We sailed in an interior cabin on Carnival and an ocean-view room on Royal Caribbean. We'd only book one again.
Two Business Insider reporters took cruises — one with Carnival and the other with Royal Caribbean.
The reporters each sailed for seven nights in an interior and an ocean-view stateroom.
They agreed that the larger space and window were worth the extra $700 on Royal Caribbean.
When it comes to cruising, Royal Caribbean and Carnival Cruise Line are often mentioned in the same sentence. The two cruise lines are competitors and are among the world's most popular cruise lines. Business Insider reporters went on both.
In April 2022, Joey Hadden took her first cruise on board Royal Caribbean's Wonder of the Seas, one of the largest cruise ships in the world that can hold about 7,000 guests. During Joey's seven-night voyage, the ship sailed to Roatán, Honduras; Cozumel and Costa Maya in Mexico; and Royal Caribbean's private island in the Bahamas.
In July 2021, Monica Humphries joined 2,700 vaccinated passengers on the Carnival Vista, the first Carnival ship to depart the US since the pandemic began. Due to COVID-19, it purposefully sailed at partial capacity but can hold 3,934 passengers. The seven-night trip embarked from Galveston, Texas, and made stops in Mahogany Bay, Honduras; Belize; and Cozumel, Mexico.
The reporters spent their week on their respective ships in different stateroom types. On the Royal Caribbean's Wonder of the Seas, Joey slept in a mid-tier, ocean-view room. Monica, on the other hand, spent seven nights in an entry-level standard interior room.
The rooms and ships are inherently different. Take a look at how their accommodations varied in price, amenities, and size, and why we thought the Royal Caribbean room was ultimately worth the upgrade.
The rooms were located in different parts of the ship, which impacted each reporter's ability to sleep.
Joey selected her room at the very front of deck eight, and she felt constant motion in her room. It was one of the last oceanview rooms available when she booked, and she soon found out why. According to some of her fellow passengers, the front of the ship is one of the worst places to be if you're often seasick. Higher decks in the middle of the ship will likely feel calmer and more stable, they said.
On the roughest nights, Joey heard and felt thunderous sensations beneath her room every few minutes. Loud thumps and heavy vibrations in her room sounded like large pieces of furniture falling down.
Meanwhile, Monica was not able to choose her room as that cost extra and was assigned one that was located on deck one — the bottom floor of the 15-deck ship. Her room was quiet each night. While she could feel the movement of the ship, it didn't keep her up. Instead, she thought the gentle rocking helped her fall asleep.
Both rooms had a mailbox next to their door where they found informational flyers and their stateroom keys on the first day of their cruises.
After boarding the ship, Joey wandered to deck eight and found her room down a long hallway of identical doors. There was a slim pocket between the room number and the wall where attendants left flyers.
On the first day of the cruise, Monica boarded the ship and was left to find her stateroom by herself. She found her room key outside her stateroom door tucked inside a mailbox. For the rest of the week on the ship, she sometimes would come back to her room and discover a flyer or two waiting for her in the mailbox or on her bed.
Monica's cheaper, lower-tier room was actually a few feet larger than Joey's cabin.
Joey's stateroom was 179 square feet and came with a private bathroom, a king-size bed, and an ocean view. She thought she'd feel cramped in the room, but thanks to plenty of storage space, she felt it had everything she needed and left no space unused.
Monica was also impressed with how large the cheapest room on the Carnival Vista felt. The 185-square-foot cabin had a closet, two nightstands, and plenty of storage space.
Although Monica's room was larger, a window helped make Joey's room feel more spacious. She thought it was one of the Royal Caribbean room's largest luxuries.
Since she booked an ocean-view room, Joey was able to look out over the front of the ship from a window above her bed. An electronic shade over the window could be brought down during the day for some grand views.
Monica had just enough space as a solo traveler in her cruise ship cabin, although she thought a second person might've made the room feel cramped. Without a window, she missed waking up to sunlight each morning. She also thought sunlight would open up the room to create an illusion of more space.
When both reporters walked into their rooms, the TVs were playing safety videos.
On day one, both Joey and Monica boarded their ships and made their way to their muster stations, where passengers learn about safety procedures for emergencies.
Additionally, both reporters had videos playing in their rooms when they arrived that emphasized these processes.
