I stayed in the cheapest cabin on Carnival's Radiance cruise. It was small and windowless, but for $150 a night, it was a great deal — take a look.

I'm a seasoned cruiser, and this past October, I joined friends on a three-night cruise with Carnival Radiance. It was my second time onboard the ship.

I'm a frequent cruiser; last year I sailed on 14 different cruises. All told, I've spent more than 100 weeks at sea on cruise lines like Carnival, Norwegian, and Virgin Voyages. 

Last October, I joined a group of friends for a three-night sailing on Carnival Radiance out of Long Beach, California, and our itinerary included one sea day and a full day in Ensenada, Mexico. It was my second time onboard this ship.

Carnival Radiance sails year-round out of Long Beach, California, with itineraries in the Mexican Riviera.

Carnival Radiance offers year-round itineraries from Long Beach ranging from three to six nights, with options to visit Ensenada and Cabo San Lucas in Mexico, and Catalina Island in California. Both times I've sailed on Radiance was a three-night sailing to Ensenada. 

Radiance has a gross tonnage of 101,509 with a capacity for 2,984 guests, so it's slightly smaller than Carnival Panorama, one of my favorite ships, which has a capacity for 4,008 guests. 

But even though this ship isn't as large as Panorama, it provides much of the same fun I look forward to on other Carnival ships, such as 15 dining options, mini golf, a ropes course, waterslides, and a mix of musicians and main stage shows.

I booked the cheapest stateroom available, which was an interior cabin on a low deck.

Since this was a short voyage, I decided to book my own stateroom at the lowest rate available in an interior cabin.

I was able to choose my exact room location for no fee, and paid $416.86 for my room, inclusive of port fees and taxes. I also paid $43.50 for crew gratuities, so my total came to $460.36. 

Radiance offers interior cabins on every deck where there are guestrooms, so I had a lot of options. Since I sailed on Carnival Radiance once before, I chose deck three to be close to the theater, dining room, and atrium lobby entertainment.

The cabin was located next to just a few dozen other cabins. Otherwise, deck three is occupied by the atrium bar and main dining room. With only a few rooms at the front of the ship, I knew this would be a low-traffic area and yet I would have quick elevator access to other areas of the ship. 

I thought my fare was cheap, but if I booked further in advance, it would have cost less. I could have paid more for a larger room, or one on a higher deck, but I'm glad I didn't.

Depending on the cruise and how far in advance you book, interior rooms on Radiance start as low as $161 per person, while balcony rooms typically start at $321 per person, based on double occupancy, according to their website.

I paid a bit more as I booked my cruise only a month before sailing. But I was thankful that Carnival did not charge a solo supplement. That's when a cruise line charges a fee to single travelers to make up for the revenue that would have come from having a second person on board in the same cabin, according to the LA Times. 

I was very happy with my choice, even though I was staying in one of the cheapest, smallest rooms onboard. I'm even glad I chose it over a larger room, or one on a higher deck. Here's why I'd gladly sail in this room again.

Right away, I was impressed with my room location.

All passengers boarded Radiance on deck three, and since my room was at the front of the ship on this deck, it meant I quickly located my room and didn't need to use the elevator or stairs to get there. 

The hallway to my cabin was also tucked away from all the foot traffic, and I easily found stateroom 3138, my home for the next few days.

I even added a smiley face magnet to my door to make it easier for me to remember my own room, and so my friends could find me.

When I opened my stateroom door, I was immediately pleased with its spaciousness despite its modest size.

My interior cabin was just 185 square feet, but from past experiences in an interior room, I knew it would be enough space.

The description of my interior cabin said it was suitable for up to two guests and I agree. I thought I had plenty of room as a solo sailor, but I also wouldn't have found the space too small had I been traveling with my spouse or a friend. 

I frequently choose interior cabins on Carnival, because in my experience, I think they use space wisely and have plenty of storage. So even though my room was only 185 square feet, I was pleasantly surprised by how spacious it felt. A large mirror over the desk added an illusion of extra space, too. 

I chose a layout with a king-size bed.

When I booked my cruise, I had the choice of two twin beds or a king-size bed. I chose the latter.

I had a small storage table on each side of the bed, each with a lamp. At the base of the lamps were USB ports, and I also had a few power outlets right above the headboard. 

Aside from my bed, my cabin had a flat-screen TV with an open shelf beneath it, and a desk with a stool.

I could also use the space underneath my bed for storage, which I thought would be useful had I been rooming with someone else and we needed extra space for our luggage.

There were so many charging stations within my room, I didn't use half of them.

In addition to the wall outlets above my bed and USB ports at each side of my bed, the desk had even more charging options. There were two additional USB ports, two North American outlets, and one European outlet.

Since I only needed to power up my phone and laptop, I didn't use a fraction of the outlets available to me. 

