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We compared the prices and amenities of standard rooms on Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, and Carnival cruise lines - here's the one with the best bang for your buck
We compared the prices and amenities of standard rooms on Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, and Carnival cruise lines - here's the one with the best bang for your buck
Hillary HoffowerSep 7, 2018, 00:29 IST
Vintagepix/Shutterstock
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The cost of a cruise depends on what room you get and where you're going.
We compared the cost of an inside stateroom - the standard, most affordable stateroom - and its amenities on a cruise to the western Caribbean at three major cruise lines: Norwegian, Carnival, and Royal Caribbean.
Carnival is the most expensive, but offers more room, while Royal Caribbean is the most affordable overall.
We took a look at the standard inside stateroom - the most affordable room on a cruise ship - at three major cruise lines: Norwegian, Carnival, and Royal Caribbean. To keep things consistent, we chose a similar itinerary for each, selecting a five-day western Caribbean cruise in early April 2019 for two passengers embarking from Miami.
Carnival is the most expensive per room, but offers more square footage for your money. Meanwhile, Norwegian is the second most affordable per room, but costliest per square foot. Royal Caribbean is the most affordable overall, both by cost and per square foot.
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However, there's more to a room than the cost - you also have to think about what you're paying for, like sleeping provisions and amenities. The size and arrangement of beds (or sofa beds) can vary, and while most cabins have basic amenities like a TV, closet, vanity, desk, couch, dresser, some don't have them all.
So, we took a closer look at the inside stateroom in each of the three cruise lines. Keep in mind that these specifics can change depending on cruise line's ship, as well as itinerary and season, and all featured staterooms have private bathrooms and showers.
Scroll through below to see which ones really offer more bang for your buck.
Type of bed: Two lower twin beds that convert to a queen and two Pullman beds
Basic amenities: TV, closet, vanity
Norwegian offers a bargain package upgrade.
Inside staterooms on Norwegian cruise line range from 135 to 291 square feet. At 142 square feet, the Sail Away stateroom on the Norwegian Dawn (the sailing ship for the selected itinerary) is large enough to accommodate two to four guests.
Prices start at $399 and range up to $569 depending on interior location. For an extra $110, you can choose one offer among a variety for a special package: unlimited open bar, shore excursion credits, specialty dining, WiFi, or friends and family (adding one to two extra guests in your stateroom for free).
In addition to a TV, closet, and vanity, the stateroom also comes with a hair dryer, telephone, and refrigerator.
Carnival: $414 at $2.23 per square foot
Square footage: 185
Number of beds: 2-4
Type of bed: Two twin beds that convert to a king; some cabins have pull-down beds for three or four people
Carnival's inside staterooms are 185 square feet on average, beginning at $414 per person. For $7 more per person a day, you can upgrade to a porthole stateroom with an ocean view. Some also come with connecting rooms and sleep up to five guests.
The staterooms include a few more amenities than Norwegian: desk, TV, closet, dresser, vanity, and sofa, depending on the room. It also includes a 24-hour room steward, television, telephone, and individual climate control.
Royal Caribbean: $353 at $2.20 per square foot
Square footage: 160
Number of beds: 2-4
Type of bed: Two twin beds that convert to a king; some cabins have a double sofa bed
Royal Caribbean offers various room upgrades with window options.
Royal Caribbean has three different inside staterooms. For $353, the standard stateroom has two twin beds, a vanity, and sitting area. Inside staterooms that accommodate up to four guests have a double sofa bed in the sitting area.
For $30 more, at $383, you can upgrade to an interior room with a virtual balcony — a high-definition 80-inch screen connected to a live camera with audio outside the ship — or an interior room with an extra seven square feet and a view facing the inside of the ship. For this itinerary, the view is of the Royal Promenade.
In addition to a flat screen TV, it has a hair dryer and ample drawer and closet space.
Which one is the best?
Norwegian, Carnival, and Royal Caribbean all have their strengths, but some outweigh others.
Carnival may be the priciest on the list, but when you look at it from the perspective of price per square foot, the cost of an interior stateroom on board is only three cents more than Royal Caribbean and Carnival — and you're getting more square footage and standard amenities than the other two. With Carnival, you're getting a lot more bang for your buck.
However, if you're looking for a more cost-effective option, Royal Caribbean is more affordable than both Carnival and Norwegian. While it doesn't have as many rooms or amenities as Carnival, it does have more than the room on Norwegian Dawn, at the second most affordable price. And that remains true even if you upgrade to a room with a virtual balcony or promenade view window.
At the end of the day, it really depends on what's most important to you when it comes to your cruise room.
