Fact is, you don’t spend very much time in your room on a cruise. Figure you’re in there for an hour in the morning and an hour at night. Maybe a little bit during the day to get ready for dinner, get out of your swimsuit, etc. I’ve had the nice room with the living room, flatscreen tv, refrigerator, room service 24/7, etc, as well as the small room with bunk beds and no view. It doesn’t make a difference. You still don’t want to stay in there.

I do agree with the commenter above who noted the problem with not having natural light – for me, anyway, that was only an issue with getting out of bed in the morning. But I know the same thing happens to me in hotels that have those big blackout drapes. Its easily enough dealt with.

I don’t mind the inside porthole-less rooms, and if this is just another way to create affordable rooms, I’m all for it. Just let me cover up the “virtual porthole” so I don’t have to see it.

I have cruised twice in an interior cabin and after the cruiseline upgraded me to an exterior one year, I never went back. Interior cabins are fine if your primary goal is the bottom line. I certainly wouldnt recomment an interior cabin if you are doing scenic cruising.

I found the interior cabin to mess with my sleep cycle as there are no clocks in the rooms, there is almost total darkness except for the glow of the hallway lights around the cabin door and no window to the outside world to tell if it is day or night.

I like the idea of a real-time camera so at least there is some view and some way to tell time. I would hope that there is a way of turning off the video feed or drawing a curtain. My other fear is that it will be used to advertise for ship’s services or other subliminal messages.

When I travel alone with my wife i would continue to stay in a balcony stateroom, however, for family’s with kids, looking to save some coin, the virtual window may be a good compromise.

Besides that, I don’t need yet another screen taking up an already tiny room. (I bring my laptop & iPhone, etc) And I agree with applezz–one of the benefits of interior cabins is the dark rooms and the chance to ignore the world for as long as you want (similar to casinos not having natural lighting).