My desk area had a personal fridge tucked underneath.

While I didn't need that much space for a short cruise, it was nice to see so many storage options. I didn't even use the large drawer in the desk, but I can see how it would be helpful had I been sharing my room. 

I also appreciated that a mini fridge was included. I used it to keep beverages and snacks cool as Carnival allows guests to bring up to 12 cans of soda and one bottle of wine onboard.

Since I don't drink many alcoholic drinks and didn't buy a beverage package for this cruise, I brought a handful of soda cans with me and I was glad to be able to keep them cold in my own personal fridge.

My cabin had a large double-door closet with shelving and plenty of hangers.

Since I was only sailing on a three-night cruise, I didn't need much storage space for clothing.

Yet my room had a sizeable double-door closet with more than 20 hangers. My room attendant said I could ask for more if needed, but I didn't even use all the hangers provided upon check-in. 

The closet also stored extra bed pillows, which I didn't need, but it was nice to know it was an option. There was also a few empty shelves where I could store my handbag and shoes. 

On the interior of one closet door was also a floor length mirror, which came in handy for checking my outfit before joining friends for dinner. 

I used the in-room safe to keep my passport and valuables secure.

Inside the large closet was a personal safe where I could choose my own passcode for locking up valuables. I always appreciate this free amenity, as it's a good place to keep my passport and other travel documents safe while I'm out having fun. 

I thought my cabin bathroom was a decent size for an interior room, and I never felt cramped.

I've stayed in just about every type of cabin on a variety of cruise lines, from interior to porthole staterooms and spacious balcony rooms, and bathroom size does not always align with the room type, in my experience.

I've found that sometimes an interior room can have a large bathroom, while a balcony room can have a smaller bathroom. It's all been dependent on where the stateroom is located, and how the space is designed.

So, I was pleasantly surprised by the spacious feeling of this interior cabin's bathroom. 

It had a toilet, a shower stall, plenty of towels, a wide sink counter, and more storage areas.

The bathroom is still small compared to many hotels I've stayed in, but I thought Carnival made smart usage of the footprint available, and it had all the amenities I needed. 

My room attendant would replace towels and refresh my bathroom daily.

The bathroom had two wall-mounted towel bars stocked with fresh towels daily. There were extra towel hooks on the bathroom door, too.

The walk-in shower came with a hand-held nozzle and two dispensers, with one full of shampoo and the other containing shower gel. 

The bathroom also had a large counter along the sink, with additional storage nooks below.

In smaller bathrooms I've experienced onboard cruise ships, the sink counter can be quite small.

So it was nice to see such a large counter where I could keep my toiletries. I also had a few storage nooks below the sink counter and attached to the wall, if I wanted to put anything away. 

I appreciated the good lighting in my bathroom when I was getting ready for a night out.

My bathroom had a full wall mirror and bright overhead lighting, which made it easy for getting ready for dinner. I thought the lighting was excellent, which I wasn't expecting given the small space. 

There was also a retractable closeup mirror for applying makeup. 

My room attendant made sure I had everything I needed. I always returned to find a new towel animal each day.

On a short cruise, I barely had a chance to make a mess of my room. But without fail, my room attendant tidied my room every morning and evening. And each evening when I would retire to my room, I found a new towel animal awaiting me. 

While I have become accustomed to the towel animals on Carnival and other cruise lines, I was pleasantly surprised to see a personal note left by my room attendant on the last night of the cruise.

It accompanied a few extra towel animal surprises on my bed and read: "Thanks for cruising with us, Ms. Lori," signed by the housekeeping team.

That was a first for me, and I still smile whenever I see this photo. 

I didn't mind having an interior cabin without windows because I spent most of the time outside of my room.

Perhaps to some, a 185 square foot cabin without a window may seem like a small, enclosed space.

But I've cruised on just about every major cruise line and have come to expect close quarters on a cruise ship. 

Had I chosen an ocean-view or balcony cabin, I may have only added another 15 to 20 square feet to my room, and I don't think it would have been worth the extra cost.

I also simply don't need that much space. I generally only spend time in my room for sleeping and getting ready, and more often can be found out enjoying the ship and port destinations. 

My three-night cruise was a short but relaxing weekend getaway. I can't wait to sail with Carnival again, and most likely, it will be in an interior stateroom.

I enjoy weeklong sailings and extended cruises, but I love how a weekend cruise can be the perfect cure for wanderlust, as well as an economical way to sail with friends.

The $460 I paid for this sailing was a good value, considering my room, dining, entertainment, and destinations were all included. 

Each time I've sailed on Carnival Radiance, I have opted for an interior cabin. I've stayed in this room type both solo and with friends or a spouse, and I think it always has enough space for two people.

Unless you're traveling with a larger group or plan to spend a lot of time in your cabin, I'm not sure there's any reason to spend more for a larger room or better view.