Cruise lines offer different prices for inside, oceanview, and balcony cabins. But upgrades to the next tier cost a lot more on some ships than others. The percentage difference between cabin types by cruise line is even more pronounced.
This week I put together a spreadsheet with over 2,000 cruise sailings with their prices on a per day basis. This included every 2026 cruise out of a U.S. cruise port that was anywhere from 7 days long to 14 days in duration.

Nine major cruise lines were analyzed for their pricing across 365 days. I could have added more and even included shorter 3- and 4-day cruises, but the spreadsheet was lengthy enough already.
The data was quite extensive, with 6,952 rows in the spreadsheet (one line each for the three main cabin categories Inside, Oceanview, and Balcony).
Suites, solo cabins, and other types of cabins are not included in this article.
About the Cruise Price Data
The prices listed are based on two passengers in a cabin and are on a per day basis. Since some cruises were 7 days in duration and some were 10, 12, and 14, it made more sense to compare based on the daily rate rather then the entire cruise cost.
The price listed includes gratuities as well. These prices are always in flux and may differ from other sources by the time you read this.
Also, remember these are averages, and some prices will be higher or lower depending on the time of year and age of the cruise ship.
After compiling the data, here are the average prices for three cabin categories over the course of 2026, separated by cruise line.
Daily Average Cost of 2026 Cruises for Two Passengers
Cruise Line | Inside | O. View | Balcony |
---|---|---|---|
MSC Cruises | $272 | $314 | $353 |
Princess Cruises | $281 | $330 | $386 |
Carnival | $287 | $338 | $396 |
Celebrity Cruises | $351 | $382 | $434 |
Virgin Voyages | $340 | $400 | $468 |
Royal Caribbean | $352 | $400 | $469 |
Holland America | $349 | $387 | $512 |
Norwegian | $391 | $467 | $555 |
Disney | $728 | $790 | $905 |
Average Price Across All 9 Cruise Lines
Here are the average prices for each cabin category across every cruise line (on a per day basis for two passengers):
- Inside: $405.67
- Oceanview: $445.33
- Balcony: $508.67
The price between inside and oceanview versus oceanview and balcony is pretty similar. But this isn’t always the case within specific cruise lines, which we will look at in the next section.
The higher price of Disney Cruise Line cabins skewed these numbers a bit more to the high side.
But I found one surprising thing in this data. I expected MSC Cruises and Carnival Cruise Line to have among the lowest prices for various cabin categories.
What I didn’t expect was for Princess Cruises to have a lower average than Carnival. A closer look showed some really low rates on Regal Princess in 2026 with cruises that sail out of Galveston and Port Everglades.
Biggest Price Difference Between Cabin Categories
Next, I wanted to see what kind of premium different cruise lines put on those upgraded cabins. The information below shows the difference in average price between the three main cabin types.
The cruise lines below are listed from smallest total increase to largest total increase of price.
Celebrity Cruises
-
- Inside to Oceanview: 8.83%
- Oceanview to Balcony: 13.61%
- Total Increase: 22.44%
Disney Cruise Line
-
- Inside to Oceanview: 8.52%
- Oceanview to Balcony: 14.56%
- Total Increase: 23.08%
MSC Cruises
-
- Inside to Oceanview: 15.44%
- Oceanview to Balcony: 12.42%
- Total Increase: 27.86%
Royal Caribbean
-
- Inside to Oceanview: 13.64%
- Oceanview to Balcony: 17.25%
- Total Increase: 30.89%
Princess Cruises
-
- Inside to Oceanview: 17.44%
- Oceanview to Balcony: 16.97%
- Total Increase: 34.41%
Virgin Voyages
-
- Inside to Oceanview: 17.65%
- Oceanview to Balcony: 17.00%
- Total Increase: 34.65%
Carnival Cruise Line
-
- Inside to Oceanview: 17.77%
- Oceanview to Balcony: 17.16%
- Total Increase: 34.93%
Norwegian Cruise Line
-
- Inside to Oceanview: 19.44%
- Oceanview to Balcony: 18.84%
- Total Increase: 38.28%
Holland America Line
-
- Inside to Oceanview: 10.89%
- Oceanview to Balcony: 32.30%
- Total Increase: 43.19%
Lowest Price Per Day on All 55 Ships
These are all the ships used in this data. There are 55 in total that offer one week to two week sailings that depart from U.S. ports in 2026.
