Couple who have done 36 cruises say the best cabin on a ship may surprise you

Katrina and Kev Middleton love cruises so much they live and work on board ships. So far they’ve been on 36 cruises, spending 294 days in total at sea.

The couple even sold their house for a life of travelling at sea.

Kev runs an IT consultancy, while Katrina has just swapped her marketing job to become a cruise influencer, posting advice and tips on their page, 360Cruising.

Couple Katrina and Kev Middleton even sold their house for a life at sea. (Supplied)

And after booking so many cruises, the pair know how to find a deal.

While many cruisers will turn their noses up at the thought, they have a surprising tip when it comes to choosing a cabin.

These are the best places to snorkel in the world

Best cruise ship cabins

“If you are doing a short cruise, save your money and just book an interior or ocean view,” Katrina, from Scotland, tells 9Travel.

“Interiors are a brilliant way to make a cruise more affordable and we have had some of our best sleeps in them because they’re dark and cool.

9Travel was impressed by the options on the new NCL ship, Norweigan Aqua. — An inside single cabin on the Norweigan Aqua. (Supplied)

“We are hardly ever in ours except to sleep and shower. That extra money on a balcony might be better spent on experiences.”

Checking you’re not below any public areas to try and avoid noise is also vital. Plus being close to lifts or stairs may also be best avoided if possible.

“We don’t suffer from sea sickness, but if you do, avoid cabins right at the front of the ship or right at the back and high up,” Katrina advises.

Another way to save money has a lot to do with itineraries.

How to get a cruise bargain

Repositioning cruises can be much better value than regular cruises.

“These are when a ship needs to move between regions, for example Europe to the Caribbean at the end of summer,” Katrina says.

“They are longer, visit more unusual ports, and the per-night cost is often way less.”

Another piece of advice they have is being organised and pre-booking as much as you can.

”Specialty dining, drink packages, Wi-Fi, almost always cheaper before you board,” she says.

“We always say the cruise fare is just the starting point, not the total.”

And once you’ve booked keep an eye on the price. If it drops, you can often get the difference back.

“Phone the cruise line and they will rebook you at the lower rate,” she says. “We check every couple of weeks and rebook if something’s cheaper.”

Cruise excursions can also be expensive. They recommend using an app, Shipmate, to find alternatives.

Being loyal to one cruise line – they prefer Royal Caribbean – can also bring benefits with loyalty schemes.

Cruise ship Anthem of the Seas from Royal Caribbean International (Michel Verdure/ RCCL)

How to work on a cruise ship

While working from a cruise ship may sounds glamourous, the pair can often end up on their laptops at all hours.

“Depending on where we are in the world and time zones, sometimes we’re up at 3am for work, sometimes working at 5pm and not finishing until 1am,” Katrina tells us.

They’ll work in the cabin for a few hours before finding a quiet spot, avoiding any noisy cruise activities.

But they’ll always try and find time relaxing by the pool, too.

Best way to get internet on a cruise

To stay connected they pay for the ship’s internet package, plus use gigsky, an eSIM you can use at sea to avoid huge charges

As for mistakes they see other cruiser making, one, to do with packing, stands out.

“Too many formal outfits. One is plenty. People massively overpack for formal nights and sometimes you just are not in the mood to get all glammed up,” Katrina says.

“You really don’t need as much as you think.”