Which staterooms should you avoid booking on Royal Caribbean's Wonder of the Seas?
Wonder of the Seas is one of the biggest cruise ships in the world. She is 1,188 feet long and is basically a floating city.
Among the 2,867 staterooms you can stay in on Wonder of the Seas, there are at least a few types you might want to think twice about booking.
Read more: Wonder of the Seas review
While most staterooms are totally fine, there are some rooms that are perhaps located in an area that could be prone to noise, could make you seasick, or are just disappointing.
In an effort to ensure you pick the right stateroom, we scoured the Wonder of the Seas deck plans to find the cabins you definitely don't want to book.
1. Connecting rooms (if you don't need it)
Connecting rooms are a boon for families looking to get more than one cabin with a common door in the middle, but it's a bad idea if you aren't using that door.
You'll find connecting inside, oceanview, and balcony rooms on Wonder of the Seas, but don't book these rooms unless you need the other room.
The problem with these rooms is the connecting door is not as well insulated from noise as a wall would be, and there are many complaints about noise bleed from people who book a connecting room when they don't know the person on the other side.
To be clear, if you need two rooms, connecting cabins are great and you should book them. After all, if the people in the other room are noisy, you can open the door and tell them to quiet down! But that doesn't work when it's a stranger.
Read more: What is the best location on a cruise ship?
2. Rooms on deck 3 under public venues
If you go to sleep early, you'll avoid to avoid a cabin under or above a public venue.
The oceanview and inside rooms on deck 3 are all underneath either Studio B ice skating rink or Casino Royale.
The problem with having a room in this location is you could have noise bleed to contend with, especially if you're someone who likes to go to sleep early.
There are pros and cons to having a room on the lowest deck of a cruise ship, but ideally, you'll book a cabin that has other cabins above and below it.
3. Cabins towards the bow if you are prone to seasickness
You will want to avoid cabins towards the front of the ship because you are likely to feel the motion of the waves more distinctly.
The front of the ship tends to experience more motion than the center of the ship, and if you're someone who is worried about getting seasick, you'll want to avoid these cabins.
When Calista went on Wonder of the Seas, she had an inside cabin at the very front of the ship and she felt more seasick there than elsewhere on the ship.
It's important to remember everyone's tolerance for motion is different, and booking a cabin at the front will not guarantee anyone gets seasick (nor will booking a midship cabin guarantee you won't get seasick).
While I don't consider cabin location often in terms of whether I'll get seasick or not, it's worth pointing out that cabins closer to the bow are to be avoided if you think that might apply to you.
Read more: 13 things I wish I'd done differently on my first cruise
4. Rooms below the pool
You would be surprised how much noise a cabin below the pool can have, especially in the early morning.
The pool deck on Wonder of the Seas is a hub of activity, with plenty of people up there in the morning, day, and evening. You might expect that to be the case most times of the day, but there are still things happening there in the early morning.
Crew members use the early morning and late evening hours to re-arrange deck chairs. At night, they stack them to ensure they don't go flying around overnight and then set them back up in the early morning. The issue with this is crew members drag the loungers across the deck to get them to where they need to go, and that can result in screeching sounds emanating from the ceiling of your cabin.
To be safe, avoid these cabins on Deck 14:
- 14162 to 14240
- 14562 to 14640
One more note about cabins on deck 14 are the balcony cabins that have a bit of an overhang, which is only a problem if you want your balcony to be sunny.
The deck 14 balconies in this area will likely have more overhead cover.
That means less sun and less rain on the balcony in most cases. Some people like that, others prefer the more open feeling of lower deck balconies.
5. Rooms above the Royal Theater
If you're someone who likes to go to bed early, don't book a cabin directly above the theater.
Newer Royal Caribbean cruise ships do a pretty good job with soundproofing, but if given the choice, avoid cabins on deck six that are directly above the Royal Theater.
This means avoiding these cabins on deck 6:
- 6130 to 6160
- 6135 to 6153
- 6530 to 6560
- 6535 to 6553
6. Obstructed view cabins
Forgetting room location for a moment, if there's one type of cabin I hear the most complaints about it's obstructed view rooms.
There are some cabins on Wonder of the Seas where the view from the window or balcony is partially or even completely obstructed by a lifeboat, machinery, or some other structural element.
I think the reason why I read so many complaints is people are unaware they're booking it, or naive to how much the obstruction will bother them.
Here are the cabins on Wonder of the Seas which have obstructed view:
- 7100 to 7108
- 7500 to 7510
- 7114 to 7126
- 7516 to 7528
- 8100 to 8108
- 8500 to 8510
- 8116 to 8124
- 8516 to 8524
- 8329
- 8729
- 9100 to 9108
- 9500 to 9510
- 9118 to 9124
- 9518 to 9524
- 9329
- 9729
- 10100 to 10108
- 10500 to 10510
- 10124 to 10128
- 10522 to 10528
- 10329
- 10729
- 11100 to 11106
- 11500 to 11506
- 11124 to 11130
- 11524 to 11528
- 11327 & 11329
- 11727 & 11729
- 12327 & 12329
- 12727 & 12729
- 14217
- 14293 to 14299
- 14693 to 14699
- 14323 & 14325
- 14719 to 14725
- 1780
It is worth noting that there is one distinct benefit to booking an obstructed view cabin, and that is it's usually cheaper than an unobstructed view room. However, I find the disappointment many readers have with an obstruction is not worth the aggravation in order to save some money.
7. Central Park balconies near the movie screen
One change Royal Caribbean made with Wonder of the Seas was to add a movie screen to the pool deck, but that screen is viewable from the Central Park balcony cabins below and some people noted it was loud on the balcony as a result.
The issue is people on their balconies can hear the sound from the movie screen above them, and that disturbs some people who would prefer a quiet balcony.
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