We compared the prices and amenities of standard rooms on Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, and Carnival cruise lines — here's the one with the best bang for your buck

How much does a cruise cost?

Well, that depends on what room you get.

We took a look at the standard inside stateroom — the most affordable room on a cruise ship — at three major cruise lines: Norwegian, Carnival, and Royal Caribbean. To keep things consistent, we chose a similar itinerary for each, selecting a five-day western Caribbean cruise in early April 2019 for two passengers embarking from Miami.

Carnival is the most expensive per room, but offers more square footage for your money. Meanwhile, Norwegian is the second most affordable per room, but costliest per square foot. Royal Caribbean is the most affordable overall, both by cost and per square foot.

However, there's more to a room than the cost — you also have to think about what you're paying for, like sleeping provisions and amenities. The size and arrangement of beds (or sofa beds) can vary, and while most cabins have basic amenities like a TV, closet, vanity, desk, couch, dresser, some don't have them all.

So, we took a closer look at the inside stateroom in each of the three cruise lines. Keep in mind that these specifics can change depending on cruise line's ship, as well as itinerary and season, and all featured staterooms have private bathrooms and showers.

Scroll through below to see which ones really offer more bang for your buck.

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