How a $40-a-day cruise stateroom compares to a $500-a-day one — and which I'd book again

• Since 2021, I have spent at least one night aboard six cruise ships at varying costs.
• The cheapest was a Margaritaville cabin that starts at $40 per person in 2024 while the most expensive is over 12 times this price.

Cruise vacations can be economical with a base fare that includes accommodations, food, activities, and stops at several destinations.

But not all of these floating resorts are designed with budget travelers in mind. Luxury cruise lines like the Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection offer vacations for $900 a night. And on newer ships like Royal Caribbean's upcoming mega Icon of the Seas, the least expensive 2024 itinerary starts at $1,820 per person for seven nights at the time of writing.

Since 2021, I have spent at least one night on six cruise ships ranging from ultra-affordable to luxurious. Here's how my cheapest and most expensive cabins compared, a $460 difference a day — and the only one I'd book again.

Margaritaville at Sea's Paradise oceanview cabin — $40 a night for an old motel

Margaritaville at Sea's Paradise cruise ship is for Jimmy Buffett fans who want to waste away again — on a budget. I stayed in the oceanview stateroom during the ship's 2022 one-night inaugural sailing. In 2024, this cabin — which isn't even the cheapest option — starts at $80 per person for a two-night round-trip sailing from Palm Beach, Florida, to Freeport, Bahamas.

Don't let the new paint job fool you: The 30-year-old ship was previously Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line's flagship Grand Classica. Both now operate with Margaritaville at Sea's branding. Or at least that's what the new cruise line promised.

The Jimmy Buffett empire, known for its strong and recognizable identity, failed to extend the Margaritaville fun to my 176-square-foot stateroom. I expected a whimsical floating beach cottage plastered with Buffett references. Instead, I found an aged motel room.

The necessities — a bed, a bathroom, and some storage — were functional. But the bathroom looked cheap, the old shower looked dirty, and the yellowish wall and wood accents were outdated. The only obvious signs of "Margaritaville" were in the wallpaper and some branded merch like a notepad.

Besides these arguably low-effort aesthetic changes, any other updates made during the ship's Grand Classica to Paradise transformation weren't obvious to me. And when I plugged in my hair dryer, it blew the power strip's fuse.

Since my one-night stay, the cruise line has poured millions of dollars into renovating spaces like the ship's cabins. I haven't seen these changes in person. And after my last not-so-great experience on the Margaritaville at Sea Paradise, I'm not interested in giving it another try.

Explora Journey' Explora I ocean terrace suite — $500 a night for a luxury hotel room

In 2024, the cheapest suite on the Explora I starts at $3,000 per person for a six-night January cruise from Miami to Cartagena, Colombia. In October, I spent one night in this suite while the vessel was docked in New York City.

MSC Group's new cruise arm wants to be a fixture in the upscale travel market. So of course my ocean terrace suite was more luxurious than any hotel room I've paid for. Nothing seemed dirty or outdated — the Explora I is actually a brand new cruise ship.

As a suite, I had more "rooms" than I've ever had in a cruise ship cabin. Along with the typical bedroom and bathroom, there was a semi-separated living room with a deep couch, a large balcony, and a walk-in closet with a seated vanity. No more blown fuses: My cabin also came with a Dyson hairdryer.

Where my Margaritaville at Sea bathroom looked medieval and off-white, the one in my Explora I suite had a dark marble countertop, towel hangers inside the spacious walk-in shower, and refillable toiletry dispensers.

Unlike the cheaper option, my suite also had contemporary decor and a small bookshelf with global literature. Instead of slightly orange cabinets, the storage units in the ocean terrace suite looked more modern and classy.

Small details like the bedside wall-mounted outlets, binoculars, and pull-out Nespresso and tea drawers elevated this luxury cabin beyond any traditional hotel room. My one critique is the space around my bed was tighter compared to other cabins I've stayed in. But besides that, it's easy to see why this rings in at $500 a night.

Margaritaville at Sea and Explora Journeys target different customers

With both, what you pay for is what you get.

At $40 a night in 2024, the price of my floating Margaritaville hotel room is unbeatable. But the stateroom didn't make me want to nibble on sponge cake and watch the sun bake. I'd rather pay another $20 for a cabin that looks more like a hotel than a motel.

Unless a quick two-night roundtrip sailing from Florida is an absolute requirement, I'd suggest saving yourself the disappointment and booking another cheap cruise cabin, even if it ends up being an interior stateroom on a more updated ship.

However, I also can't casually afford a $3,000 six-night vacation. For that reason, I won't be booking the Explora anytime soon unless I suddenly stumble upon a pile of cash. But if I do, I wouldn't mind spending another afternoon lounging on my cabin's large balcony.