March 19, 2025 • 30 mins
Planning a cruise vacation can feel like learning a new language with all the ship options, stateroom categories, and abbreviations. In this episode of All Things Travel, Ryan and Julie break down how to choose the right cruise ship and stateroom to match your vacation style and budget.
In this episode, you'll learn:
- 🚢 How to choose the perfect cruise ship based on your destination, departure port, and budget.
- 🛏️ How to pick the right stateroom — from luxurious suites to budget-friendly interior rooms.
- 🧒 Why your travel party's age and preferences matter when picking a cruise.
- 🧳 Tips for finding the best stateroom location for a smoother, quieter cruise experience.
- 🔍 The pros and cons of newer vs. seasoned ships.
- 🌊 Why balcony rooms are so popular and how French balconies differ.
- 💡 Tips on what to avoid when booking your stateroom to ensure the best experience.
Whether you’re a first-time cruiser or a seasoned traveler, this episode will help you make informed decisions to ensure a memorable cruise vacation.
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Have a question or want help planning your next cruise? Visit All Things Travel and click on Plan a Trip to start your journey with us.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (00:00):
Hello and welcome to all Things Travel.
We've all seen the commercialsfor the big cruise ships, the
river ships, the new ships andmore.
There are so many cruise linesand cruise ships to choose from.
When planning your next cruises,it can feel like a foreign
language even.
I was confused when I firststarted planning travel.
(00:20):
What are all these roomcategories and how do I remember
which ship is which?
today we're gonna break down howto choose the right cruise ship
and state room for your nextcruise.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (00:32):
Listen in with travel advisors and
destination experts.
Ryan and Julie.
I'm your travel professorteaching you everything you need
to know to have a magicalvacation, and she's a Disney
loving Maryland mom of three anda specialist in family travel.
Whether we're discussingincredible destinations, top
vacation tips, or sharingpersonal stories, it's always
(00:53):
all things travel.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (00:57):
All right, so today we're recording
on like this random Tuesdayafternoon,
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (01:02):
it does feel kind of weird.
Yeah, it feels weird.
Like, what am I gonna do on,well, it's'cause I'm out of town
on Sunday, but what am I gonnado on Sunday night without
spending time talking to Julie?
I, I don't know.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (01:15):
I think you'll survive.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (01:16):
I'll find a reason to be okay.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (01:19):
I don't know what it's like in Indiana,
but at least in Maryland thisweek, it's like, we're in the
sixties.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (01:24):
Yeah, same.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (01:26):
spending time outside.
I think we're just in a morecheerful mood.
it's a good week.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (01:32):
Now in the Midwest there's always this
skeptical, like yeah, but it'sstill early, so you know it's
gonna snow next week.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (01:40):
We have the we have the
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (01:42):
yeah.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (01:42):
do I put the snow stuff away or are we
gonna get a blizzard next
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (01:46):
Right, right.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (01:47):
I
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (01:47):
So,
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (01:48):
wanna put it away.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (01:49):
but the weather feels really good.
I mean, I've been walkingoutside, not wearing, you know,
heavy coats anymore.
More sunshine now that the timehas changed.
hey, I will take it.
Julie, tell us what we'retalking about today.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (02:02):
All right, so today we're gonna
break down cruise ships, staterooms, all this kind of stuff,
because if you've ever pulled upa cruise website and you wanna
book a cruise, you put yourdates in and you're just like,
well, what the heck?
Now what, there's so manydifferent room categories and
what is aft and forward andmiddle, and how do I know what
(02:24):
deck and all these kind ofthings.
So we're gonna break down.
What you should think aboutwhen, number one, picking your
cruise ship, and number two,picking your state room.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (02:34):
You mean not everybody gets on and
they're like, I'm looking for afour DGTV, 60% obstructed view
with a drop down, this, that,and the other thing that people
aren't doing that.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (02:49):
No, and I don't know how familiar you were
when you started Ryan, but Iknow when I started booking
travel and planning trips forclients, I was even like, what
is D two and D one and eachcruise line is.
Different with
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (03:04):
Yes.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (03:05):
consumers don't see all those
abbreviations, but it'simportant for us to understand
them.
for the longest time I was like,I need a guide or a cheat sheet,
and there just isn't one.
So we're gonna break it down inthe easiest way we can for
consumers so that theyunderstand.
oftentimes know when I'm quotingclients will be like, what is
this versus this?
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (03:23):
Right.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (03:23):
we can ease that confusion.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (03:26):
No, I love that idea.
I think that's gonna be a superhelpful, discussion.
But before we get into that,please remember if you have not
gone back and listened to lastweek's show, we talk all about
solo travel.
What are some tips, what aresome considerations?
And also what are some goodlocations for your next solo
vacation?
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (03:46):
All right, so first we're gonna talk
about cruise ships and how topick your cruise ship.
'cause obviously you've gottapick your ship before you pick
your state room.
And there's a few bigconsiderations here, really like
three main ones the first one isthat you've gotta consider your
destination.
So if you are.
Looking at a specificdestination that is going to
(04:07):
really narrow down your ship foryou, and then maybe from there,
you're deciding between.
Cruise lines
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (04:13):
Yeah.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (04:14):
So if you're going to the
Mediterranean or Alaska, Europe,Australia, basically anything
other than The Bahamas and theCaribbean from the United States
there's only gonna be a coupleships for each cruise line doing
those itineraries.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (04:28):
Right,
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (04:29):
pretty narrowed down to start out with.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (04:32):
and you think of Alaska, do you
wanna fly?
In and out of the United States.
So that means Seattle orAnchorage.
most people don't want to go upto Anchorage so that even,
brings your options down evenmore, which could be a good
thing.
Or could feel pretty limited.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (04:49):
Agree.
I had just booked myMediterranean cruise and
initially when stuff wasreleased I was like, oh, it's
the Disney Fantasy.
That's great.
I haven't been on that ship.
And then, a couple things movedaround before everything got
fully finalized, and it's theDisney Dream, which is what I
just went on, but I'm not gonna.
Not go on my Mediterraneancruise because I've been on that
(05:10):
ship before.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (05:11):
Right.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (05:11):
sometimes those things don't matter as
much as we think, but if you dohave a choice of cruise ship,
we're gonna detail that in amoment.
you also might be limited, bythe port that you wanna sail out
of.
if you wanna go out of Seattleversus Anchorage, you're really
only gonna have one option ifyou wanna go out of a local
port.
for me, I have clients that goout of New Jersey or Baltimore.
(05:31):
Baltimore has.
One Royal Caribbean ship and onecarnival ship for the majority
of the year.
Same with New Jersey.
it's two royal ships thatalternate and that's it.
So if that's the port you'regoing out of, that's the ship
you're going on.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (05:46):
I would give kind of a
counterpoint too, when it comesto Florida.
A lot of people think their onlyoption is Port Canaveral, but
don't forget about Miami andFort Lauderdale.
So saying you're gonna cruiseout of Florida.
