I've cruised enough to know that Royal Caribbean programs its ships to deliver a lot of fun, but the cabin design is where you might notice differences on an older vessel.
Generally speaking, accommodations on older vessels are simpler and often lack modern comforts such as bedside outlets and contemporary décor. Comparatively, newer staterooms feature more efficient layouts, smart storage solutions, and more.
I've sailed on both ends of Royal Caribbean's fleet spectrum, embarking on a five-night cruise aboard Vision of the Seas to Bermuda and a weeklong Caribbean sailing on Icon of the Seas.
Experiencing these ships highlighted just how much cruise ship design has evolved, particularly in accommodations and passenger comfort.
After sailing in Royal Caribbean's oldest and newest cabins, it was fascinating to see just how much the cruise line's cabin design has changed from the 1990s to today.
That contrast is even more apparent when comparing notes with other Royal Caribbean Blog team members, including Matt Hochberg and Jenna DeLaurentis, who have also had the opportunity to sail across a wide range of cruise ships, both old and new.
Their experiences on older Vision Class ships and newer Icon Class ships further reinforce just how varied cruise cabin design is.
Here's a look at how cabins compare onboard the oldest and newest ships in Royal Caribbean's fleet.
My interior cruise room on Vision of the Seas was outdated but cleverly designed to maximize the available space.
Having sailed on some of the newest and oldest ships at sea, ranging from Disney Magic to Carnival Elation, Brilliant Lady, and Norwegian Aqua, I've become quite good at managing my expectations for cruise cabins.
As such, I wasn't surprised when I stepped into my interior stateroom on Vision of the Seas. The cabin featured many design elements common in the 1990s, such as darker accents and traditional wood finishes.
Basic features of the cabin include a Royal King bed, vanity, closet, safe, television, ensuite bathroom, small loveseat, two nightstands, and a full-length mirror.
The storage situation was pretty average, especially for an older cruise ship. My friend and I managed to comfortably unpack during our five-night cruise, hanging our dresses in the closet and utilizing the vanity's drawers for undergarments, t-shirts, and bathing suits.
Moving on, one downside of this older cruise room was the limited number of charging options. Unlike newer ships designed with today's device-addicted travelers in mind, my cabin aboard Vision of the Seas offered just a few power outlets, all located near the vanity.
With only two American and two European outlets, I was super thankful that I had packed multiple European adapters. Without them, we would have been stuck sharing just two outlets for the entire cruise!
Another con was the bathroom. It served its purpose, but it was definitely lacking in some areas. For example, there wasn't a plexiglass shower door. Instead, there was a clingy shower curtain that did a poor job of actually keeping water in the shower.
However, the bathroom itself was pretty spacious, and there was a good amount of storage for toiletries and cosmetics thanks to the built-in cubbies. It was also exceptionally clean and well-maintained by the ship's crew.
On a similar note, I was surprised by how spacious the tiny room felt. In particular, I loved that Royal Caribbean designed the stateroom to include a loveseat. This became our catch-all place for things like souvenir bags and raincoats, and it was nice that the vanity could stay relatively clutter-free.
Overall, the room prioritized practicality, with a straightforward layout and tired furnishings. Considering the ship's age, she could greatly appreciate some sort of Royal Amplification. However, even if Royal Caribbean were to significantly upgrade its older vessels, the staterooms likely would not receive much TLC.
Inside cabins on Star of the Seas are bright, colorful, and modern.
Royal Caribbean Blog's video editor, Jenna, stayed in an inside stateroom on Star of the Seas in 2025, and it's easy to notice how much the experience differs from older ships like Vision of the Seas.
For starters, rather than darker tones and traditional furnishings, her cabin had a sleeker, contemporary design with lighter colors and improved lighting.
She remarked that the color scheme and décor exuded a calm, relaxing atmosphere. This made the cabin a great place to rest aboard the busy Icon Class cruise ship.
Additionally, the charging situation has much improved on these newer vessels. For instance, cabins now include a mix of USB ports, standard American plugs, and European outlets near the vanity. There's also a bedside USB port, which makes it more convenient to charge your phone overnight.
On the flip side, Jenna said that one of the biggest downsides of her inside cabin on Star of the Seas was the storage options. In fact, she found it challenging to properly unpack her belongings. The closet, for example, didn't have any built-in shelving, and there weren't any traditional drawers — just wire baskets.
The vanity area also lacked any useful storage solutions. Rather, there were just two narrow drawers that had an awkward diagonal configuration. As such, they were pretty useless.
