A Royal Caribbean Junior Suite includes these perks:
- More space than a balcony cabin.
- Use of a Royal Caribbean classic bathrobe.
- Luxury bathroom toiletries.
- Luxury pillow top mattress.
- Tea and coffee making facilities.
- Dinner at Coastal Kitchen (on Oasis- and Spectrum-class ships)
More Space and Better RoomsFor many, a suite makes the most sense for one simple reason: You get more space. This allows you to sail in comfort, with extra square footage that is used for larger living areas, second bedrooms, large bathrooms with stuff like hot tubs and bathtubs and bigger balconies.
For example, a balcony stateroom can be twice the price of an interior stateroom yet both stateroom options net you 1 loyalty point per night. However, when you upgrade to a Royal Caribbean Junior Suite, (or higher) you earn 2 loyalty points per night.
Even if you choose a balconied stateroom, choose the lowest level and the most midship one you can find. The higher decks and cabins at the very front (forward) or back (aft) of the ship will rock and roll the most.
10 Best Cruise Ship Family Cabins
- Royal Caribbean's Symphony of the Seas – Ultimate Family Suite.
- Carnival Vista-Class Ships – Family Harbor Staterooms.
- Norwegian Encore – Family Oceanview with Large Picture Window.
- Princess Cruises – Family Suites.
- Disney Fantasy and Dream Suite.
- Royal Caribbean Oasis of the Seas – Ultimate Panoramic Suite.
EXCLUSIVE SAVINGS
- Discounts on Balcony & Suite staterooms 12
- Reduced Rate Upgrades (when available) 19
- Crown & Anchor Exclusive Rates - up to 25% off on close-in sailings 11
- For a full list of your benefits, click here.
For casual nights, Royal suggests “jeans, polos, sundresses and blouses” but asks guests to “keep swimwear to the Pool Deck.” Shorts and tanks will be accepted for breakfast and lunch, but not in the main dining room at dinner.
An onboard cashless payment system means that cruise companies, such as Royal Caribbean and Carnival, permit guests to keep a running tab of drinks, services, shore excursions, gratuities and souvenirs with the swipe of a key card so cruisers don't have to open their wallet for cash for each transaction.
Royal Suite Class offers many other expansive accommodations that take luxury to the next level. Choose from Villa Suites, Owner's Suite, the Loft and even larger Royal Loft suites, Grand Suites, or the iconic one and two-bedroom AquaTheater Suites on Oasis Class ships.
Every Royal Caribbean stateroom comes with a mini fridge but they will also be full of liquor and snacks that will cost you money to consume. Assuming you are not interested in taking advantage of the mini bar, you can ask your stateroom attendant to empty the fridge at any time.
The Junior Suite. Junior suites are smaller than a regular suite but more importantly, typically don't have a solid separation between the bedrooms and living area. These suites have small living areas that are an extension of the bedroom space and don't come with dining areas.
In general, suites are designed to sleep two people, though most have a sofa that pulls out to accommodate a third passenger. Some suites that are specifically designated for families have room for four, five, six or even more.
These are the 10 large cruise ships with the best cabins, according to CruiseCritic.
- Celebrity Equinox.
- Anthem of the Seas.
- Nieuw Amsterdam.
- Disney Dream.
- Symphony of the Seas.
- Allure of the Seas.
- Celebrity Eclipse. A cabin on Celebrity's Celebrity Eclipse.
- Carnival Breeze. Carnival's Carnival Breeze.
Mini-Suites include a separate sitting area with sofa bed and two flat-panel televisions. For families or groups needing a little extra space, Mini-Suites offer an appealing and affordable option. *Some suites have windows rather than balconies and are labeled as Mini-Suite No Balcony.
The main differences between cruise ship balcony staterooms and suites are size, perks and price. Cruise suites can range from a tad larger than balcony cabins to enormous, multilevel rooms that might be bigger that your home or apartment.
The world's biggest luxury cruise ship suite will have a $200,000 bed and will start pricing at $11,000 per night — here's what it will look like. Regent Seven Seas Cruises plans to introduce what it says will be the largest suite in luxury cruise ship history in February 2020.
In general, it's safe to budget between $12 and $15 per person per day of the cruise. So, for a family of four taking a four-night cruise, bring at least $240 just for onboard tips. (It's not necessary to tip on behalf of an infant.)
A balcony may absolutely be worth it to you, but probably not if these are your primary reasons: 1) You're looking for a place to smoke. You can't smoke on cruise ship balconies. Guest demand has made most areas on most ships non-smoking, but in this case the reason is largely safety.
The Largest Standard Cabins
| Cabin | Size |
|---|
| Holland America | Verandah Stateroom | 420 sq ft |
| MSC Cruises | Balcony Cabins | 42 sq m |
| Norwegian Cruise Line | Aft-Facing Balcony Stateroom | 262 sq ft |
| P&O Cruises | Super Deluxe Balcony Stateroom | 317 sq ft |
Decks 1 through 3 are available to ship personnel only. Deck 4 is the Gala Deck and there are no Staterooms on this deck.
Best Cabins on the Oasis of the Seas are on Decks 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, and 17.
Size ComparisonThis is not a measurement of weight, it is a measurement of internal volume (internal space) inside the ship. Oasis beats the Titanic in every dimension: the Titanic was 269m in length. She had nine decks, was around 46,000gt.
Royal Family SuiteFamilies can stay together on 19 ships (excluding the Radiance class, some Vision-class ships and Empress of the Seas) with these 480- to 580-square-foot suites designed for parents and kids to share.
If you'd like to have everyone in one stateroom, the Family Oceanview Stateroom can be a great choice. Royal Caribbean requires a minimum of five people for this stateroom, so it doesn't sell out that quickly although they will open it up to less people if the room is still vacant close to its sailing.
The exact size of Promenade stateroom varies depending on the class of ships. Voyager and Freedom class ships Promenade staterooms are 160 square feet, whereas on Oasis class ships they are 193 square feet.