You do have several differentoptions there, Tampa's another
one you really can, if you'rewilling to be a little more
(06:09):
flexible, you can have a lot ofoption there.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (06:12):
Agree, and I've had plenty of clients
in the past year as well, say,throw Galveston into the mix.
Show me what's coming in andoutta Galveston for the dates
that I wanna sail and maybe thatitinerary I would prefer.
Picking the cruise ship.
you could have a lot of optionsbased on ports, for example, if
you really wanna go on Icon ofthe Seas, that's only going out
of Miami.
(06:33):
thinking about how the port isgoing to affect the cruise ship
you choose, and how youritinerary is going to affect the
ship that you choose.
the last big one is what yourvacation fund looks like.
going on a ship like Icon of theSeas versus a ship like Freedom
of the Seas from Royal Caribbeanhave a vastly different price
range.
(06:53):
Mostly because Icon is brand new
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (06:55):
Yeah.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (06:56):
to do on that ship.
nothing is wrong with the olderships, they're going to be more
affordable for those reasons.
So that may also, figure outwhich ship you wanna go on.
All right, Ryan, you wanna tellus how.
Considering your travel party isgonna help us pick our cruise
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (07:12):
who's gonna travel with you, and how
are those folks broken up?
And I'll get to that in asecond.
if you have babies and toddlers,you're obviously gonna be
focusing on nursery splash pads.
So looking at a Disney cruiseline that has the largest splash
pad.
Royal Caribbean definitely hasthose spaces, but they're
smaller.
remembering the minimum age fora cruiser across all cruise
(07:35):
lines is six months.
And also if you're travelingwith little ones, considerations
of are they in a diaper or theyaren't, because there's
actually, public healthregulations If you have older
kids or teens looking forinteractive, kids, clubs, water
slides, Royal Caribbean hasreally upped the game with this.
But so is Carnival.
(07:56):
Carnival has really.
Tried to position themselves nowas a family cruise.
So there's a lot of water sporttype things on the ship.
having teen clubs, depending onyour teen, do they want to
interact with other kids?
Do they want to be more with thefamily?
Kind of knowing your teen.
and how they want to be, or doyou want more of an adult only
(08:18):
experience?
And does that mean you'relooking for a cruise ship that
has adult only spaces, or areyou looking for something like a
virgin voyages that iscompletely adult only?
we've talked about Viking.
one of their big, pushes now isno kids on the ship.
That's kind of one of theirmarketing pushes.
And then what I would say, whenyou're thinking of.
(08:39):
Your travel party, how are thosepeople gonna be broken up into
the room?
So do you want to cram everybodyinto one state room because you
can, or do you want to havemultiple state rooms connected?
Do you want to have, the olderkids have their own room?
There's a lot of considerationas we start to put that puzzle
(08:59):
together with you, in planningyour crews.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (09:03):
Yeah, and going back to the adult only
vibe.
So yes, Virgin is adults only,but nearly every cruise line is
going to have an adults only.
Space.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_1322 (09:13):
Correct.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (09:14):
what I would say is consider the
capacity of the ship if you'reon one of those brand new royal
ships where Icahn has a capacityof over 7,000 passengers.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (09:26):
Yeah.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (09:26):
there might be an adult only section,
but is it going to be.
Peaceful and the vibe that youwant.
Do you just want a space thatdoesn't have kids in it, or do
you want a quiet, peacefulspace?
'cause you're probably not gonnafind that on a cruise ship that
holds 7,000
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (09:42):
Right,
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (09:43):
You might wanna look more towards a
celebrity ship that has closerto a capacity of 3000,
passengers or even a smallerRoyal Caribbean ship or smaller
Disney cruise line ship that hascloser to 4,000 or 3000
passengers.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (10:00):
Well, even on Royal and Celebrity, the
adult spaces are 16 and over, soyou know, that can change the
vibe.
And on longer cruises.
Sometimes they will have familyhours at those spaces.
So you're not, having adultsonly all the time.
if this is something that'sreally important to you but
(10:23):
you're not interested in a fulladults only cruise, look and
see.
What are the spaces within theship?
if I sail concierge, or if Isail in the haven with
Norwegian, or if I sail in theretreat with celebrity, what is
that gonna look like versusbeing with everybody else?
that's where you can cater that,experience.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (10:45):
I love that.
That's such a great point.
And again, showcases you may notknow that those areas exist for
you, and that's something thatwe would be able to identify and
find the right fit for you.
The last kind of bigconsideration I think people
think of when trying to pick acruise ship is do they want the
most updated, the newest ship,or do they prefer seasoned
(11:08):
ships?
And a seasoned ship to medoesn't mean that it's a bad
thing in any way.
A lot of seasoned cruisers mayprefer a.
Seasoned ship.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_1 (11:17):
Absolutely.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (11:17):
They don't like all the modern stuff
they like the darker wood, thatkind of thing.
There might be less passengerson those ships and they like
that vibe'cause they're smaller.
and they think of these as thetried and true ships.
They have their following.
on the other side, maybe youwant that brand new ship with
the newest bars and the mostup-to-date technology
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (11:37):
Yep.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (11:38):
the most updated slides and all those
things
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (11:41):
I have booked Royal Caribbean and
Disney based on the commercialsthat families have seen.
We want to be on that ship thatour kids saw on tv.
the newer better is attractive.
But what's interesting, Julie,is when folks start cruising and
get loyal to a cruise line, theyalmost kind of collect baseball
cards.
(12:01):
now, it's not, I want to sail onRoyal Caribbean.
I want to be on as manydifferent ships as I can on
Royal Caribbean or like yousaid, they fall in love with
that one ship and that's theirplace.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (12:14):
Yeah, they just kind of follow that
ship around.
do you want that best new thingor do you really prefer that
more seasoned ship that's beenaround for a while?
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (12:26):
we're gonna get into talking
specifically about choice ofstate rooms, but first, Julie, I
wanna talk about where in theworld is all things travel.
This week I found a new locationfor us, Kernersville, North
Carolina, it is the largestsuburb of Winston-Salem what was
interesting, when I looked atKernersville, I always looked
(12:47):
for interesting places.
And corners Folly with a K wasbuilt between 1878 and 1880 by
Jewel Corner, the grandson ofJoseph Kerner, the town's
namesake.
It is now a tourist location asa result of its very unique
(13:08):
design and architecture,featuring 22 rooms on seven
levels and 15 decoratedfireplaces.
It's also houses, the firstprivate theater in the United
States dating back to 1896.
the house has been featured inthe New York Times, Southern
living, and on the televised,our state magazine.
(13:31):
A model of the house was madeinto an ornament to represent
North Carolina on the WhiteHouse Christmas tree in 2001.
I think those kind of places arekind of cool.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (13:41):
that is really cool.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (13:42):
hey Kernersville, we are excited
that you are listening to allThings Travel.
reach out to either Julie or I,you can do that on our website,
all things travel podcast.com,and reach out because I would
love to send you a little thankyou gift for being featured on
today's show.
