a bid with Royal Up to get a room upgrade.

Check on the Royal Up website to determine if you are eligible for an upgrade.

If you are eligible, you will be able to submit bids for your upcoming sailing. The bid amount is per person for the entire duration of the cruise. Offers are based on two occupants per stateroom - only the first and second guest will be charged. 

Once your bid is accepted, your card will be charged immediately, and the upgrade amount paid is final and non-refundable. Moreover, the cabin location is not something you can choose and subject to availability.

You may modify or cancel your offer up until 2 days prior to departure, provided that your offer has not already been accepted.

Your offer can be accepted anytime from the moment it is submitted up until 2 days prior to voyage departure. 

Upgrading your stateroom onboard

It is possible, though unlikely, that you can upgrade your stateroom on the day you sail onboard your ship.  

Since Royal Caribbean cruise ships sail full regularly these days, availability for upgrades is slim, however, there may be an opportunity to upgrade if there is an open stateroom.

You can go to Guest Services to speak with them immediately upon boarding but I would not bet on this being an option at all.  

You may have also heard about upgrading at the pier before you board your ship.  Years ago this practice was more prevalent and you could get some decent discounts for these literally last-minute staterooms.  However, ships are sailing full and the practice in general has been abandoned.

If upgrades are available, they will be at a reduced cost by speaking with the Pier Coordinator.  There is no harm in asking but upgrades are rarely available these days.

Debuting on Oasis of the Seas, Royal Caribbean is giving us a look at a brand new type of suite stateroom -- the Ultimate Panoramic Suite.

One of the changes coming to Oasis of the Seas as part of her Royal Amplification is the addition of the Ultimate Panoramic Suite, which offers 914 square feet of space and sweeping 200 degree views from wall to wall and floor to ceiling glass windows.

This new room type also offers a walk-in closet, and upgraded bathroom with panoramic views of its own.

The Ultimate Panoramic Suite can accommodate up to 4 guests.  They will be on either side of the ship on deck 14 forward. The room numbers are 14128 and 14528.

Since this room is a Star Class suite in the Royal Suite Class, guests can expect a number of benefits including:

• Royal Genie
• Exclusive Complimentary Dining
• Complimentary Ultimate Beverage Package
• All Day Access to Suites-Only Coastal Kitchen
• Still and Sparkling Water Replenished Daily
• Complimentary Coca-Cola Beverages and Water
• Nespresso Coffee Maker
• Access to Exclusive Activities such as the Bridge, Galley and Back Stage Tours
• Spa Bathrobes for Use Onboard
• Complimentary In-Suite Movies
• Luxury Bathroom Amenities by L’Occitane
• Duxiana Mattress and Frette Linens

Royal Caribbean released a new photo of what its new Spa Stateroom will look like once it debuts in 2021.

Announced last week, the new stateroom category will offer guests new  in-room amenities and spa privileges. It will be available for guests to book on Radiance, Voyager, Freedom, Quantum, Oasis and Quantum Ultra Class ships.

The Spa Staterooms will offer exclusive amenities and perks, like lush bedding and bath products, daily tea and bottled water, and priority spa reservations.

The brand-new category will be available beginning with the cruise line’s 2021-22 sailings.