I booked a 'secret porthole' room on a Disney cruise that gave me ocean views for a cheaper price, and it felt like getting a free upgrade

Amanda AdlerJun 10, 2023, 20:55 IST

During my cruise aboard the Disney Wonder, we docked at Catalina Island off the coast of California.Amanda Adler

I recently booked one of Disney Wonder's deluxe inside staterooms with a "secret porthole."
Even though the window had an obstructed view, it brought a lot of natural light into the room.

As someone who's been on over 50 cruises, I've heard a lot of chatter about the "secret porthole" rooms on some Disney ships.

Even though these cabins have exterior-facing windows, the cruise line lists them as deluxe inside staterooms, and they're much less expensive than ocean-view staterooms.

But there's a catch: The portholes in these "secret" rooms have partially obstructed views.

So ahead of my family's cruise aboard the Disney Wonder, I decided to book one of the rooms and see if it was really possible to enjoy ocean views in a budget-friendly inside stateroom. Here's what it was like.

I booked my family a 214-square-foot deluxe inside stateroom for a four-night voyage aboard the Disney Wonder.

The Disney Wonder has 875 staterooms, a capacity of 2,700 passengers, and 11 passenger decks.Amanda Adler

My stateroom, number 5520 on deck five, had an exterior-facing porthole that Disney Cruise Line didn't advertise during the booking process. In fact, the website says the room has "no exterior view."

Disney Wonder's "secret porthole" rooms have exterior-facing windows with obstructed views.Amanda Adler

My stateroom, number 5520 on deck five, had an exterior-facing porthole that Disney Cruise Line didn't advertise during the booking process. In fact, the website says the room has "no exterior view."

The cabin's porthole looked like it was the same size as the ones in nearby ocean-view staterooms, which were much pricier to book.

Snagging a room with a "secret porthole" felt like getting a free upgrade.Amanda Adler

The porthole offered a slightly obstructed view, which is likely why Disney sells this cabin as an inside stateroom, but it let a ton of natural light into our room.

The barrels outside of my window didn't have a major impact on my view.Amanda Adler

The obstructions didn't bother me since I could still see the ocean and admire ports.

My view wasn't as good as the ones from the deck, but I enjoyed looking at the scenery.Amanda Adler

The porthole was right next to the living area, which had a three-seat couch and a small table.

All three members of my family could sit on this couch at the same time.Amanda Adler

Above the couch, there was a piece of art displaying Castaway Cay, Disney's private island in the Bahamas.

I enjoyed this artwork, although we were sailing out of San Diego and didn't visit Castaway Cay.Amanda Adler

The rest of the cabin lacked artwork, aside from a photo of Walt Disney and his wife, Lillian Disney, near the dresser and closet.

The closet and dresser offered ample storage space for our belongings.Amanda Adler

However, there were a lot of subtle Disney-inspired details, including the Mickey Mouse ears on a wall sconce.

Small but playful design elements reminded me we were sailing on a Disney cruise.Amanda Adler

There was also nautical decor throughout the room, including light shades that showed cruise ships sailing around the globe.

The lampshades were on each side of the cabin's queen-size bed.Amanda Adler

The blanket at the foot of the queen-size bed also featured some nautical imagery. Unlike large beds on many other cruises, the queen didn't separate into two twins.

My husband and I preferred to sleep in a queen, though this setup could be limiting for travelers hoping to sleep separately.Amanda Adler

The room could sleep two additional guests thanks to a pullout couch and a retractable bed, which is where my son stayed throughout the trip.

The couch below the bunk unfolded to form a bed.Amanda Adler

The top bunk had a whimsical night-sky design above it, and my son could easily turn the built-in night-light on and off on his own.

Though the night-light is a nice feature, my son found it to be too bright.Amanda Adler

We could separate my son's sleeping area from the queen-size bed using a thick, dark curtain.