Alright, Julie, we have chosenour ship.
we know who's traveling with us,we know where we're going, so
(14:05):
that means we're gonna sail onthese dates.
What's the next thing we need tofigure out?
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (14:10):
Picking your state room, and this might
be just as confusing as.
Picking what cruise ship you'regoing to be on because there is
a lot of options.
overall you choose a suite, abalcony, a French balcony, an
ocean view, an interior room,all different cruise lines.
Call them different things.
(14:30):
Disney calls them verandas.
Some have an obstructed view.
There's so much to think about.
Again, we are here to delineatethose options for you.
So let's start with the top ofthe top.
So like the in concierge, beingin the Haven, the retreat, is
just a specialty area on thisship.
Almost like an upgraded clublevel
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (14:51):
it's a ship within a ship, if you want
to think about it that way.
or if you've been to anall-inclusive resort that has a
preferred club.
it's a club within the club.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (15:01):
the suites in general are gonna have
extra space, they're gonna havea larger balcony, usually a
larger bathroom.
If you've ever been on a cruiseship, you know that those
bathrooms are, nothing to getexcited about.
They are tiny, but in a suitethey look like a regular
bathroom,
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (15:19):
Yeah.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (15:20):
bigger than the one that you have at
home.
You're also going to be gettingconcierge service, so things
like maybe having a concierge toassist you with reservations or
upgrades.
Having that lounge for just aseparate area away from the
ship, it's a little quieter.
You may have a private poolarea, a private sun deck area
(15:40):
that's not open to the rest ofthe ship.
One thing I will say about thesuites is that larger room does
not always equate to a larger.
Capacity room.
A lot of times these rooms arestill only for two or four
guests.
I think that can be a point ofconfusion.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (15:58):
Yes.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (15:59):
that say, well, we have six.
Can we just get a suite?
And I'm like, still doesn'treally sleep.
Six.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (16:06):
Or if it does technically sleep six.
Some of those people aresleeping on a pullout or a chair
bed when I represent our agencyon Icon of the Seas, we did
tours of the different roomcategories and suites I sit
there and look at this suitethat you're spending, over a
hundred thousand dollars for afour night cruise and people are
(16:29):
sleeping on a sofa bed.
if it's at capacity.
And I'm just like, gosh, youknow, that's just not what I
think of.
so keep that in mind.
I think even more than hotelrooms, when you look at the
bedding configurations becauseeven though a regular state room
can fit for, doesn't mean thatit can fit for the way that you
(16:49):
may be thinking.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (16:50):
Agree.
It's not like booking a hotelroom at all.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (16:53):
Right.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (16:54):
having toured a couple of ships, those
suite rooms, are like a smalltownhouse, they are big rooms,
so they don't come with entrylevel.
Pricing.
you really are getting what youpay for in the upgraded service
of those spaces, but it's notnecessarily for a larger party.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (17:17):
Right.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (17:18):
Ryan, tell us about the balcony rooms
and why you would wanna choosethat.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (17:22):
Sure.
So a lot of people will opt forthe balcony room and I would say
nine times outta 10.
I do too.
I like balconies because itreally extends your state room.
It makes it feel bigger.
Not only can you have fresh air.
But you also have more of asitting area.
you have larger windows than anocean view.
(17:44):
and I really think, especiallyif you're traveling with
multiple parties on some cruiseships, if you're right next to
them, not only do they haveconnecting rooms like hotels,
you can actually connect theverandas, which is really fun,
and it also gives you some extraspaces.
Disney cruise, being able to sitout on the veranda while her
kiddos were sleeping and havingthat space.
(18:06):
the one thing I will say is ifyou have an interior balcony,
because some ships havebalconies going inside of the
public spaces, like the pools orpromenades you may have some
extra noise.
but I would say most of thefolks that I work with are
interested in the balcony.
Just'cause they like that extraspace.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (18:25):
And they like that, separation
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (18:27):
Yeah,
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (18:28):
Like you mentioned, the kids are
sleeping,
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (18:30):
yeah.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (18:31):
if they're staying in the room with
them doesn't need to be silent.
Although, I mean, I wouldn'tforego a nap I'd be okay napping
as well.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (18:38):
Right, right.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (18:39):
but in the morning, maybe someone gets
up earlier and they just don'twanna leave the room yet.
They can go sit out on theveranda.
I know for us, we loved to doroom service We were all awake,
but we didn't feel like
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (18:50):
Yeah.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (18:50):
the
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (18:51):
Yep.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (18:51):
We loved doing room service
ryan_1_03-11-2025_13223 (18:53):
getting your coffee going, and just
relaxing for a second.
Now, another considerationdepending on the type of ship,
and this is mostly for rivercruises, but definitely ocean
cruises too, is the Frenchbalcony.
So this is a large window of theopens and you have a balcony
that is there, but it doesn'textend beyond.
the window.
(19:13):
Um, so for instance, celebrityhas started to build most of
their verandas this way, whereit's kind of almost like a
sunroom, um, instead of abalcony.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (19:24):
your
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (19:25):
You don't exit the room, but the,
but the window can open upalmost fully so you really can
get some nice, fresh air.
And it feels, it, it feelsreally good.
but it's not the traditionalbalcony that you can walk on,
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (19:40):
Yeah,
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (19:40):
out, uh, if you will.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (19:42):
outside the ship.
And we are
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (19:43):
Yep.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (19:43):
a separate episode, a twin to this
about river cruising.
So we'll explain a little bitmore and maybe give some
examples of that.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (19:50):
Sounds great.
Sounds great.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (19:52):
say that going back to the balconies, the
traditional balconies andveranda, a lot of clients come
to me with safety concerns aboutbalconies and little kids.
And I'm not gonna tell you likeit's a hundred percent safe.
What I will tell you is thatcruise ships that I've been on
with the kids, which is I preferDisney if I have the kids with
(20:12):
me.
you have to have the handlefacing a certain way.
You have to have another latchthat is almost taller than I,
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (20:20):
Yes.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (20:20):
taller than I am, switched a certain
direction before you can evenattempt to open the balcony
door.
And that balcony door is kind ofheavy.
It's like my kids can'tnecessarily open it by
themselves and there's no waythey're reaching that top lock.
The other part, and this is onalmost every ship, It's that
your air conditioning is notgoing to run if your balcony
(20:41):
door is not locked.
And that's just a thing so thatyou're not just wasting air
conditioning and having thebalcony open so you would know
if your balcony door wasunlocked
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (20:52):
Yeah.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (20:52):
it's gonna get hot in your room.
you know, just to kind of maybeease some of those concerns,
there are a lot of safetymeasures in place.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (21:00):
All right.
What's the next type of stateroom?
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (21:03):
If you don't want a balcony and you
don't want a suite, the next oneis going to be an ocean view
room, and these are rooms thathave a porthole of some size.
I will say that is one thing tolook out for is that the
portholes can be differentsizes.
