Selling Travel 101: Interpreting Deck Plans for Your Clients
by John Hawks

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** The higher the deck, the more you will pay for the cabin.

** On most ships built since the late 1990s, the standard cabins may be largely the same throughout the entire vessel. One difference that you will find is window size - generally, the lower your deck, the smaller your window will be. Outside cabins with windows are usually more popular than inside cabins with no windows. Some ships have cabins with windows that have an obstructed view (e.g., the window faces a railing or an overhang), a flaw that is not always visible on the deck plan. (In fact, the brand-new "Freedom of the Seas" has one promenade-view cabin -- # 6305, category PR -- where the window is blocked by the two "cows" standing atop the ship's Ben & Jerry's ice cream parlor. The solution? Royal Caribbean is giving free unlimited ice cream on every cruise to the passengers in that cabin!)

** Generally, cabins located toward the middle of the ship do not feel the motion of the ship as much as cabins found on either end of the ship, and lower cabins feel more stable than higher cabins. In fact, the very best choices (if you are prone to motion sickness) may be center cabins on a deck near the ship's water line).

** On the deck plan, locate the potentially noisy public areas - bars, casinos, discos, show rooms, and children's lounges - and pick a cabin farther away from these sections of the ship.

** Some cruisers do not like cabins located beneath promenade decks or onboard jogging tracks. Another problem area may be lower-level cabins that are more inexpensive but that sit near the ship's engine rooms.

Want to share other deck plan tips that you've heard over the years? Send them to us at J.Hawks@ossn.com!