I have listed below the lowest price for an interior cabin for two people on each ship based on a per-day cost.
Disney Treasure: $671
Disney Magic: $594
Disney Wonder: $557
Star Of The Seas: $468
Icon Of The Seas: $454
Norwegian Luna: $429
Volendam: $385
Norwegian Aqua: $372
Norwegian Prima: $363
Norwegian Pearl: $356
Noordam: $345
Celebrity Xcel: $334
Scarlet Lady: $318
Norwegian Epic: $310
Norwegian Getaway: $307
Celebrity Beyond: $306
Norwegian Encore: $304
Celebrity Edge: $301
Valiant Lady: $298
Anthem Of The Seas: $297
Norwegian Viva: $295
Norwegian Sun: $294
Serenade Of The Seas: $291
Nieuw Amsterdam: $287
Norwegian Bliss: $286
Norwegian Joy: $284
Norwegian Jade: $282
Resilient Lady: $278
Koningsdam: $277
Oasis Of The Seas: $272
Allure Of The Seas: $272
Norwegian Breakaway: $268
Norwegian Jewel: $268
Zuiderdam: $262
Voyager Of The Seas: $261
Zaandam: $260
Carnival Luminosa: $260
Carnival Jubilee: $260
Nieuw Statendam: $259
Celebrity Ascent: $259
Island Princess: $259
Norwegian Dawn: $258
Brilliant Lady: $258
Celebrity Constellation: $257
Norwegian Escape: $257
Symphony Of The Seas: $257
Norwegian Sky: $257
Celebrity Reflection: $253
Carnival Pride: $247
Celebrity Apex: $245
Eurodam: $245
Carnival Spirit: $243
Mardi Gras: $243
Harmony Of The Seas: $243
Carnival Celebration: $242
Carnival Radiance: $238
Adventure Of The Seas: $237
Discovery Princess: $233
Odyssey Of The Seas: $231
Sun Princess: $230
Carnival Miracle: $230
Enchantment Of The Seas: $229
Star Princess: $228
Celebrity Summit: $227
Celebrity Silhouette: $226
Carnival Liberty: $226
Ruby Princess: $224
Carnival Sunshine: $222
Navigator Of The Seas: $222
Rotterdam: $221
Carnival Legend: $220
Carnival Vista: $219
Carnival Panorama: $219
Royal Princess: $219
MSC World America: $218
Norwegian Star: $216
Sapphire Princess: $215
Enchanted Princess: $215
Emerald Princess: $213
Sky Princess: $213
Carnival Magic: $212
Grand Princess: $212
Independence Of The Seas: $210
Carnival Dream: $207
Majestic Princess: $205
Coral Princess: $201
Caribbean Princess: $198
Regal Princess: $196
Grandeur Of The Seas: $194
Rhapsody Of The Seas: $192
Oosterdam: $190
Carnival Venezia: $190
MSC Grandiosa: $181
Carnival Horizon: $176
MSC Seascape: $174
MSC Poesia: $171
Vision Of The Seas: $170
MSC Divina: $168
Brilliance Of The Seas: $165
Carnival Freedom: $159
Celebrity Eclipse: $159
Carnival Glory: $153
MSC Meraviglia: $148
Bottom Line
While the average price difference between cabin types might seem consistent, the percentage increase from inside to oceanview, and then to balcony, varies significantly across cruise lines.
This means some lines are much more aggressive in their pricing of upgrades. Probably the most interesting finding to me, though, is the wide range in upgrade costs. Holland America, Norwegian, and Carnival showed the largest price jumps for balcony cabins, while Celebrity and Disney had the smallest increases.
I will be writing more articles about findings from cruise prices in 2026 in the future, so be sure to subscribe to our free newsletter if you’re interested.