Sometimes there's one large,sometimes there's two
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (21:21):
Yep.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (21:22):
So just being aware of that.
the rooms do actually tend to bebigger than the balcony room
because you don't have thatbalcony, but the room is the
same size as what the balconyrooms are with the room, plus
the balcony.
These are really limited ontheir locations of the ship.
And this is something thatclicked for me, like after I
started selling travel, was thatwhen you look at the cruise
(21:45):
ship, what do you see?
You mostly see balcony
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (21:48):
Yep.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (21:48):
So clearly your ocean view room is
not gonna be smack in the middleof the ship on a high deck
ryan_1_03-11-2025_13223 (21:54):
they're gonna be lower.
Yeah.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (21:56):
They're
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (21:56):
Yeah.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (21:56):
decks.
They're usually decks two andthree, maybe four, or they're at
the very front or the very back.
If they're in those very frontor very back rooms, you would
likely have some sort ofobstructed view in some way.
so just being aware that if youtell us you want an ocean view
room and then you're like, but Idon't wanna be on deck two, that
might be the only option forthose.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (22:20):
most of the folks that, I work with
that do the ocean views.
A lot of times it's becausethey're trying to be budget
conscious because they wannaspend their money in different
places, whether that's the, theship or the actual crews or the
excursions that they're gonna goon.
I think it's a good option.
(22:40):
and still gives you a very niceroom with a view outside.
the third area then is obviouslyinterior.
and again, there's differentversions of this.
So the traditional interior roomhas no windows.
It's very dark.
It often is the most affordable.
Um, because of that, some nowhave virtual portholes or kind
(23:01):
of monitors where you can seewhat's happening outside.
to be honest, I don't sell thisa lot.
Um, when I talk to clients, theyhave to talk me into, this is
what we want and this is why.
Because I really want them tohave at least an ocean view.
But what I will tell you, Julie,when I like to book these is
when we have parents with, olderkids and the older kids go in
(23:25):
the interior room and rightacross the hall the parents have
the balcony or the ocean viewroom.
and you split it up that way.
Now you can't book it that wayan adult needs to be in the
room.
But once you're on any cruiseshift that I've ever.
Worked with you can go andswitch keys around they're
perfectly, willing toaccommodate that.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (23:44):
Right, and that works really well if
like no connecting rooms areavailable, or maybe you don't
wanna pay for an
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (23:52):
Yeah.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (23:52):
balcony for your teenagers.
But you would like an ocean view
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (23:56):
Yeah.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (23:56):
I actually have clients that do
this every single year.
They have a family of five.
Their kids are pretty young.
they book half of them into asuite room and the other half
into a nearby interior room.
And they literally use theinterior room mostly for
luggage.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (24:14):
Well, there you go.
That's a, that's a creative useof space.
And then, uh, and then, and thenwhoever snores the loudest gets
to, uh, sleep in there with allthe luggage.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (24:24):
Well that, but you also get like that
extra bathroom, which is kind ofnice.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (24:28):
That's true.
I didn't think about that.
Yeah.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (24:30):
Yeah.
two other things I wanna touchon here, Ryan, choosing your
deck and choosing your location,do you have something that
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (24:36):
Great.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (24:37):
to recommend what do you look for
when you're picking yourclient's rooms?
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (24:40):
Well, I will, I will.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (24:41):
present a proposal, I'm telling them
exactly what room I'm quoting.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (24:45):
I look for a couple things.
I want to get them in the middlethe best that I can, and I want
to get them as high as I can, aslong as they're not right around
heavy traffic areas.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (24:59):
Mm-hmm.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (24:59):
want them right below the pool.
I don't necessarily want themright above the restaurant.
Not that that's a huge issue,but there is more noise, and
commotion going on in thoserooms.
Um, it wouldn't really affectyou during traditional sleeping
times, but it's just aconsideration.
Um, I also,
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (25:16):
be
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (25:16):
yeah.
Yeah.
So as they're getting the deckready and they're moving chairs
around, you might hear that alittle bit more.
Really, to be honest, I findmost state rooms to be pretty
sound friendly, no matter whereI am.
But anyway, I, so I'm lookingfor more middle.
I'm looking for higher.
and then I'm also looking for,am I close to the elevators in
the stairs?
(25:37):
But am I not right there?
I wanna be close enough that Ican be there within a minute or
so, but I don't want to be rightat the intersection, if you
will.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (25:46):
Agree.
And I'll also kind of look, youknow, like on, on a Disney ship,
for example, deck nine is kindof my sweet spot.
because deck 11 is typically thepool.
So I don't wanna be directlybelow that on deck 10.
Um, but I don't wanna be too fardown either because that pool
deck is also where breakfast is
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (26:06):
Yeah.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (26:06):
Cabanas at the buffet.
So I don't, and I prefer to takethe steps on the cruise ship,
so.
I don't wanna walk up fourflights of steps to get to
breakfast, but I don't mindwalking down four flights of
steps to get to dinner.
I don't want to put you on adeck that's right next to a
kid's club.
sometimes you have to reallylook for that Royal Caribbean.
Kids clubs tend to be deck 14.
Deck 12.
(26:27):
Disney has been deck two, deckfive.
It just depends on the ship.
I will say I, do have someclients that really prefer an
AFT or a forward aft.
Is back forward.
Is forward.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (26:42):
Yep.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (26:42):
you tend to find one of those better than
the other or one better forseasickness?
'cause that's
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (26:47):
I, I don't really, to be honest, and
I, I try to find the best fit.
Obviously, it depends on whenwe're booking because, you know,
ships fill up
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (26:56):
Mm-hmm.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (26:57):
so I try to find the best fit for the
puzzle.
I've never had anyone come backcomplaining of seasickness,
regardless of where we were.
even if they've gotten aguaranteed room.
Which some cruise lines willoffer guaranteed, which
basically means they get tochoose.
they are able to put you wherethey need you to be based on
occupancy.
So it's usually a littlecheaper.
(27:18):
Even the folks that haveguaranteed have been happy with
their state room.
there's not been very manycomplaints at all.
you're not gonna have a badcruise if the state room isn't
exactly where you want it to be.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (27:29):
Agree with that.
I agree completely.
I think that if you have theopportunity to choose an ideal
location, you take it.
Um, but if it's not there'causeyou're booking a little bit
later, it's absolutely fine andwe are going to be there to
recommend the best one we can.
you know, everything we discusstoday truly highlights our role
as your travel advisor.
(27:50):
We know these ships, we researchthem.
We go on tours of these ships wemay have personal experience on
the ship, and so we are here toguide you along the right choice
for your family.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (28:03):
Julie, if people want to see our cruise
knowledge firsthand, they needto join our podcast Friends
Cruise, right?
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (28:12):
Yes, they should.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (28:13):
that's gonna be July 25th, three nights
out of Port Canaveral on RoyalCaribbean's Utopia of the Seas.
If you would like informationabout that cruise, reach out to
us or check out our Facebookpage.
We have a link there to get moreinformation.
