I booked one of Disney's cheapest inside cabins — would I still love cruising in a cave?

Imagine spending thousands of dollars to go on a cruise and knowingly booking a cabin with zero views of the ocean — or any natural light, for that matter. Would you regret your decision?

I've grown to love cruising over the last few years, and I've logged 10 cruises since 2019. Each time, my family has been sure to book cabins that would give us plenty of space and a view. We've booked connecting cabins to spread out and almost always had at least one balcony cabin for a view and access to fresh air. Twice, we even splurged on larger concierge suites.

I was initially horrified by the idea of choosing a room in the "bowels of the ship" with no natural light, no fresh air and no view of the water. So, I'd never considered booking the cheaper inside cruise cabins.

But let's be real — the more you cruise, the more the cost adds up, and you start looking for ways to save. This is especially true if you're like us and love Disney Cruise Line, whose cruise fares are often higher than other big-ship cruise lines.

I really wanted to cruise on Disney Fantasy, the last ship in Disney's fleet my family hadn't tried, but the budget had limits. To save money, we skipped the balcony cabin, passed on even the ocean-view rooms and instead booked just about the cheapest room on the ship: a small 204-square-foot inside cabin with no window.

To be clear, it wasn't technically the cheapest room on the ship. We still wanted a cabin with a split bathroom (toilet and sink in one room and sink and tub/shower in the other) to facilitate three females getting ready each day. The room we booked, however, was just under $100 more expensive all-in than the cheapest room available on our four-night sailing.

Would I still enjoy the cruise in a small and viewless cabin? Would my girls feel claustrophobic or seasick? Here's what it was like sailing in an inside cabin with my kids and my final thoughts on whether the experience was a great way to save or a horrible mistake.

What an inside cruise cabin is really like

As my family made our way to our inside room on Deck 7 forward for the first time, I was a little nervous.

Would we instantly regret our choice to have fewer square feet and no way to see the sun? What if we started to feel a little motion sick and needed some quick air?

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Thankfully, upon opening the door, we saw a room that was giving more "cozy den" vibes than "tiny dark cave" vibes.

I'm not the world's biggest fan of the classic nautical cabin aesthetic on Disney's original four ships, but that's no different in an inside room than a pricier one with a verandah. It felt nice and familiar and not all that different from the cabins we'd been in before.

And there was an added treat.

Disney Cruise Line provides some extra "magic" to inside cabins on select ships via a "magic porthole." This is technically a round video screen made to look like a porthole window, which displays a live feed from outside the ship. It mimicked the feel of an actual window, with the added bonus that, occasionally, a cartoon Disney character would fly on by.

Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy are the only Disney Cruise Line ships to offer rooms with magic portholes, though some other lines have their version of virtual windows on certain ships.

Our inside cabin definitely offered less storage space than the slightly larger 299-square-foot deluxe family verandah cabin we had on Disney Dream last year. However, it wasn't a huge problem since there were only three of us in the room, and we were only on board for four nights.

In contrast to the four individual beds we had in a larger Disney cabin last year, this particular interior cabin offered just the primary queen-size bed (which my youngest daughter and I shared) alongside one single bed that our cabin host converted from a couch each evening.

In the past, we have had slightly larger rooms with at least one additional single bed that we could pull down from the ceiling to create a bunk-bed effect. Some interior cabins do have that, just again, often at a slightly higher rate than the one we booked.

The surprising perks of an inside cabin

It's easy to list all the negatives about an inside cabin: smaller space, lack of natural light and no outdoor sitting area. But our little windowless room surprised us with a few unexpected positives.

One thing that was actually better in our inside cabin than in previous balcony rooms was how great we slept. I don't think that was a fluke, as TPG's own expert cruiser, Gene Sloan, has said the same about his time in inside cabins.

Our cabin was tucked away in a smaller hallway that ran across the ship, rather than on the main thoroughfare that runs the length of the ship, where all the ocean-view and verandah rooms are — and where kids inevitably run and cause a ruckus from time to time. So, it was very quiet. In fact, our cabin (7501 for those who may want to book it) was located almost by itself in some ways, making it pretty fantastic, in my opinion.

We only wanted to be in our cabin to sleep and get ready, so we spent more time out and about on the ship. This led to finding inviting spots on deck and cozy nooks to read a book or take in the sunset, such as in some of the quiet adult areas of the ship.

My kids are at an age when they are often "booked and busy" in the various kid-focused clubs and activities. So when it came to the cabin itself, we didn't feel cramped. Even during the waking hours, it was rare that we were all there at the same time, so losing some square footage didn't matter.

Who shouldn't book an inside cruise cabin

My kids and I actually loved our inside cabin. We'd absolutely book one again in order to save money without feeling like we'd given up something important.

But that doesn't mean it would be a good fit for everyone or every sailing. Here are some times I'd think twice before booking an inside cabin.

• If you know you will have to spend a lot of time in your cabin during the day due to napping little kids, mobility limitations or other considerations, don't book an inside cabin. You'll want to have access to fresh air and a view from your room. A balcony gives parents a place to escape while their little ones nap — while still being within sight and earshot.
• If you feel claustrophobic when you can't see or access the outside directly from your cabin, skip the inside cabin class and find another way to save some cash.
• If this is your first cruise and you are potentially a little nervous about the overall experience already, I wouldn't add to that possible anxiety by losing sight of the outside world in an interior cabin.
• On cruises where you really want to enjoy the scenery as much as possible from your cabin, such as an Alaska cruise, you'll definitely want to book a cabin with at least a window, if not a balcony.
• If you or a member of your travel party are prone to seasickness and need readily available fresh air or a view of the horizon to cope with the ship's motion, you should avoid inside rooms and prioritize a balcony.
• Those traveling as a family of four, especially with older kids, may start to feel tight in one of the smallest rooms. The savings may not be worth it in this case.

Was booking an inside cabin worth it?

On a Disney cruise like our recent four-night sailing from Florida to the Bahamas, the price difference between an inside cabin and a balcony room started around $500 for our party of three; this was a large enough savings to feel worth it to us to give up a view for a few days. However, the difference can be $3,000 to $4,000 between an inside cabin and a balcony cabin on a weeklong Disney Alaska cruise. In that case, the view is a more significant attraction and harder to give up, but your savings in booking an inside cabin are also much greater.

If those savings make the difference between taking the trip or choosing a different vacation (or doing cool excursions versus missing out during port calls), I'd absolutely book the cheaper room.

That said, all inside cabins are not created equal. For example, not all of Disney's inside rooms offer split bathrooms or magic portholes. Which windowless room you choose can make a difference. The inside cabin I booked made the "best" list when TPG ranked the best and worst inside cruise cabins afloat; I might not have been as happy in one of the lower-ranked rooms.

As for us, I'm sure our first inside cabin won't be our last. In fact, when we are lucky enough to book another one, I'll look forward to getting a few more top-tier nights of sleep.

Related reading:

• It's not as bad as you think: 6 reasons I'm happy booking a windowless 'inside' cabin on a cruise ship
• 15 ways that cruising newbies waste money on their first cruise
• The ultimate guide to Disney Cruise Line ships and itineraries
• 11 ways to save money on a Disney cruise