I spent 7 nights in a 179-square-foot room on the world's largest cruise ship. Take a look inside my cabin.
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Joey HaddenApr 25, 2022, 22:57 IST
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I sailed on the largest cruise ship in the world, Royal Caribbean's Wonder of the Seas.
For $2,000, I spent seven nights in an ocean-view stateroom on deck eight. The cruise was on sale, as it was originally priced for $3,000.
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During my voyage, the ship sailed to Roatán, Honduras; Cozumel and Costa Playa in Mexico; as well as Royal Caribbean's own private island in the Bahamas.
The ship has 2,867 staterooms, according to Royal Caribbean. My room was at the front of deck eight.
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I booked a mid-tier room — a step above interior staterooms, which has no window, a step below staterooms with a balcony, and two steps below a suite.
My cabin was on the same deck as Central Park, an outdoor space with 20,000 plants, according to Royal Caribbean. I thought it was the most relaxing area on the ship.
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To get to my room, I walked down a long hallway near the elevators.
My room, 502, was 179 square feet with an ocean view.
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When I stepped inside, I was surprised at how big it felt. I thought the stateroom made great use of a small space.
On one side of the room, I had a mirror and a desk with several outlets to charge electronics with USB, American, and European ports.
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To operate most of the electricity in the room, I had to insert my room key into a slot on the wall.
I used the shelf above the desk to display photos to make it feel more like home.
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I thought the desk was useful for eating and storing daily flyers about the day's events.
Next to the desk, a set of drawers included a cabinet with a mini-fridge inside.
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The drawers were mostly empty aside from a hairdryer, which I didn't end up using.
Across from the desk, I had a couch in between two closets.
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Inside each closet, I found a rack of hangers, shelving, and a small safe.
Next to the couch and desk area, a small bathroom utilized clever storage hacks like placing the trash can and toilet paper under the counter.
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In the bathroom, I was provided with two glasses, a bar of soap, and a two-in-one hair-and-body wash supplied by the cruise line.
At the top of the shower, a pull-out clothing line was useful for drying my bathing suits.
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Each night, my stateroom attendant replenished towels and brought flyers and schedules for the next day. Sometimes, the towels were creatively folded.
My king-size bed at the back of the room was actually two twin mattresses pushed together. All Royal Caribbean rooms come with this configuration, according to their website. I often found myself waking up in the crevice.
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Skinny nightstands on either side of the bed held lamps, charging ports, and a room phone on one side.
A large, flat-screen TV was mounted across from the bed with storage hooks below.
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I booked an ocean view room and was able to look out over the front of the ship from a window above my bed.
An electronic shade over the window could be brought down during the day for some grand views.
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While I thought the room might have been a tight space for a couple with a lot of luggage or a family, it was just right for just me.