I've stayed in interior staterooms on a Carnival Cruise Line ship and a Disney Cruise Line ship. Aside from different decor styles and a few small touches, this room category is fairly standard ...

I went on a nine-day trip aboard the Scenic Spirit, a luxury river cruise that holds 68 guests. My 344-square-foot deluxe room had a special area with a glass partition and tons of windows.

Years later, I saw an inexpensive last-minute deal on a cruise from New York on Norwegian Cruise Line's Getaway, but it was in a 100-square-foot solo cabin without so much as a window. I went for it.