Top Cabin Tips for a Smooth and Cosy Cruise

When you board your cruise ship and step into your cabin, you may be surprised by how quickly you begin to miss the comforts of home, no matter how luxurious your accommodation is.

As much as you may be looking forward to your travels on the high seas and the various port calls on your Caribbean cruise, there is no denying that your room for the next few days or weeks will be much smaller than your own apartment or house.

To ensure that the time spent in your cabin remains enjoyable, it is important to maintain proper housekeeping etiquette to make your sailing smooth, comfortable, and cosy.

Cabin amenities

Whether you embark on a river cruise or set sail on the high seas and across the world’s oceans, your personal space will vary depending on the cabin class you book, ranging from a tiny interior room to a stylish balcony stateroom or a highly spacious suite with a fantastic view over the ship’s bow.

While a typical cruise ship cabin can vary from a compact space for a solo cruiser to one that is large and lavish to hold an entire family, there is a common distinction in a cabin to the Caribbean across all cruise fleets.

Yet, there are some core amenities found in all cruise ship cabins, as they typically come with a private bathroom with a shower, a safe, a television, a closet, and a desk.

Hence, there is a core set of tasks you should follow, regardless of the room or price, to make your cabin feel like a home away from home.

How to maintain your cabin on a cruise

As soon as you embark on your cruise ship, there are a few things you should do immediately to ensure your cabin is fit for purpose during your sailing.

1. Check if everything is working

When you board your cruise ship, ensure that all the amenities in your cabin are working properly, there are no hidden deficiencies, and that everything is spotlessly clean.

If you find anything broken or not up to standard, whether it’s regarding cleanliness or something else, it is vital that you notify a member of staff immediately.

This way, any issue can be addressed immediately, or if the problem is more difficult to resolve, you may even be upgraded to a higher category cabin if there is availability.

Leading cruise lines always have a good team of workers onboard to tackle housekeeping issues, so you can always call them for any issue, big or small.

However, as maintenance and housekeeping personnel are bound to get busy on any cruise ship, it’s important to notify them straight away to ensure any issue in your room is among the first to be tackled.

2. Double-check the outlets

Often overlooked by passengers, an important part of inspecting your cabin is checking whether all the electrical outlets work.

The last thing you would want is to be ready for sleep only to realise that you cannot charge your laptop or mobile phone overnight because a power socket next to your bed is broken.

3. Check the thermostat or air-conditioning settings

One of the first things you should do when you check into your cabin is adjust the thermostat or air conditioning to your liking.

On newer ships, the actual temperature is displayed, allowing you to control the air conditioning heat level for optimum comfort.

For example, in a balcony room, the sun heats the space faster than in an inside stateroom, so it’s crucial to set the thermostat to its coldest or turn the air conditioning on immediately when cruising a warm area like the Caribbean.

If you fail to do this and spend all your time on deck or exploring the public facilities, bars, and restaurants on board, your cabin might become unbearably hot by the time you return later in the evening to sleep.

Setting the right temperature is the key to sleeping better on a cruise ship.

4. Be creative with storing your bags and personal items

Whether you take a family cruise to Cancún or sail through the Norwegian fjords with your partner, a great tip is to place your bags and other bulky items under your bed, which is possible on many cruise ships.

While stacking your bags in the closet or leaving them around your cabin might work for many people, keeping them under the bed ensures they stay out of sight and makes good use of the least utilised space in your cabin, giving you more empty floor space and a more organised room.

If you’re the type of person who brings a lot of toiletries, you might want to bring magnetic or suction wall hooks for your cabin’s bathroom and hang a toiletry bag on them.

5. It’s OK to move some furniture around

What many cruisers fail to realise is that it is perfectly acceptable to move some of the furniture around if you wish.

For example, it is perfectly fine to move two twin beds next to each other if you want to be close, or move them further apart if you wish to create distance from a snoring partner.

If you find the chairs on the balcony a bit uncomfortable but have a much more comfortable chair and a handy table inside your cabin, you can move them onto the balcony when you want to sit outside.

However, do note that it is not acceptable to move any items that are firmly fixed in place or cannot be returned to the state in which you found them.

Also, do not leave any pieces of interior furniture outside on your balcony when you leave your cabin, in case it suddenly starts to rain.

6. Bring some personal items from home

If you are the type of person who gets homesick easily, it might be a good idea to bring some items from home, such as cherished photographs or other decorations you love, and place them in your cabin.

Even if you don’t get homesick easily, you might still want to pack a few items from home to make your cruise ship cabin feel a bit more cosy.

Cabin lights are often quite bright, so a good idea to create a softer, more romantic atmosphere is to bring battery-operated LED candles, which can add a touch of gentle light or even romance to your cabin (real candles are banned on most cruise lines, so avoid bringing those).

Conclusion

To ensure a comfortable and enjoyable cruise, it’s essential to carry out a cabin check as soon as you board the ship, making sure all amenities are in working order and your room is clean.

By adjusting the temperature, organising your space, and adding personal touches, you can create a more pleasant and cosy environment for the duration of your journey.