Next time, Jenna would pack items like magnetic hooks and an over-the-door shoe organizer to help better organize her belongings while aboard Star of the Seas.
That said, the bathroom is unlike any other in the fleet, and it's clear Royal Caribbean put a lot of thought and care into designing Icon Class ensuite bathrooms.
The layout, for example, features a larger-than-average shower with a plexiglass door and a small, rectangular seat. There's also thoughtfully placed shelving that makes the space feel more functional than normal cruise bathrooms.
In the end, the most affordable cruise rooms are far from the fanciest cabins on the ship. However, the newer the ship, the more modern the stateroom will feel. In addition to fresh aesthetics, you will typically find that newer cabins have better charging options, upgraded bathroom layouts, and more.
Older ships were built with fewer balconies and suites.
Regardless of which class of ship you book, you'll find four basic stateroom categories: Interior, Outside View, Balcony, and Suite. However, there are far fewer sub-categories on Vision Class ships, and the options tend to be pretty straightforward.
Royal Caribbean Blog's Head Honcho, Matt Hochberg, sailed on Enchantment of the Seas in a spacious ocean-view balcony cabin — and he definitely was impressed by its roominess.
There was ample storage space and a noticeably open layout, which made his stateroom a comfortable place to relax during his low-key four-night Western Caribbean voyage.
However, similar to the interior cabin aboard Vision of the Seas, the room showed clear signs of aging and felt dated. It had the same dark color scheme and darker finishes.
The lighting had a yellowish tint to it, too, which made the space feel dimmer. There wasn't a mini-fridge in Matt's balcony stateroom, either.
Moreover, although the cabin had a nice sitting area next to the bed, there weren't any convenient charging options; all of the outlets were located near the vanity.
To his surprise, the bathroom was bigger than he expected, and he thought it was akin to standard bathrooms you'd find aboard Voyager or Freedom Class ships — minus the shower curtain.
That said, not all bathrooms on Enchantment of the Seas are created equally. He had a friend on the same cruise and toured his interior room, discovering that their bathroom felt noticeably more compact and basic.
Of course, the highlight of this specific cabin was the balcony. It was carved out of the ship’s superstructure rather than built extending outward from the hull. As such, its view is slightly obstructed by the surrounding structure.
Still, Matt enjoyed taking in the ocean breeze from the 39-square-foot balcony.
Icon Class ships have more categories of balcony rooms to choose from.
Finally, older Royal Caribbean ships don't have many unique stateroom options. Icon Class ships, however, have an extensive selection of balcony types, suites, and other family-focused layouts designed to suit different budgets and needs.
For example, I stayed in an Infinite Central Park-view balcony cabin. This type of stateroom is exclusive to Icon Class ships since it features the controversial infinite verandah design (more on that in a second).
Overall, I thought this room had a boutique hotel-style feel, complemented by the funky lamps mounted on either side of the bed. The extra-large couch was another benefit, as we had plenty of space to stretch out and keep our miscellaneous items that somehow were never properly put away.
There was also a good variety of outlets near the vanity, including USB ports, European plugs, and American outlets. My one quarrel was that there was just one USB port beside the bed, which meant my fiancée and I couldn’t both have a convenient charging spot at night.
Moving on, between the two closets, four wire basket drawers, numerous shelves, and dresser, we had lots of space to unpack. In fact, I'd argue that there was enough room to unpack for a two-week cruise with room to spare!
The bathroom was identical to the one in the inside cabin aboard Star of the Seas with the same spacious shower, plentiful shelving, and functional layout.
The highlight (or drawback) of the balcony on Icon of the Seas was the interior-facing infinite verandah. Instead of having a private outdoor space, this particular stateroom had a floor-to-ceiling window, with the top half sliding open to create a seamless transition between the indoor living space and the outdoors.
Because this wasn't an ocean-view cabin, we had less privacy than anticipated, so we had to be careful whenever leaving the curtains open. This led to a feeling of disconnect and exposure, especially when napping in the afternoons, as it almost felt like we were in an extra-large inside cabin.
On the flip side, the additional living space was nice, and the "balcony" furniture was of a higher quality than standard outdoor furniture since it did not have to withstand rain, wind, and the salty sea air.
Overall, I wasn't upset with my infinite verandah on Icon of the Seas. However, nothing compares to waking up and seeing the open ocean stretched out, with front-row views of the sunrise peeking over the horizon.
