I had never seen a cruise ship in real life before April 2022.
I’d traveled by car, bus, train, and plane, but the only boat I’d ever been on was a ferry.
That changed about four years ago, when I boarded one of the world’s largest cruise ships, Royal Caribbean’s Wonder of the Seas.
During my seven-night Caribbean voyage, the ship sailed round-trip from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to Roatán, Honduras; Cozumel and Costa Maya, Mexico; and Royal Caribbean’s private island in the Bahamas.
While I’d seen cruise ships on TV and in movies, I couldn’t fathom the sheer size of these vessels until I saw one myself. On board, I felt like I was in a small town in the middle of the ocean.
Since this was a new form of transportation, my voyage was full of surprises. I learned that cruising is a lifestyle in itself, and while it’s not necessarily for me, I can see what draws people to this type of vacation time and again.
For $2,000, I spent seven nights in an ocean-view stateroom on deck 8. The cruise was on sale, as it was originally priced at $3,000.
The ship has 18 decks and 2,867 staterooms, according to Royal Caribbean.
I booked a mid-tier room — a step above windowless interior staterooms, a step below staterooms with a balcony, and two steps below suites.
My 179-square-foot cabin had a private bathroom, a king-size bed, and an ocean view.
I was surprised by how big the discount was. To me, $1,000 feels like a huge price difference for the same vacation.
I thought I’d feel cramped since the room was only 179 square feet. When I stepped inside, the cabin felt surprisingly spacious.
I thought the stateroom made great use of a small space with plenty of storage for my clothes and other belongings. There were two closets for hanging space and more drawers than I used.
An attendant serviced my room twice a day — more than I’ve experienced at hotels or in Airbnbs.
After leaving to start my day each morning, a stateroom attendant cleaned my room. And after I left for dinner each night, they came back to clean up again. Every evening, they brought me fresh towels — sometimes creatively folded — and a flyer featuring the next day’s schedule, including the weather, dress code, and any other important information, such as a time change.
This surprised me because I am used to having my room serviced once daily, if at all, during my hotel stays, and never in Airbnbs.
I assumed I’d have a small porthole window as I’ve seen on ships in TV shows and movies, but my rectangular window was much bigger than I expected.
An electronic shade over the window could be lowered to reveal grand views. I loved waking up after a night at sea to a front-row view of the place I’d be visiting that day.
While windowless rooms are cheaper, I couldn’t imagine staying in one. My ocean-view stateroom cost about $300 more than an entry-level room.
I didn’t realize booking a room at the front of the ship would result in a bumpier ride.
I booked a stateroom at the front of deck eight and felt constant motion in my room.
Some nights were rockier than others. On the roughest nights, I heard and felt a similar sensation to thunder beneath me every few minutes. Loud thumps and heavy vibrations in my room sounded like large pieces of furniture falling. The first night this happened, I feared the worst, but over time, I realized that this was a normal aspect of cruising — but one I would likely never get used to.
After talking to seasoned cruisers on the ship, several told me that the front of the ship is one of the worst places to be for feeling motion. Higher decks in the middle of the ship feel calmer and more stable, they said.
Next time, I’d choose a room in the middle of the ship.
All cruises mandate a training session for guests on what to do in an emergency. I was surprised that mine was available to watch in my cabin.
All I had to do for safety training was watch a couple of videos — either on my room TV or on the Royal Caribbean app — and then check in at my assembly station, the area I was assigned to in case of an emergency. At the assembly station, an attendant checked the Royal Caribbean app to confirm that I had completed the mandatory training.
I was expecting to attend a large safety training session once I got on the ship, so this alternative was a breeze.
The ship has 24 elevators, but taking the stairs was often faster.
Since there were so many elevators on the ship, I expected them to be a pretty efficient way to get around. But they were often so crowded and slow that I took the stairs instead. By the middle of my trip, unless I was going all the way up to the pool decks, I always opted for the stairs to save time.
The ship was harder to navigate than expected, and I often got lost on my way to specific venues.
