After saving hard for a few years, a few months ago I booked a cruise to the Norwegian fjords with P&O cruises for me and my son. I booked the cheapest option, an inside cabin and I was totally fine with that, but once the cabins were allocated, we’d been given cabin 4466 – on the lowest passenger deck, next to the laundrette and right by the lifts. I wondered, could this be the worst cabin on Iona?

Once I’d booked, I did what most first time cruisers do, and I devoted my every waking moment to reading and watching everything I could about the ship, the cabins, the ports of call and anything and everything about this cruise. The more I read, the more I was a bit jealous of the people with balcony cabins, but I paid around £1650 for two of us for a week, so I knew we’d have a more basic accommodation.

In the weeks before embarkation, you do get the chance to bid to upgrade your cabin. I put several bids on in the hope that we might get a bigger or better cabin, but I was unsuccessful and decided just to try and make the best of it.

Once we embarked, we quickly found our cabin and our bags were waiting for us outside. We opened the door and the cabin was pretty small, but there was a large queen sized bed, a small desk and chair, a wardrobe and a little fridge. The bathroom was compact, but I was pretty happy with it all. It was a small inside cabin and the cheapest option on the ship.

We were on deck four, and once we’d got our bearings, we found it to be a great deck to be on. It was pretty quiet, you would occasionally hear giggling families walking by, but it was so quiet, especially compared to other decks higher up in the ship. We didn’t spend a huge amount of time in our cabin, we preferred to be on deck 8, the promenade deck, we both liked to walk around the ship, getting some fresh air and sunshine.

One great thing about cabin 4466 is that it’s mid-ship, it’s quite low down and if you’re not keen on movement or you’re worried about feeling sea sick, then that’s the location you’ll probably feel it the least. During our cruise we were being chased across the North Sea by Storm Floris and the Captain did warn us a few times about stormy seas, but down in the cabin on deck 4, we didn’t feel too much of the swell, even though we could see it on the bow camera.

I was worried about being right next door to the laundrette. I did hear the machines going on occasion. However there were opening times on the door, though I don’t think anyone locked the door to stop people using the facilities. I decided to embrace the proximity and bring some laundry tablets, pack light and wash often.

The laundrette was really handy. I could wash and dry a load in about an hour. I did three washes while I was away, and just kept bobbing in from my room to check on things. I’d do a wash while we were getting ready for dinner, and by the time I’d finished dolling myself up, my wash would be done and put away. On the last night I did a wash while I was packing, because who really wants to take home a pile of dirty washing?

Likewise with the lifts, they were close by and I think our cabin backed onto them, but we didn’t hear anything. It was handy to be close to the lifts, especially on such a quiet deck, but more often than not we used the stairs because it was quicker and it helped counteract the large fried breakfasts we had each day.

I really liked the cabin itself. I did worry that the lack of window would make me feel claustrophobic, and the lack of fresh air would have me a sweating, angry, menopausal mess, but I was wrong on both counts. The TV had a channel with the view from the bow on it, so we would often put that on to get a glimpse of the outside world. Plus the air con was excellent, we had it on its coldest setting and it was perfect for us.

It was a small room, but very comfortable and well decorated. The diminutive dimensions forced us to be tidier in our habits, and each morning someone kindly came in and gave it a clean and made the bed for us.

I’ve heard some people say that the beds on Iona are too firm, but it was perfect for me and my bad back. I am a terrible, terrible sleeper, but I think the darkness of the inside cabin helped me to have some of the best nights sleep I’ve had in years. It was very calming and restful, and the excellent sleep really sold me on inside cabins for future cruises, though I might stump up for a slightly larger one next time.

So, before we cruised I was worried about the too low deck, the location next to the laundrette, the rumble from the nearby lifts, a potentially claustrophobic inside cabin, lack of fresh air and no views of the Norwegian fjords. I came away very surprised that none of those things bothered me. Sure, it might have been nice to sit on a balcony and have a brew as we cruised down a fjord, but I was hugely grateful for the quietness of our deck. I loved the cabin and I would happily stay in that cabin again.

Was cabin 4466 the worst cabin on Iona? Well, it depends what you’re looking for, but if you want a good nights sleep on a pretty quiet deck, with minimal movement whilst at the same time being handy for the laundrette and the lifts, then 4466 might well be the best cabin on the ship, or at least one of them. My advice would be, don’t fear the inside cabin, embrace the peace and the calm, dark nights. And if you need some fresh air, there’s always the promenade deck to enjoy.

Bon voyage!