Have you ever wanted to take a peek into crew cabins onboard the world's largest cruise ship?
Chris Wong, an Assistant Casino host onboard Icon of the Seas, gave a tour of his cabin on his YouTube channel. The video, which is titled "Seriously, The SMALLEST Crew Cabin EVER!" was posted on March 16 and has garnered over 64,000 views.
This isn't the first time that he's provided insight into exclusive crew areas, either. In early March, he posted a video tour of crew-only areas, including their Windjammer equipped with portholes, fitness center, gaming lounge, nightclub, bars, barber shop, and more.
The video received many positive reactions, with comments praising the work Royal Caribbean has done to provide their crew with comfortable and enjoyable spaces.
Read more: Photos show the secret crew-only areas on Icon of the Seas
@juanitafurtado8805 wrote, "Royal definitely took it to the next level with these crew areas. Happy crew means happy guests. A special shout out to the crew bar, every bit as nice as any guest bar. Outstanding!"
"Thanks for a visit to the crew neighborhood. It is great to see Royal upping their game in caring for their tireless crew members," commented @billbruff9613.
"While cruise guests are continuing to pay increasingly higher prices, it is nice to see some of that money being well invested in crew amenities and not just pocketed as more profits. Thanks Chris."
One thing the video didn't cover, however, was the crew cabins, which are traditionally much more compact than guest staterooms. Within the first minute of the tour, he acknowledges the size, claiming that it's probably the smallest cabin he's ever had while working on a cruise ship.
"At the same time, this is also one of the modern, and almost nicest, cabins that I've stayed in," Wong says.
Let's take a look at his single crew cabin onboard Icon of the Seas.
The cabin was designed to feature more storage space. In fact, he says that there's so much he can't fully utilize all of it!
"I don't really have too [many] personal belongings," he admits, "I think it's probably a bit more of a struggle [to fit everything] if you are a female...and you naturally just have a lot of things."
A neat feature of the wardrobe is the slide-out rack, which makes it easy for Wong to pursue his clothes.
The other half of the closet is comprised of built-in shelves, where Wong stores things like spare toilet paper, snacks, video equipment, and more.
Read more: Photo tour of a balcony cabin on Royal Caribbean's Icon of the Seas
The wardrobe is also home to Wong's desk, which he can pull out whenever he wants to use it. Otherwise, it can remain tucked away to increase floor space.
It's large enough to comfortably fit his MacBook, iPad, work phone, and AirPods without feeling too cluttered. He doesn't even have to store them elsewhere, either, as they squeeze into the wardrobe when he wants the desk retracted. There are two built-in outlets, too. One is a standard American socket, whereas the other is European.
The fold-up chair for the desk is hung near the door to the cabin. When the chair isn't being used, Wong likes to hang it underneath the coat hooks to maximize the amount of available floor space.
The bottom cabinet of the closet is where the mini-fridge resides. The two additional shelves are home to Wong's socks and undergarments.
Just like in the guest cabins, Wong can store stuff underneath his bed, too, such as his suitcase and shoes. "As you can see, there's still quite a bit of space in the back that I haven't even utilized," he says.
There's even more storage directly underneath his bed. The sliding doors open up to reveal folded clothing. He has quite a bit of unused space, so he could have certainly packed more if he wanted to!
While he doesn't show viewers the contents behind the other door, he says it's where he keeps his dirty laundry and other miscellaneous items, such as plastic bags.
The bed is raised to accommodate all of the built-in storage that's underneath
"For me, being 5'10", [it's a] very, very comfortable length," he says after he demonstrates how he hops into bed.
He flips the camera around to reveal a large flat-screen television, which he believes is larger than the one he had while working onboard Symphony of the Seas.
Royal Caribbean provides basic options like the cruise map and other line-specific channels, as well as plenty of movies to keep the crew entertained while resting.
There's a small reading light affixed to the wall that features a USB port, allowing Wong to charge devices from the comfort of his bed. The light can be adjusted, too, so he can rotate it to his liking.
And, of course, even more storage! There's a small cabinet attached to the ceiling next to the air conditioning unit. While he doesn't actively store anything there, it's pretty deep, and he thinks it could be a neat place to keep a PlayStation.
Next to the television, there are a few open shelves that he doesn't use, either. One is occupied by the cabin's telephone, whereas the shelf above it is where he stores the remote for the TV.
The cabin's sink is right next to the entrance
Since it's tucked into the corner of the room, there's no real vanity space. Instead, there's a medicine cabinet above it, which is where Wong stores his toiletries.
Though it looks like he doesn't utilize all of the space, he says that the overall storage is pretty minimal: "You can fit too many things inside of the medicine cabinet...which is why I like to keep a lot of my personal belongs that I need in the old wash bag."
The singular shelf underneath the sink is where Wong opts to keep some cleaning supplies, including Lysol wipes, sponges, and bleach spray.
Read more: I stayed in a 200-square-foot room on the world's largest cruise ship
While Wong has his own stateroom onboard Icon of the Seas, he does share the bathroom, which consists of the toilet, shower, and some extra storage that isn't used
"A lot [of viewers] may think this is small, but if you're going to have a shower on an Emirates plane, this is certainly probably bigger than that I imagine, or a very similar size," Wong remarks.
While it doesn't feature the glass doors that are a staple in guest cabins, there are two racks inside the shower for toiletries.
It's also tall enough for Wong, who is close to 6" tall, to comfortably stand. His head doesn't appear to be too close to the adjustable showerhead.
"Could you see yourself living in here?" he asks as he concludes the video.
"This is definitely the smallest crew cabin I have ever stayed in throughout my entire career," he says.
"At the same time, one of the nicest crew cabins I've ever stayed in...I do feel at home."