The ship has 16 guest decks; each deck is divided into three sections — forward, middle, and aft.
It took me a few days to get used to the sections, and I often found myself heading to the right deck but the wrong section of the ship. Luckily, there were maps on every floor, which I used until the morning I left.
In the communal indoor spaces, I was surprised that I didn’t even feel like I was on a ship.
If I woke up on deck five of Wonder of the Seas with no memory of my cruise, I’d think I was in a shopping mall.
Aside from the slight movement of the ship, the indoor decks were so big that, as a cruise newbie, it was hard to believe that I was on a gigantic boat in the middle of the ocean. Everywhere I looked, I saw shops, stands, restaurants, large sculptures, and a unique ceiling structure that reminded me of the malls I’ve visited.
Throughout the trip, I heard more live music than I thought I would, often in the background of the ship’s activities.
Aside from music festivals, I’ve never heard more live music on a trip than on this cruise. On the communal decks, musicians played for hours while people relaxed and played around them. I was also surprised by the eclectic mix of genres I heard, from rock to jazz to classical.
In addition to the music hall, where concerts were regularly held, live bands performed on indoor and outdoor communal decks. Some people watched, while others listened while swimming, relaxing, or walking around.
I thought formal nights would be enforced more.
I like to be comfy, so I was dreading formal nights going into this cruise.
I brought one fancy dress with me to wear whenever I needed, but on the first formal night, I realized that the dress code wasn’t strictly enforced. People wore a range of outfits, from evening gowns to T-shirts.
For the rest of the trip, I also relaxed my interpretation of the dress code.
Some of the best meals I had were included in the rate.
One of the unique things about cruising is that most meals, snacks, and drinks are included in the cruise rate.
However, on large ships like Wonder of the Seas, more than a dozen restaurants with specialty offerings, such as sushi, are not included and incur additional charges, either as a one-time fee or per dish.
I was pleasantly surprised to find that some of the most delicious and satisfying meals I had were in the restaurants included for guests.
There were a handful of buffets with a variety of food, and the main dining room served a three-course meal with different menu items each night. These complementary options satisfied every single one of my cravings. One of my best meals was in the main dining room, where I was seated alone.
I found that reservations for restaurants and shows on the ship fill up fast, so it’s important to plan ahead to do exactly what you want.
The cruise ship was full of activities and restaurants I could visit at any time, but some restaurants, like the specialty ones, and all the shows on board required reservations made through the Royal Caribbean app.
However, getting reservations for the show and meal times I wanted on the day of was often hard. So, I started making reservations days before each event, depending on its popularity.
For example, the circus-like acrobatic water show in the Aquatheater seemed to be the most popular and hardest to reserve. I tried to get one on the day of the event, but couldn’t find any availability until a show two nights later.
Even with extensive preparations, planning anything on a cruise ship was subject to change.
The excursion I was most thrilled about — a hot-air balloon ride over the Bahamas — was canceled the day of because the winds were too high.
It was on the last day of my trip, and with only one day in port, it could not be rescheduled. It was the experience I was looking forward to most, so I was disappointed. On a cruise ship, I learned that all plans are subject to change based on things outside the crew’s control, like the weather.
I thought the port stops would be longer.
Since we traveled such a long way to each port, I wrongfully assumed we’d spend more time in them. The ship usually docked around 8 a.m. and left in the early afternoon.
I thought I’d have time to explore the port for a while after each excursion, but some of my excursions took the entire day, getting me back to the boat just in time for departure. I also hoped to see what these places looked like at night, but we never departed after sundown.
Although I got a taste of the Caribbean, I didn’t have enough time to get a sense of each place, which made me realize that I would probably prefer to vacation in just one place and have time to truly explore it.
I’m so glad I finally know what it’s like to cruise on a giant ship, but I’ll probably take a plane next time.
Overall, my trip left me in awe. I learned there’s nothing like looking out from the top deck and seeing only the ocean surrounding you.
But next time I want to visit the Caribbean, I’ll take a plane to one place and explore it deeply.
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