Which is the best Royal Caribbean cruise ship for me?
It can be difficult to choose the best Royal Caribbean ship for you. Royal Caribbean have a huge range of ships to choose from each catering to a different traveller. It’s essential to choose the right ship for you as choosing the wrong ship could ruin a vacation.
Royal Caribbean have a mix of older and newer ships. The newer ships are full of cutting-edge features, entertainment and activities. While the older ships suit traditional cruisers who don’t care about the bells and whistles of the newer ships.
Let’s split the ships into three different types. Best for families, best for fun and best for relaxation.
Best Royal Caribbean Ship For Families
Royal Caribbean Symphony of the Seas – (c) Cruise with Ben & David
The best family-friendly Royal Caribbean ships are the Oasis Class ships. This includes Wonder of the Seas, Oasis of the Seas, Allure of the Seas, Harmony of the Seas and Symphony of the Seas.
These ships are full with the latest features to suit families with younger children, tweens and teens. There is no chance of anybody getting bored. These ships include the Abyss Slide, Perfect Storm water slides, two FlowRider surf simulators, an Ice Rink and so much more. The best thing is that all these activities are included and don’t cost any extra. Find out more about what’s included in our Ultimate Guide to Royal Caribbean.
There’s so much to do for the kids with kids clubs for all ages.
Other ships good for families are the Quantum Class and the refurbished Voyager and Freedom Class ships. This includes the Independence, Voyager, Navigator, Mariner and Explorer of the Seas.
These ships have received multi-million dollar makeovers to bring amazing new features. These ships tend to be cheaper than the Oasis Class ships too, so keep this in mind if budget is important to you.
Best Royal Caribbean Ships for Fun & Entertainment
Two70 is a lounge by day and a theatre/club on an evening.
Next, those who love excitement and entertainment. This includes couples, solo travellers and those travelling in groups.
The best Royal Caribbean ship for fun and entertainment is the Quantum Class ship. This includes Quantum, Ovation, Anthem and Odyssey of the Seas.
These are a grown-up version of the Oasis-class ships. They include features such as the Bionic Bar, Music Hall, a Theatre and Two70 which is a relaxing lounge by day and theatre by night.
There are so many bars, lounges and some fantastic dining options such as Wonderland, Chops Grille and Jamie’s Italian.
There’s no chance of getting bored either. If you love adventure you will like the climbing wall, SeaPlex indoor fun arena, FlowRider surfing simulator and iFly by Ripcord skydiving simulator.
The North Star observation ride is fun for all the family and offers breathtaking views at sea.
Other ships great for adventure and excitement are the Oasis-class and Freedom and Voyager classes.
Remember avoid the school holidays if you want to avoid loads of kids and families. Longer itineraries tend to have fewer families on board, so sailing over 7 nights and more.
Best Royal Caribbean Ship For a Relaxing Cruise
The best Royal Caribbean ships for relaxation are the Radiance class ships. This includes Radiance, Serenade, Jewel and Brilliance of the Seas.
These older ships have a higher than usual crew member to passenger ratio with some ships having 1 crewmember to 3 passengers. This means you are going to receive a much more personalised service.
There is plenty of dining to choose from on Royal Caribbean ships.
These ships also have beautiful panoramic windows so offer beautiful views of where you are travelling. They are perfect for scenic sailing. Dining rooms have two-level glass windows so every dinner is served with a view. They have beautiful atriums and lovely lounges to relax and enjoy. There’s also a retractable glass roof solarium if the weather isn’t perfect.
These ships are smaller with only around 2000 passengers making them easy to navigate and less crowded.
These ships do not have all the bells and whistles like the newer ships. But you won’t be bored as the entertainment onboard will keep you busy.
Other great smaller and more traditional ships include Empress, Majesty and the Vision class of ships.
The great thing with all these ships is you can get some fantastic cheap deals. Even if you prefer a more adventurous cruise these ships are great especially if the ports are good.
Now you have found the best Royal Caribbean ship for you, read the 7 things we wish we knew before cruising with Royal Caribbean.