A balcony stateroom is one of the most popular types of cabins on any cruise ship, and it's a great choice on Wonder of the Seas.
As one of the largest cruise ships in the world, Royal Caribbean's Wonder of the Seas has quickly become one of the top choices for a cruise vacation. When the ship debuted in 2022, I spent two weeks in a balcony cabin to experience this type of room for myself.
While I've stayed in plenty of balcony rooms on other Royal Caribbean ships, I came away impressed with how the cruise line has continued to improve on this core cabin type.
Read more: Royal Caribbean cruise ship cabin and suite guide
The reason I tend to book a balcony cabin the most is for the balance of space and amenities. It has more living space than an inside room, and it comes with a private balcony without paying a lot more for it in a suite.
I stayed in room 10552, which is a category 4D Ocean View Balcony cabin. This means my room is located on deck 10, and has a private bathroom, balcony, and room for up to two guests.
It connects with cabin 10550.
Here's a look around what this cabin looks like, and what you can expect in a similar room.
For $2,409.94, I spent seven nights in an ocean-view stateroom that sailed to San Juan, Puerto Rico, Nassau, Bahamas, Labadee, Haiti, and Perfect Day at CocoCay.
The ship has 2,867 staterooms. My room was towards the center of deck ten.
The best thing about booking a balcony cabin is the fact you have a private balcony that allows in natural light and fresh air. It's not nearly as expensive as a suite, but a step above inside rooms.
My room measured 182 square feet, and that is just enough space for two people to be comfortable for a week on the ship.
As you walk in, there is a keycard slot to put your card (or any card) to activate the electricity in the cabin.
While it's meant to save energy when not in the room, most people tend to just stick any card they have in there to keep the air conditioning running during the warm summer months.
Royal Caribbean has mastered how to maximize the small space with more storage than ever, especially compared to older cruise ships.
A sitting area has a large mirror, along with a desk and chair. There are USB and power outlets to keep everything charged here.
The sitting area is quite useful in terms of being somewhere you can work, eat, prep yourself, and have access to charging outlets. Power outlets used to be very few on cruise ships, but new ships come with many more outlets.
Across from the desk is a couch. I find the couch ends up being a collection location for bags, shirts, and souvenirs, but once in a while I clear off enough of it to actually use to sit on.
Next to the couch is a rather large closet, full of hangers, shelving and a safe.
Just like the outlets, there's so much more storage space in this balcony cabin than in a similar room on an older ship. In fact, the amount of storage space on Wonder of the Seas' standard cabins rivals suites on older ships.
Every cabin on a Royal Caribbean ship has its own bathroom, and on Wonder of the Seas Royal Caribbean made a subtle change to the bathroom door.
The bathroom door is magnetized, so it shuts on its own when it gets close to closing.
The bathroom has a stand up shower, sink, and toilet.
The king-size bed is actually two twin beds pushed together. All Royal Caribbean cabins come in this configuration, but you can ask your stateroom attendant to split the beds if you'd like.
There is a nightstand on both sides of the bed, with a lamp and additional charging ports and power outlets.
Across from the bed is a large flat-screen TV with storage hooks below.
The private balcony is accessible from a sliding glass door.
The balcony is large enough for two people to enjoy, as it comes with with chairs and a table. Having your own balcony means you have a great spot for sailaway, watching the sunset, or taking in the scenery while in port.
The balcony measures 50 square feet, and that adds a considerable amount of living space to the total room.
A balcony cabin is the most popular type of cruise ship cabin, because it has just enough living space to feel comfortable. You won't confuse it with a suite, but compared to an inside room, it's so nice having more area to enjoy.
Plus, the balcony is such a nice area. My wife really enjoys going out to read a book on it.
I don't always book the same class of ship cabin on every cruise, but I tend to book an oceanview balcony most often and I never regret the choice!
