When you can go on a cruise for cheap, it's difficult to find many faults, but there are some downsides to a low-cost sailing in an inside cabin.
Thanks to an amazing offer from Royal Caribbean's casino, I was able to go on a 5-night cruise to Mexico for just $200 in an inside cabin.
There's no doubt it was a fantastic value, but I missed having a view and easy access to the outdoors more than I expected.
I've been cruising for a couple of decades now, and I've stayed in plenty of inside cabins before. I'm not someone who tried it for the first time and had a kneejerk reaction to it, so I knew what the experience was like.
However, this time around, I found waking up in the morning to pitch black more jarring than in the past.
Because my inside cabin on deck had no windows, the room was pitch black when my alarm would go off in the morning. I felt like my brain didn't connect that it's morning and I kept thinking I was waking up in the middle of the night.
Likewise, if I woke up on my own, I had no idea if it was 2am or 7am. It's my personal theory the secret to falling back asleep quickly if you wake up at night is not to open your eyes or check your phone, so a few times I probably woke up 10 minutes before my alarm went off and tried to go back to sleep, only to be awoken again by the alarm.
Had I been in an oceanview cabin or balcony, I would have sensed some light coming in the room and been more aware if it was night or day time.
By the end of the 5-night sailing, I knew the next time I stay in an inside cabin I need to make changes.
I think one factor for me was the length of the sailing. Most (if not all) of my inside cabin experiences have been on short weekend cruises.
Weekend cruises go by so quickly and there's so much happening that I don't think the lack of light impacts me as much as on a longer sailing.
While I loved how easy it was to fall asleep in the darkness of the room, I lamented every morning re-adjusting to that lack of light.
I'd stumble around getting up, turn on the lights in the cabin and bathroom, and it felt like "deer in headlights" every time.
Of course, once I was awake and had my wits about me, my inside cabin was perfectly acceptable.
It's not spacious, but it offers just enough space for my belongings and there's room at the vanity for my laptop so I can start my work for the day.
In fact, I think the amount of storage space for a ship as small and old as Serenade of the Seas is ample, and it's better than some newer ship inside cabins I've been in.
Three things I'll do differently next time
Since coming home, I started working on how I could make the inside cabin experience better to avoid this issue.
First, I will bring a sunrise alarm clock with me on my cruise.
I probably mocked this device the first time I heard of it, but I think this would be the game changer for my problem.
It's an alarm clock that has a light that will illuminate slowly to let you know there's daylight out.
The sunrise alarm clock I bought has a gradual light, with two alarms and even has noise you can sleep to: birds, running water, white noise, and more. (Link contains an Amazon affiliate link that costs you nothing extra to use, but I get a commission if you buy it)
It also has a sunset feature which will slowly get darker as the evening progresses, but I doubt I'd use that feature since that never bothered me. Plus, I'm rarely in my cabin past dinner until it's time to sleep.
The second thing I'll bring with me is a nightlight for the bathroom.
I was lucky that this particular cabin had a motion activated light in the ceiling. I had never seen that on any Royal Caribbean ship, and I assume it was added because of the World Cruise.
Some newer Royal Caribbean ships have a standby light in the bathroom, but the one on Serenade was pitch black.
I'll admit, there are times I've tried to use the facilities without turning a light on so that I could fall back asleep easier, but it doesn't always work out as well as my memory of the bathroom would lead me to believe.
Therefore, a battery operated nightlight is probably the right move to pack as well. (Amazon affiliate link included here)
It's powered by 3 AAA batteries and has LED lights that are activated when motion is detected. The base is magnetic too, so that means you can attach it to any wall or door in your cabin.
Lastly, I'd probably at least consider trying bidding for a stateroom upgrade.
It never crossed my mind to try a Royal Up bid, but I also think I was focused on my super cheap deal.
Nonetheless, I bet it would have been a low cost to move up to an oceanview cabin. For $50-$100 extra, it probably would have been worth trying to upgrade my cabin.
Of course, there's no guarantee there will be an upgrade option actually available or that your bid will win, but it's a low risk and high reward option. As long as the bid isn't too outrageous, I feel like it might be the perfect opportunity to give it a try.