The curtain sectioned the room into two distinct areas.Amanda Adler

Across from my son's sleeping area, there was a desk, drawers, a mini fridge, and a flat-screen TV that swiveled between the living area and the queen-size bed.

The TV was small compared to those I've seen on other cruises, but the swivel feature was convenient.Amanda Adler

The desk area had several USB ports and outlets, giving me a place to charge my electronics and plug in the blow-dryer that was provided in the room.

More outlets were located near my bedside table.Amanda Adler

The stateroom had a split-bathroom design, with a toilet and a sink in their own room.

The bathroom was small but comparable in size to other cruise restrooms.Amanda Adler

The shower and tub were in a separate room, along with a second sink.

The split bath concept allows multiple family members to get ready at the same time.Amanda Adler

The adjustable showerhead was a nice touch that can accommodate adults and children regardless of their heights.

This feature made our inside stateroom feel very family-friendly.Amanda Adler

Reusable containers of H2O+ products were featured throughout the bathroom, which added to the stateroom's comfortable, luxurious feel.

My family's favorite H2O+ scent is sea marine.Amanda Adler

This "secret porthole" stateroom offered ample space, useful amenities, imaginative design touches, and many comforts at a lower price point than a traditional porthole room, and we'd love to book it again.

With plenty of natural light and space, my family would definitely stay in this stateroom again.Amanda Adler

This "secret porthole" stateroom offered ample space, useful amenities, imaginative design touches, and many comforts at a lower price point than a traditional porthole room, and we'd love to book it again.

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I booked a 'secret porthole' room on a Disney cruise that gave me ocean views for a cheaper price, and it felt like getting a free upgrade

I booked my family a 214-square-foot deluxe inside stateroom for a four-night voyage aboard the Disney Wonder.

My stateroom, number 5520 on deck five, had an exterior-facing porthole that Disney Cruise Line didn't advertise during the booking process. In fact, the website says the room has "no exterior view."

The cabin's porthole looked like it was the same size as the ones in nearby ocean-view staterooms, which were much pricier to book.

The porthole offered a slightly obstructed view, which is likely why Disney sells this cabin as an inside stateroom, but it let a ton of natural light into our room.

The obstructions didn't bother me since I could still see the ocean and admire ports.

The porthole was right next to the living area, which had a three-seat couch and a small table.

Above the couch, there was a piece of art displaying Castaway Cay, Disney's private island in the Bahamas.

The rest of the cabin lacked artwork, aside from a photo of Walt Disney and his wife, Lillian Disney, near the dresser and closet.

However, there were a lot of subtle Disney-inspired details, including the Mickey Mouse ears on a wall sconce.

There was also nautical decor throughout the room, including light shades that showed cruise ships sailing around the globe.

The blanket at the foot of the queen-size bed also featured some nautical imagery. Unlike large beds on many other cruises, the queen didn't separate into two twins.

The room could sleep two additional guests thanks to a pullout couch and a retractable bed, which is where my son stayed throughout the trip.

The top bunk had a whimsical night-sky design above it, and my son could easily turn the built-in night-light on and off on his own.

We could separate my son's sleeping area from the queen-size bed using a thick, dark curtain.

Across from my son's sleeping area, there was a desk, drawers, a mini fridge, and a flat-screen TV that swiveled between the living area and the queen-size bed.

The desk area had several USB ports and outlets, giving me a place to charge my electronics and plug in the blow-dryer that was provided in the room.

The stateroom had a split-bathroom design, with a toilet and a sink in their own room.

The shower and tub were in a separate room, along with a second sink.

The adjustable showerhead was a nice touch that can accommodate adults and children regardless of their heights.

Reusable containers of H2O+ products were featured throughout the bathroom, which added to the stateroom's comfortable, luxurious feel.

This "secret porthole" stateroom offered ample space, useful amenities, imaginative design touches, and many comforts at a lower price point than a traditional porthole room, and we'd love to book it again.