Cruise ship claustrophobia? Then read this

[Jason]

Inside a Cruise Ship

If you've never been on a cruise ship, you might wonder what it is LIKE to be inside one. Is it all metal doors and portholes? The answer might surprise you.

Your best option is to watch a movie that takes place on a cruise ship. The movies will normally show you just about every public part of the ship - from rooms, to hallways, to dining areas, to lounges. And, in short, you'll find that a cruise ship is just like a hotel in many ways.

First, of course, the room IS SMALL. That is true on any boat. Space is at a premium so private space is as tiny as possible. They do that so that the PUBLIC space can be as large as possible. Remember that you only have X square feet on a boat and that everybody has to share it. It makes sense to make the public rooms nice and large, since that is where everybody is most of the time. If they instead made the rooms bigger - rooms where you only spend your sleeping hours - then the rest of the ship would suffer as a result. That just doesn't make any sense. Do you really want a cramped, tiny restaurant for your 4 hour, 8 course meal?

That being said, the rest of the ship is usually optimized to be as large and open as possible. The hallways are carpeted. The dining rooms have regular chairs and tables, cutlery and plates. There are usually pools with beach chairs around them. There are elevators to take you between floors, and of course stairs for those who like to walk. Depending on the cruise line you go with, it can be QUITE elegant and posh, with sterling silver and crystal accents.

If you have a particular cruise line you're interested in, just search on that line or ship name on the web with the keyword of "photos". Many vacationers in our modern times take picture of their cruise ship and post them on the web. You can probably get to see recent photos from the very cruises you're interested in, to see what they are like. Also, most cruise lines have full deck layouts posted on their websites.

Source: Lisa Shea, BellaOnline Cruises Editor

[GottaCruz]

Great tips on how to see photos of rooms for first time cruisers, so that you'll know what to expect.

[BoatrideLover]

My in-laws have gone on one cruise with us, and have never gone again. They were very disappointed in how small the cabin was! When they first walked into it, my mother-in-law said, "I feel like a saltine cracker in a cracker box". My husband tried to explain to her that we were on a ship and space was limited, and went on to explain that you spend very little time in your cabin...but they weren't real thrilled with the concept! Go figure!!

[hazelson]

Boatride Lover - disagreeing with the in-laws - Why I can't imagine that - especially a MIL lol. But then - I can't imagine anyone not being happy on a cruise. TTFN Jennifer