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I booked a stateroom on Royal Caribbean’s Wonder of the Seas, the biggest cruise ship.
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The 179-square-foot cabin came with a private bathroom, a king-size bed, and an ocean view.
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I thought I’d feel cramped in the room, but it had everything I needed and left no space unused.
I sailed on the largest cruise ship in the world, Royal Caribbean’s Wonder of the Seas.
Source: Royal Caribbean
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 at $3,000.
Insider paid for the room, per the company’s reporting standards.
During my voyage, the ship sailed to Roatán, Honduras; Cozumel and Costa Maya in Mexico; and Royal Caribbean’s private island in the Bahamas.
The ship has 2,867 staterooms, according to Royal Caribbean. My room was at the front of deck eight.
Source: Royal Caribbean
I booked a midtier room — a step above interior staterooms, which have 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.
Source: Royal Caribbean
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.
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.
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.
I thought the desk was useful for eating, as well as storing daily flyers about the day’s events.
Next to the desk, a set of drawers included a cabinet with a minifridge inside.
The drawers were mostly empty aside from a hair dryer, which I didn’t end up using.
Across from the desk, I had a couch in between two closets.
Inside each closet, I found a rack of hangers, shelving, and a small safe.
Next to the couch and desk area, a small bathroom used clever storage hacks, like placing the trash can and toilet paper under the counter.
In the bathroom, I was provided with two glasses, a bar of soap, and a two-in-one hair and body wash.
At the top of the shower, a pullout clothing line was useful for drying my bathing suits.
Each night, my stateroom attendant replenished my towels and brought flyers and schedules for the next day. Sometimes, the towels were folded creatively.
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 its website. I often found myself waking up in the crevice.
Source: Royal Caribbean
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.
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.
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.
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