We have special pricing we wouldlove to have you hang out with
us or just go on your own cruiseenjoy the special pricing.
(28:40):
You wanna plan a trip to anamazing destination, but you
don't know how to get started.
As your travel advisor, we workwith you to create a customized
itinerary for your vacation andtake the stress of planning away
so that you can focus on the funand creating memories.
You can reach out to us at allThings travel podcasts.com and
click on either Contact Us orPlan a Trip.
(29:03):
We look forward to talking toyou next week on All Things
Travel, when we let you in onsome amazing Disney Secrets.
Hello and welcome to all Things Travel.
We've all seen the commercialsfor the big cruise ships, the
river ships, the new ships andmore.
There are so many cruise linesand cruise ships to choose from.
When planning your next cruises,it can feel like a foreign
language even.
I was confused when I firststarted planning travel.
(00:20):
What are all these roomcategories and how do I remember
which ship is which?
today we're gonna break down howto choose the right cruise ship
and state room for your nextcruise.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (00:32):
Listen in with travel advisors and
destination experts.
Ryan and Julie.
I'm your travel professorteaching you everything you need
to know to have a magicalvacation, and she's a Disney
loving Maryland mom of three anda specialist in family travel.
Whether we're discussingincredible destinations, top
vacation tips, or sharingpersonal stories, it's always
(00:53):
all things travel.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (00:57):
All right, so today we're recording
on like this random Tuesdayafternoon,
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (01:02):
it does feel kind of weird.
Yeah, it feels weird.
Like, what am I gonna do on,well, it's'cause I'm out of town
on Sunday, but what am I gonnado on Sunday night without
spending time talking to Julie?
I, I don't know.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (01:15):
I think you'll survive.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (01:16):
I'll find a reason to be okay.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (01:19):
I don't know what it's like in Indiana,
but at least in Maryland thisweek, it's like, we're in the
sixties.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (01:24):
Yeah, same.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (01:26):
spending time outside.
I think we're just in a morecheerful mood.
it's a good week.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (01:32):
Now in the Midwest there's always this
skeptical, like yeah, but it'sstill early, so you know it's
gonna snow next week.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (01:40):
We have the we have the
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (01:42):
yeah.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (01:42):
do I put the snow stuff away or are we
gonna get a blizzard next
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (01:46):
Right, right.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (01:47):
I
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (01:47):
So,
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (01:48):
wanna put it away.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (01:49):
but the weather feels really good.
I mean, I've been walkingoutside, not wearing, you know,
heavy coats anymore.
More sunshine now that the timehas changed.
hey, I will take it.
Julie, tell us what we'retalking about today.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (02:02):
All right, so today we're gonna
break down cruise ships, staterooms, all this kind of stuff,
because if you've ever pulled upa cruise website and you wanna
book a cruise, you put yourdates in and you're just like,
well, what the heck?
Now what, there's so manydifferent room categories and
what is aft and forward andmiddle, and how do I know what
(02:24):
deck and all these kind ofthings.
So we're gonna break down.
What you should think aboutwhen, number one, picking your
cruise ship, and number two,picking your state room.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (02:34):
You mean not everybody gets on and
they're like, I'm looking for afour DGTV, 60% obstructed view
with a drop down, this, that,and the other thing that people
aren't doing that.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (02:49):
No, and I don't know how familiar you were
when you started Ryan, but Iknow when I started booking
travel and planning trips forclients, I was even like, what
is D two and D one and eachcruise line is.
Different with
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (03:04):
Yes.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (03:05):
consumers don't see all those
abbreviations, but it'simportant for us to understand
them.
for the longest time I was like,I need a guide or a cheat sheet,
and there just isn't one.
So we're gonna break it down inthe easiest way we can for
consumers so that theyunderstand.
oftentimes know when I'm quotingclients will be like, what is
this versus this?
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (03:23):
Right.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (03:23):
we can ease that confusion.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (03:26):
No, I love that idea.
I think that's gonna be a superhelpful, discussion.
But before we get into that,please remember if you have not
gone back and listened to lastweek's show, we talk all about
solo travel.
What are some tips, what aresome considerations?
And also what are some goodlocations for your next solo
vacation?
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (03:46):
All right, so first we're gonna talk
about cruise ships and how topick your cruise ship.
'cause obviously you've gottapick your ship before you pick
your state room.
And there's a few bigconsiderations here, really like
three main ones the first one isthat you've gotta consider your
destination.
So if you are.
Looking at a specificdestination that is going to
(04:07):
really narrow down your ship foryou, and then maybe from there,
you're deciding between.
Cruise lines
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (04:13):
Yeah.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (04:14):
So if you're going to the
Mediterranean or Alaska, Europe,Australia, basically anything
other than The Bahamas and theCaribbean from the United States
there's only gonna be a coupleships for each cruise line doing
those itineraries.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (04:28):
Right,
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (04:29):
pretty narrowed down to start out with.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (04:32):
and you think of Alaska, do you
wanna fly?
In and out of the United States.
So that means Seattle orAnchorage.
most people don't want to go upto Anchorage so that even,
brings your options down evenmore, which could be a good
thing.
Or could feel pretty limited.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (04:49):
Agree.
I had just booked myMediterranean cruise and
initially when stuff wasreleased I was like, oh, it's
the Disney Fantasy.
That's great.
I haven't been on that ship.
And then, a couple things movedaround before everything got
fully finalized, and it's theDisney Dream, which is what I
just went on, but I'm not gonna.
Not go on my Mediterraneancruise because I've been on that
(05:10):
ship before.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (05:11):
Right.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (05:11):
sometimes those things don't matter as
much as we think, but if you dohave a choice of cruise ship,
we're gonna detail that in amoment.
you also might be limited, bythe port that you wanna sail out
of.
if you wanna go out of Seattleversus Anchorage, you're really
only gonna have one option ifyou wanna go out of a local
port.
for me, I have clients that goout of New Jersey or Baltimore.
(05:31):
Baltimore has.
One Royal Caribbean ship and onecarnival ship for the majority
of the year.
Same with New Jersey.
it's two royal ships thatalternate and that's it.
So if that's the port you'regoing out of, that's the ship
you're going on.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (05:46):
I would give kind of a
counterpoint too, when it comesto Florida.
A lot of people think their onlyoption is Port Canaveral, but
don't forget about Miami andFort Lauderdale.
So saying you're gonna cruiseout of Florida.
You do have several differentoptions there, Tampa's another
one you really can, if you'rewilling to be a little more
(06:09):
flexible, you can have a lot ofoption there.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (06:12):
Agree, and I've had plenty of clients
in the past year as well, say,throw Galveston into the mix.
Show me what's coming in andoutta Galveston for the dates
that I wanna sail and maybe thatitinerary I would prefer.
Picking the cruise ship.
you could have a lot of optionsbased on ports, for example, if
you really wanna go on Icon ofthe Seas, that's only going out
of Miami.
