A number of people have commented about not being able to stand cruising in an inside cabin because they feel shut in. They like light, openness and the ability to open a balcony door. I had to think about it for a while, but inside cabins don’t bother me.

I do admit that the nicer cabins are well, nicer! But as I have mentioned before, the nicer the cabin the more expensive. The more expensive, the less time you spend taking advantage of the rest of the ship. Why would I come out of my perfectly comfortable space? There is also the issue of cost, especially when traveling by myself, but I am going to ignore that for the moment and thought about inside cabins.

I realized probably the main reason that I don’t mind the inside, although having a balcony is wonderful and extra room is fantastic is because I am retired military. More than that, I have done more than a few deployments.

While being in the field in a tent is not an inside cabin, most of them provide dirt, stuffiness, uncomfortable cots and not much for light. Depending on the location, there are also the rest of the crew sharing the space. If the accommodations are provided in the ubiquitous warehouse then it was normally bunk beds and up to 499 of your new, very best friends. No quiet and often lights 24/7 as people were always coming and going. Then there are the variation on Davidson Huts which can be large and broken into multiple small cells or large and one big echoing wooden room. If small, then there are fewer divisions. In any case, in the desert you don’t have functional windows and any ventilation is provided by a dual purpose cooling/heating unit. Dust and dirt as well as stuffiness is a way of life. All light is artificial.

Other alternatives – such as UN Trailers provide a bit more privacy but not windows that really work. And a definite sense of living in a can. A metal can. See where I am going here?

Now think once again about an inside cabin on a ship. It has carpet, a private bathroom, a TV (for those who care), often a fridge. It is clean, it has beds rather than bunks. You chose your cabin mates. It is dark unless you turn on lights. The air circulation comes from a dual purpose cooling/heating unit…. and someone else cleans it.

The real difference? In one case I was paid to living in the dark; now I pay for same but the conditions are much better. And all the cabins arrive in port at the same time……