My $1,300 stateroom on Royal Caribbean's Utopia of the Seas was minimal and small, but great for sleeping
In:I recently spent 4 nights in an inside cabin while aboard Royal Caribbean's newest cruise ship, the Utopia of the Seas.
Just launched this summer, Utopia of the Seas is the latest iteration in the record-breaking Oasis Class ship.
The seventh Oasis Class vessel is breaking new records of her own: Utopia is the first Royal Caribbean mega-ship to debut offering only 3 and 4-night cruises.
A sailing on Utopia promises 'The World's Biggest Weekend' on one of the largest cruise ships in the world.
My cabin for the voyage was a small, windowless interior cabin that was assigned to me because I opted for a guarantee cabin instead of picking my own room. This saved me some money, while giving up the specific choice in cabin location,
The total cost was $1342 with gratuities included, which breaks down to $167 per person, per night.
A few weeks before the sailing, I was assigned cabin 11415, an interior connecting stateroom that spans about 150 square feet.
Typically, I avoid booking connecting rooms because you're liable to get noise leakage from the strangers next door.
This cabin was assigned to us as one of the unsold staterooms, proving that connecting cabins are less desirable if you're not booking with another group.
I was concerned about hearing noises or sounds coming through the connecting door, but, by the end of the sailing, my fears were assuaged.
We didn't hear many loud noises from the next door—the only noise bleed occurred when people were walking in the hall and we could hear them from the stateroom.
The cabin itself provided a comfortable, dark spot to sleep in. Here's a look inside.
Although the room looked the same size as many other interior cabins I've stayed in, I noticed this can had newer amenities.
All of the lights were bright, the air conditioning and television had modern touches, and the entire cabin felt clean and new.
I appreciated the layout, which made it easier to share a small stateroom between two people.
When I first opened the door, I was greeted with the bathroom door to my right and the closet on the left.
The bathroom was a small space decorated with light blue flowers and purple tiles. It held a long sink, a toilet, and a tall shower with a glass door.
The bathroom was super small, and only accommodated one person at a time—you and your travel buddy won't be brushing teeth side by side.
However, it had plenty of storage space, from shelves to hooks, that made it easier to spread out and not feel cramped.
While I liked the length the sink offered for me to spread out my belongings, the curved, smooth surface made it easy for water to spill. The counter area seemed to be wet for the majority of the cruise.
The four large shelves to the left of the sink, and a long shelf underneath it, ensured that I had plenty of other locations to place toiletries.
I'm always impressed by the water pressure and temperature on Royal Caribbean ships, but Utopia of the Seas had a particularly fancy shower attachment.
These modern amenities made showers an enjoyable experience, even within a tiny bathroom space.
Read more: 5 things to know before sailing on Royal Caribbean's Utopia of the Seas
Opposite the bathroom, I slid the doors open to the closet.
The closet featured two sliding doors with separate sides.
The left half held a hanging space with hangers and an extra rod at the bottom. The right half had a series of six shelves and the stateroom's securely locking safe.
Beside the closet was the television, installed above a set of drawers and table.
The TV had around 20 free channels, as well as movies available at an extra cost.
I appreciated that multiple channels would stream or show re-caps of events happening onboard, which was a great way to take advantage of a short sailing.
When I got back to the stateroom after dinner or late at night, I could turn on the television and see the highlights of events I missed or had to leave early.
Each of these five drawers was deep and wide, leaving me plenty of space to store all my clothes and books.
The largest bottom compartment held the stateroom's mini-fridge/cooler, which doesn't have a cooling component but can keep food and drinks fresh.
Usually, Royal Caribbean's stateroom coolers are too thin to hold a wide plate or glass fully. Utopia of the Seas appears to have solved that problem: I found that this cooler was the perfect shape to store all my drinks and wider dishes.
Next, the end of the stateroom held the two twin-sized beds. If we wanted to, we could have requested these to be pushed together into a King size bed, but my sibling and I preferred separate beds.
These beds were small, but super comfortable, with plush pillows and cooling sheets.
The stateroom also had... wait for it... charging ports next to the beds!
Older Royal Caribbean staterooms tend to lack charging space, especially right next to the beds. Usually, I'll have to charge my phone and other devices across the room.
On Utopia, each bed featured its own three-shelf bedside table, complete with a lamp, two USB ports, and one two-prong charging port.
I also chose the bed that featured the stateroom's phone, which guests can use for free to contact crew members and venues, or at an extra cost to make international calls.
Facing the beds—in a corner of its own—was the stateroom vanity. The mirror featured a bright ring light above a desk space, charging ports, a comfortable chair, and a trash can under the table.
The vanity held even more charging ports, offering a range of options to plug in at least five devices.
These stateroom changes made me think of Royal Caribbean's recent ban on multi-outlet plugs. On ships like Utopia of the Seas, guests might not have a problem charging devices on single plugs.
While the cheaper price is a good reason for booking interior cabins, I also genuinely enjoy sleeping in them. The simple, windowless spaces make for the perfect quiet space to crash after a long day of cruise ship activities.
I could sleep through the morning in the dark stateroom.