(06:33):
thinking about how the port isgoing to affect the cruise ship
you choose, and how youritinerary is going to affect the
ship that you choose.
the last big one is what yourvacation fund looks like.
going on a ship like Icon of theSeas versus a ship like Freedom
of the Seas from Royal Caribbeanhave a vastly different price
range.
(06:53):
Mostly because Icon is brand new
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (06:55):
Yeah.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (06:56):
to do on that ship.
nothing is wrong with the olderships, they're going to be more
affordable for those reasons.
So that may also, figure outwhich ship you wanna go on.
All right, Ryan, you wanna tellus how.
Considering your travel party isgonna help us pick our cruise
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (07:12):
who's gonna travel with you, and how
are those folks broken up?
And I'll get to that in asecond.
if you have babies and toddlers,you're obviously gonna be
focusing on nursery splash pads.
So looking at a Disney cruiseline that has the largest splash
pad.
Royal Caribbean definitely hasthose spaces, but they're
smaller.
remembering the minimum age fora cruiser across all cruise
(07:35):
lines is six months.
And also if you're travelingwith little ones, considerations
of are they in a diaper or theyaren't, because there's
actually, public healthregulations If you have older
kids or teens looking forinteractive, kids, clubs, water
slides, Royal Caribbean hasreally upped the game with this.
But so is Carnival.
(07:56):
Carnival has really.
Tried to position themselves nowas a family cruise.
So there's a lot of water sporttype things on the ship.
having teen clubs, depending onyour teen, do they want to
interact with other kids?
Do they want to be more with thefamily?
Kind of knowing your teen.
and how they want to be, or doyou want more of an adult only
(08:18):
experience?
And does that mean you'relooking for a cruise ship that
has adult only spaces, or areyou looking for something like a
virgin voyages that iscompletely adult only?
we've talked about Viking.
one of their big, pushes now isno kids on the ship.
That's kind of one of theirmarketing pushes.
And then what I would say, whenyou're thinking of.
(08:39):
Your travel party, how are thosepeople gonna be broken up into
the room?
So do you want to cram everybodyinto one state room because you
can, or do you want to havemultiple state rooms connected?
Do you want to have, the olderkids have their own room?
There's a lot of considerationas we start to put that puzzle
(08:59):
together with you, in planningyour crews.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (09:03):
Yeah, and going back to the adult only
vibe.
So yes, Virgin is adults only,but nearly every cruise line is
going to have an adults only.
Space.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_1322 (09:13):
Correct.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (09:14):
what I would say is consider the
capacity of the ship if you'reon one of those brand new royal
ships where Icahn has a capacityof over 7,000 passengers.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (09:26):
Yeah.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (09:26):
there might be an adult only section,
but is it going to be.
Peaceful and the vibe that youwant.
Do you just want a space thatdoesn't have kids in it, or do
you want a quiet, peacefulspace?
'cause you're probably not gonnafind that on a cruise ship that
holds 7,000
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (09:42):
Right,
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (09:43):
You might wanna look more towards a
celebrity ship that has closerto a capacity of 3000,
passengers or even a smallerRoyal Caribbean ship or smaller
Disney cruise line ship that hascloser to 4,000 or 3000
passengers.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (10:00):
Well, even on Royal and Celebrity, the
adult spaces are 16 and over, soyou know, that can change the
vibe.
And on longer cruises.
Sometimes they will have familyhours at those spaces.
So you're not, having adultsonly all the time.
if this is something that'sreally important to you but
(10:23):
you're not interested in a fulladults only cruise, look and
see.
What are the spaces within theship?
if I sail concierge, or if Isail in the haven with
Norwegian, or if I sail in theretreat with celebrity, what is
that gonna look like versusbeing with everybody else?
that's where you can cater that,experience.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (10:45):
I love that.
That's such a great point.
And again, showcases you may notknow that those areas exist for
you, and that's something thatwe would be able to identify and
find the right fit for you.
The last kind of bigconsideration I think people
think of when trying to pick acruise ship is do they want the
most updated, the newest ship,or do they prefer seasoned
(11:08):
ships?
And a seasoned ship to medoesn't mean that it's a bad
thing in any way.
A lot of seasoned cruisers mayprefer a.
Seasoned ship.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_1 (11:17):
Absolutely.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (11:17):
They don't like all the modern stuff
they like the darker wood, thatkind of thing.
There might be less passengerson those ships and they like
that vibe'cause they're smaller.
and they think of these as thetried and true ships.
They have their following.
on the other side, maybe youwant that brand new ship with
the newest bars and the mostup-to-date technology
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (11:37):
Yep.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (11:38):
the most updated slides and all those
things
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (11:41):
I have booked Royal Caribbean and
Disney based on the commercialsthat families have seen.
We want to be on that ship thatour kids saw on tv.
the newer better is attractive.
But what's interesting, Julie,is when folks start cruising and
get loyal to a cruise line, theyalmost kind of collect baseball
cards.
(12:01):
now, it's not, I want to sail onRoyal Caribbean.
I want to be on as manydifferent ships as I can on
Royal Caribbean or like yousaid, they fall in love with
that one ship and that's theirplace.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (12:14):
Yeah, they just kind of follow that
ship around.
do you want that best new thingor do you really prefer that
more seasoned ship that's beenaround for a while?
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (12:26):
we're gonna get into talking
specifically about choice ofstate rooms, but first, Julie, I
wanna talk about where in theworld is all things travel.
This week I found a new locationfor us, Kernersville, North
Carolina, it is the largestsuburb of Winston-Salem what was
interesting, when I looked atKernersville, I always looked
(12:47):
for interesting places.
And corners Folly with a K wasbuilt between 1878 and 1880 by
Jewel Corner, the grandson ofJoseph Kerner, the town's
namesake.
It is now a tourist location asa result of its very unique
(13:08):
design and architecture,featuring 22 rooms on seven
levels and 15 decoratedfireplaces.
It's also houses, the firstprivate theater in the United
States dating back to 1896.
the house has been featured inthe New York Times, Southern
living, and on the televised,our state magazine.
(13:31):
A model of the house was madeinto an ornament to represent
North Carolina on the WhiteHouse Christmas tree in 2001.
I think those kind of places arekind of cool.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (13:41):
that is really cool.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (13:42):
hey Kernersville, we are excited
that you are listening to allThings Travel.
reach out to either Julie or I,you can do that on our website,
all things travel podcast.com,and reach out because I would
love to send you a little thankyou gift for being featured on
today's show.
Alright, Julie, we have chosenour ship.
we know who's traveling with us,we know where we're going, so
(14:05):
that means we're gonna sail onthese dates.
What's the next thing we need tofigure out?
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (14:10):
Picking your state room, and this might
be just as confusing as.
Picking what cruise ship you'regoing to be on because there is
a lot of options.
overall you choose a suite, abalcony, a French balcony, an
ocean view, an interior room,all different cruise lines.
Call them different things.
(14:30):
Disney calls them verandas.
Some have an obstructed view.
There's so much to think about.