The video in Joey's room played safety directions given by a cartoon instructor.
Former NBA star Shaquille O'Neal led the safety video in Monica's room, detailing where to find her life jacket in the closet and where to go on the ship if there was an emergency alarm.
The Royal Caribbean room also had enough space for a couch.
Joey thought having an additional spot to sit and relax in her room was nice. She also tossed her backpack and laundry on the couch to keep the floors clear.
Meanwhile, Monica's room didn't have any extra space for lounging. If she wanted to relax in her room mid-afternoon, she hopped on the bed.
Both reporters had king-sized beds, which were two twin-sized beds pushed together.
Cruise lines often use twin-sized beds in their staterooms so passengers can configure their rooms to their liking. For example, if Monica or Joey had been traveling with a friend, they would've been able to have the beds separated, so each passenger had their own bed.
Both Joey and Monica read this in the description of their rooms before boarding, so they weren't surprised.
Joey found the two beds uncomfortable, as she often found herself waking up in the crevice.
After long days at sea, Monica thought the beds were comfortable. She enjoyed sprawling each night, and the cruise bed size was an upgrade from her queen-sized bed at home.
Nightstands hugged each king-sized bed in both rooms.
Both rooms had a desk and vanity.
The Royal Caribbean and Carnival rooms came with amenities that included a hair dryer, mini fridge, and phone.
Joey thought the desk was useful for eating, as well as storing daily flyers about the day's events. She used the vanity to display photos to make her room feel more like home.
Monica didn't use the desk and vanity much. Each day, she stored towels and her hair straightener on the desk.
Joey's room also had outlets conveniently placed on the vanity and nightstands, while the outlets in Monica's room were behind the bed.
On one side of the room, Joey had a desk with several outlets to charge electronics with USB, American, and European ports. There were more outlets and USB ports on her nightstands.
Monica's biggest inconvenience was that the only outlet near the bed was behind it. So she couldn't charge and use her phone or laptop from her bed.
Joey and Monica agreed they had plenty of storage in their rooms, although Joey had an extra closet, a dresser, and storage hooks.
Inside each of Joey's two closets, she found a rack of hangers, shelving, and a small safe.
Monica's room had one closet with hangers, drawers, and a safe. It also had two nightstands that could be used for storage. For one person, it was plenty of space.
The reporters also noticed the decor was different. Joey's room had art on the walls; Monica's had just the essentials.
Joey noticed three pieces of art hanging above the couch in her room. Each frame showcased a photograph of something in nature.
There was less decor inside Monica's room. Housekeeping placed a mat so Monica could unpack a suitcase on her bed on the first day. Besides that, Monica thought the walls and beds looked largely unadorned.
Inside the bathroom, Royal Caribbean provided Joey with a bar of soap and a two-in-one hair and body wash. Carnival's toiletries included soap, shampoo, and body wash.
Both cabin bathrooms came with multi-use toiletry product dispensers.
Joey used her own toiletries rather than those provided by Royal Caribbean, such as their Salt and Breeze shower gel, because their familiar scents made her feel more at home while at sea.
Monica found a dispenser inside the shower with unbranded shampoo and shower gel.
Both reporters had a stateroom steward who came into their room twice a day to make their beds, bring fresh towels, and tidy up.
Each morning, a stateroom attendant cleaned Joey's room. And after she left for dinner, they came back to clean up again. Every evening, Joey got fresh towels — sometimes creatively folded — and a flyer featuring the next day's schedule on the ship with the weather, dress code, and other important information, such as a time zone change.
Monica had a similar experience on the Carnival Vista. Her stateroom attendant checked in every day to see which times Monica preferred to have her room cleaned and have nightly turndown service. Similar towel animals, along with important trip information, were waiting for her each afternoon.
Ultimately, Monica and Joey agreed both rooms were spacious enough for solo travelers. But if either boarded another cruise, they'd splurge for more space and a window.
Having less than 200 square feet of space for seven nights might not feel like a lot of space for a week, but both reporters said they made it work.
However, Monica was envious of Joey's sunlight and couch and Joey agreed Monica's room was located in a better section of the ship.
For any future sailings, the reporters said they think it's ultimately worth it to pay more to book a room with a window in the heart of the ship for a smoother cruise.
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