Again, we are here to delineatethose options for you.
So let's start with the top ofthe top.
So like the in concierge, beingin the Haven, the retreat, is
just a specialty area on thisship.
Almost like an upgraded clublevel
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (14:51):
it's a ship within a ship, if you want
to think about it that way.
or if you've been to anall-inclusive resort that has a
preferred club.
it's a club within the club.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (15:01):
the suites in general are gonna have
extra space, they're gonna havea larger balcony, usually a
larger bathroom.
If you've ever been on a cruiseship, you know that those
bathrooms are, nothing to getexcited about.
They are tiny, but in a suitethey look like a regular
bathroom,
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (15:19):
Yeah.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (15:20):
bigger than the one that you have at
home.
You're also going to be gettingconcierge service, so things
like maybe having a concierge toassist you with reservations or
upgrades.
Having that lounge for just aseparate area away from the
ship, it's a little quieter.
You may have a private poolarea, a private sun deck area
(15:40):
that's not open to the rest ofthe ship.
One thing I will say about thesuites is that larger room does
not always equate to a larger.
Capacity room.
A lot of times these rooms arestill only for two or four
guests.
I think that can be a point ofconfusion.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (15:58):
Yes.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (15:59):
that say, well, we have six.
Can we just get a suite?
And I'm like, still doesn'treally sleep.
Six.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (16:06):
Or if it does technically sleep six.
Some of those people aresleeping on a pullout or a chair
bed when I represent our agencyon Icon of the Seas, we did
tours of the different roomcategories and suites I sit
there and look at this suitethat you're spending, over a
hundred thousand dollars for afour night cruise and people are
(16:29):
sleeping on a sofa bed.
if it's at capacity.
And I'm just like, gosh, youknow, that's just not what I
think of.
so keep that in mind.
I think even more than hotelrooms, when you look at the
bedding configurations becauseeven though a regular state room
can fit for, doesn't mean thatit can fit for the way that you
(16:49):
may be thinking.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (16:50):
Agree.
It's not like booking a hotelroom at all.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (16:53):
Right.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (16:54):
having toured a couple of ships, those
suite rooms, are like a smalltownhouse, they are big rooms,
so they don't come with entrylevel.
Pricing.
you really are getting what youpay for in the upgraded service
of those spaces, but it's notnecessarily for a larger party.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (17:17):
Right.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (17:18):
Ryan, tell us about the balcony rooms
and why you would wanna choosethat.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (17:22):
Sure.
So a lot of people will opt forthe balcony room and I would say
nine times outta 10.
I do too.
I like balconies because itreally extends your state room.
It makes it feel bigger.
Not only can you have fresh air.
But you also have more of asitting area.
you have larger windows than anocean view.
(17:44):
and I really think, especiallyif you're traveling with
multiple parties on some cruiseships, if you're right next to
them, not only do they haveconnecting rooms like hotels,
you can actually connect theverandas, which is really fun,
and it also gives you some extraspaces.
Disney cruise, being able to sitout on the veranda while her
kiddos were sleeping and havingthat space.
(18:06):
the one thing I will say is ifyou have an interior balcony,
because some ships havebalconies going inside of the
public spaces, like the pools orpromenades you may have some
extra noise.
but I would say most of thefolks that I work with are
interested in the balcony.
Just'cause they like that extraspace.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (18:25):
And they like that, separation
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (18:27):
Yeah,
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (18:28):
Like you mentioned, the kids are
sleeping,
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (18:30):
yeah.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (18:31):
if they're staying in the room with
them doesn't need to be silent.
Although, I mean, I wouldn'tforego a nap I'd be okay napping
as well.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (18:38):
Right, right.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (18:39):
but in the morning, maybe someone gets
up earlier and they just don'twanna leave the room yet.
They can go sit out on theveranda.
I know for us, we loved to doroom service We were all awake,
but we didn't feel like
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (18:50):
Yeah.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (18:50):
the
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (18:51):
Yep.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (18:51):
We loved doing room service
ryan_1_03-11-2025_13223 (18:53):
getting your coffee going, and just
relaxing for a second.
Now, another considerationdepending on the type of ship,
and this is mostly for rivercruises, but definitely ocean
cruises too, is the Frenchbalcony.
So this is a large window of theopens and you have a balcony
that is there, but it doesn'textend beyond.
the window.
(19:13):
Um, so for instance, celebrityhas started to build most of
their verandas this way, whereit's kind of almost like a
sunroom, um, instead of abalcony.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (19:24):
your
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (19:25):
You don't exit the room, but the,
but the window can open upalmost fully so you really can
get some nice, fresh air.
And it feels, it, it feelsreally good.
but it's not the traditionalbalcony that you can walk on,
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (19:40):
Yeah,
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (19:40):
out, uh, if you will.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (19:42):
outside the ship.
And we are
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (19:43):
Yep.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (19:43):
a separate episode, a twin to this
about river cruising.
So we'll explain a little bitmore and maybe give some
examples of that.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (19:50):
Sounds great.
Sounds great.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (19:52):
say that going back to the balconies, the
traditional balconies andveranda, a lot of clients come
to me with safety concerns aboutbalconies and little kids.
And I'm not gonna tell you likeit's a hundred percent safe.
What I will tell you is thatcruise ships that I've been on
with the kids, which is I preferDisney if I have the kids with
(20:12):
me.
you have to have the handlefacing a certain way.
You have to have another latchthat is almost taller than I,
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (20:20):
Yes.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (20:20):
taller than I am, switched a certain
direction before you can evenattempt to open the balcony
door.
And that balcony door is kind ofheavy.
It's like my kids can'tnecessarily open it by
themselves and there's no waythey're reaching that top lock.
The other part, and this is onalmost every ship, It's that
your air conditioning is notgoing to run if your balcony
(20:41):
door is not locked.
And that's just a thing so thatyou're not just wasting air
conditioning and having thebalcony open so you would know
if your balcony door wasunlocked
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (20:52):
Yeah.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (20:52):
it's gonna get hot in your room.
you know, just to kind of maybeease some of those concerns,
there are a lot of safetymeasures in place.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (21:00):
All right.
What's the next type of stateroom?
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (21:03):
If you don't want a balcony and you
don't want a suite, the next oneis going to be an ocean view
room, and these are rooms thathave a porthole of some size.
I will say that is one thing tolook out for is that the
portholes can be differentsizes.
Sometimes there's one large,sometimes there's two
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (21:21):
Yep.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (21:22):
So just being aware of that.
the rooms do actually tend to bebigger than the balcony room
because you don't have thatbalcony, but the room is the
same size as what the balconyrooms are with the room, plus
the balcony.
These are really limited ontheir locations of the ship.
And this is something thatclicked for me, like after I
started selling travel, was thatwhen you look at the cruise
(21:45):
ship, what do you see?
You mostly see balcony
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (21:48):
Yep.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (21:48):
So clearly your ocean view room is
not gonna be smack in the middleof the ship on a high deck
ryan_1_03-11-2025_13223 (21:54):
they're gonna be lower.
Yeah.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (21:56):
They're
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (21:56):
Yeah.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (21:56):
decks.
They're usually decks two andthree, maybe four, or they're at
the very front or the very back.
If they're in those very frontor very back rooms, you would
likely have some sort ofobstructed view in some way.
so just being aware that if youtell us you want an ocean view
room and then you're like, but Idon't wanna be on deck two, that
might be the only option forthose.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (22:20):
most of the folks that, I work with
that do the ocean views.
A lot of times it's becausethey're trying to be budget
conscious because they wannaspend their money in different
places, whether that's the, theship or the actual crews or the
excursions that they're gonna goon.
I think it's a good option.
(22:40):
and still gives you a very niceroom with a view outside.
the third area then is obviouslyinterior.
and again, there's differentversions of this.
So the traditional interior roomhas no windows.
It's very dark.
It often is the most affordable.
Um, because of that, some nowhave virtual portholes or kind
(23:01):
of monitors where you can seewhat's happening outside.
to be honest, I don't sell thisa lot.
Um, when I talk to clients, theyhave to talk me into, this is
what we want and this is why.
Because I really want them tohave at least an ocean view.
But what I will tell you, Julie,when I like to book these is
when we have parents with, olderkids and the older kids go in
(23:25):
the interior room and rightacross the hall the parents have
the balcony or the ocean viewroom.
and you split it up that way.
Now you can't book it that wayan adult needs to be in the
room.
But once you're on any cruiseshift that I've ever.
Worked with you can go andswitch keys around they're
perfectly, willing toaccommodate that.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (23:44):
Right, and that works really well if
like no connecting rooms areavailable, or maybe you don't
wanna pay for an
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (23:52):
Yeah.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (23:52):
balcony for your teenagers.
But you would like an ocean view
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (23:56):
Yeah.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (23:56):
I actually have clients that do
this every single year.
They have a family of five.
Their kids are pretty young.
they book half of them into asuite room and the other half
into a nearby interior room.
And they literally use theinterior room mostly for
luggage.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (24:14):
Well, there you go.
That's a, that's a creative useof space.
And then, uh, and then, and thenwhoever snores the loudest gets
to, uh, sleep in there with allthe luggage.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (24:24):
Well that, but you also get like that
extra bathroom, which is kind ofnice.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (24:28):
That's true.
I didn't think about that.
Yeah.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (24:30):
Yeah.
two other things I wanna touchon here, Ryan, choosing your
deck and choosing your location,do you have something that
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (24:36):
Great.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (24:37):
to recommend what do you look for
when you're picking yourclient's rooms?
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (24:40):
Well, I will, I will.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (24:41):
present a proposal, I'm telling them
exactly what room I'm quoting.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (24:45):
I look for a couple things.
I want to get them in the middlethe best that I can, and I want
to get them as high as I can, aslong as they're not right around
heavy traffic areas.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (24:59):
Mm-hmm.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (24:59):
want them right below the pool.
I don't necessarily want themright above the restaurant.
Not that that's a huge issue,but there is more noise, and
commotion going on in thoserooms.
Um, it wouldn't really affectyou during traditional sleeping
times, but it's just aconsideration.
Um, I also,
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (25:16):
be
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (25:16):
yeah.
Yeah.
So as they're getting the deckready and they're moving chairs
around, you might hear that alittle bit more.
Really, to be honest, I findmost state rooms to be pretty
sound friendly, no matter whereI am.
But anyway, I, so I'm lookingfor more middle.
I'm looking for higher.
and then I'm also looking for,am I close to the elevators in
the stairs?
(25:37):
But am I not right there?
I wanna be close enough that Ican be there within a minute or
so, but I don't want to be rightat the intersection, if you
will.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (25:46):
Agree.
And I'll also kind of look, youknow, like on, on a Disney ship,
for example, deck nine is kindof my sweet spot.
because deck 11 is typically thepool.
So I don't wanna be directlybelow that on deck 10.
Um, but I don't wanna be too fardown either because that pool
deck is also where breakfast is
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (26:06):
Yeah.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (26:06):
Cabanas at the buffet.
So I don't, and I prefer to takethe steps on the cruise ship,
so.
I don't wanna walk up fourflights of steps to get to
breakfast, but I don't mindwalking down four flights of
steps to get to dinner.
I don't want to put you on adeck that's right next to a
kid's club.
sometimes you have to reallylook for that Royal Caribbean.
Kids clubs tend to be deck 14.
Deck 12.
(26:27):
Disney has been deck two, deckfive.
It just depends on the ship.
I will say I, do have someclients that really prefer an
AFT or a forward aft.
Is back forward.
Is forward.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (26:42):
Yep.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (26:42):
you tend to find one of those better than
the other or one better forseasickness?
'cause that's
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (26:47):
I, I don't really, to be honest, and
I, I try to find the best fit.
Obviously, it depends on whenwe're booking because, you know,
ships fill up
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (26:56):
Mm-hmm.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (26:57):
so I try to find the best fit for the
puzzle.
I've never had anyone come backcomplaining of seasickness,
regardless of where we were.
even if they've gotten aguaranteed room.
Which some cruise lines willoffer guaranteed, which
basically means they get tochoose.
they are able to put you wherethey need you to be based on
occupancy.
So it's usually a littlecheaper.
(27:18):
Even the folks that haveguaranteed have been happy with
their state room.
there's not been very manycomplaints at all.
you're not gonna have a badcruise if the state room isn't
exactly where you want it to be.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (27:29):
Agree with that.
I agree completely.
I think that if you have theopportunity to choose an ideal
location, you take it.
Um, but if it's not there'causeyou're booking a little bit
later, it's absolutely fine andwe are going to be there to
recommend the best one we can.
you know, everything we discusstoday truly highlights our role
as your travel advisor.
(27:50):
We know these ships, we researchthem.
We go on tours of these ships wemay have personal experience on
the ship, and so we are here toguide you along the right choice
for your family.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (28:03):
Julie, if people want to see our cruise
knowledge firsthand, they needto join our podcast Friends
Cruise, right?
j_1_03-11-2025_132230 (28:12):
Yes, they should.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230 (28:13):
that's gonna be July 25th, three nights
out of Port Canaveral on RoyalCaribbean's Utopia of the Seas.
If you would like informationabout that cruise, reach out to
us or check out our Facebookpage.
We have a link there to get moreinformation.
We have special pricing we wouldlove to have you hang out with
us or just go on your own cruiseenjoy the special pricing.
(28:40):
You wanna plan a trip to anamazing destination, but you
don't know how to get started.
As your travel advisor, we workwith you to create a customized
itinerary for your vacation andtake the stress of planning away
so that you can focus on the funand creating memories.
You can reach out to us at allThings travel podcasts.com and
click on either Contact Us orPlan a Trip.
(29:03):
We look forward to talking toyou next week on All Things
Travel, when we let you in onsome amazing Disney Secrets.
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