Best Royal Caribbean Ships of 2024
Planning your dream Royal Caribbean cruise this year? We’ve rounded up the best Royal Caribbean ships of 2024 based on data submitted by our community members who sailed from January to December 2023.
While Royal Caribbean did not have any new ships debuting in 2023, they had several big announcements. The line celebrated the first anniversary of the debut of Wonder of the Seas in March and made big announcements for ships coming out in 2024 - Icon of the Seas and Utopia of the Seas. They shared the details about a new adults-only space for Perfect Day at CocoCay in 2024 and plans for a new beach club coming to Nassau in 2025.
After several years of restrictions and reduced ship capacities, 2023 was a year of overall normalcy for Royal Caribbean. As a whole, the cruise line was back sailing all ships at full capacity to destinations worldwide.
Keep reading for an in-depth look at the best Royal Caribbean ships of 2024 for dining, staterooms, service, and activities/entertainment.
Dining
- Odyssey of the Seas - 4.272
- Independence of the Seas - 4.265
- Allure of the Seas - 4.263
- Oasis of the Seas - 4.262
- Freedom of the Seas 4.215
What our Members Say:
Member sarahbrock on Odyssey of the Seas, “The main dining room was top notch and our waiters made sure we had everything we needed to have the best dining experience.”
Member marjarets on Oasis of the Seas, “We really liked our waiters in the main dining room and the food was delicious! The specialty restaurant, Chops, had great steaks. The buffets had so many good options.”
Member charmedlife on Freedom of the Seas, “The food was good and with many varieties to choose from, we dined like celebrities!!”
Our Thoughts:
This category recognizes the best Royal Caribbean ships for the overall dining experience. To score highly in this category, a ship must have excellent food quality, superb service and offer a well-rounded mix of eateries to please various guests.
The best-in-dining category for Royal Caribbean ships was incredibly close, with mere hundredths of a point difference distinguishing the winners. Unsurprisingly, Odyssey of the Seas is firmly at the top of this list. It also won number one in the Best Ship for Food and Dining in our 2024 Member Choice Awards. The Oasis Class ship is one of the newer in the Royal fleet, launching to limited service in 2021. In 2023, it had two years to fine-tune its menus, food, and service, and the results show that the ship and crew are doing things the right way. Our members who sailed returned with great reviews for eateries like Wonderland, Teppanyaki, Chop’s Grille, El Loco Fresh, and many others.
We are not surprised to see two other ships in the top rankings: Allure of the Seas and Oasis of the Seas. Both of these ships were also in the top five overall for Best Ship for Food and Dining in the 2024 Member Choice Awards. Independence of the Seas and Freedom of the Seas were a bit more surprising as they are older ships in the Royal Caribbean fleet, but both of these vessels were fresh off refurbishments in 2023. During its upgrades, Independence of the Seas received new dining venues Playmaker’s Sports Bar and Fish & Ships. Freedom of the Seas added one of Royal Caribbean's staple eateries, Giovanni’s Italian Kitchen.
Explore Cruises on Odyssey of the Seas
Staterooms
- Odyssey of the Seas - 4.571
- Symphony of the Seas - 4.538
- Harmony of the Seas - 4.525
- Allure of the Seas - 4.506
- Wonder of the Seas - 4.497
What our Members Say:
Member contrerascrew05 on Odyssey of the Seas, “Big room, great size bathroom and shower. The balcony was fantastic big with loungers.”
Member zorij on Wonder of the Seas, “We absolutely loved the cabin, great location facing Central Park! Very clean and spacious, the balcony is the biggest we have seen on a standard cabin with a table and comfy chairs. Plenty of storage space and room to walk around. Everything is still like new including the bathroom.”
Member cole46466260 on Allure of the Seas, “Cabin was clean, bed was very comfy. Plenty of room for the two of us. It's towards the back of the ship but we didn't really feel any movement. Loved it!”
Our Thoughts:
We hate to sound like a broken record, but if you look at the overall scores, only minuscule points separate Royal Caribbean’s top five ships for best staterooms. Interestingly, in 2023, all these ships were among the largest and newest in the Royal Caribbean fleet, offering more stateroom categories and cabin varieties than any other ships in the fleet. More staterooms on a ship equals more options for guests to choose from to suit their preferences, an overall win for everyone.
Number one, Odyssey of the Seas, and number two, Symphony of the Seas, flip-flopped spots versus last year for best-in Royal Caribbean staterooms. Only four-hundredths of a point separated the scores, making them a statistical tie. The newer ship, Odyssey of the Seas, squeaked out opt honors, with its 2,501 total staterooms and 41 cabin categories.
Harmony of the Seas and Allure of the Seas are back on the list this year. Last year, neither ship made the top five in the 2023 rankings after making the top spots in 2022. Harmony of the Seas offers 2,747 staterooms in total, and Allure of the Sea features 2,749 staterooms. Also returning to the top five this year is Wonder of the Seas, which dropped one spot in the rankings. In 2023, the ship held the title of the ‘largest cruise ship in the world,’ offering a whopping 2,887 staterooms for guests to select.
Cruise Deals on Symphony of the Seas
Service
- Oasis of the Seas - 4.738
- Independence of the Seas - 4.723
- Odyssey of the Seas - 4.721
- Vision of the Seas - 4.716
- Radiance of the Seas - 4.715
What our Members Say:
Member Trilysta0911 on Oasis of the Seas, “Crew and staff was the primary reason the experience was exceptional. Warm, friendly, and accommodating.”
Member m4547l on Vision of the Seas, “Everybody was very attentive to all of our wishes.”
Member morgan31890 on Independence of the Seas, “Always excellent customer service from bartenders to housekeeping.”
Our Thoughts:
Royal Caribbean is well known for its exceptional service and hospitality. From the moment a guest steps onboard a ship, their interactions with crew and staff can significantly affect the enjoyment of the cruise experience. We congratulate all five ships for delivering the best experience for Royal Caribbean guests in 2023.
What is interesting for us when we look at these overall rankings in the service category is the variety of the classes of Royal Caribbean ships listed. Mega-ships Oasis of the Seas and Odyssey of the Seas scored incredibly well, coming in at spots one and three. Independence of the Seas, Radiance of the Seas, and Vision of the Seas are all smaller and older Royal Caribbean vessels, with fewer guests onboard but at the same time offering the same high level of service the cruise line is known for delivering. Regardless of the ship’s age, Royal Caribbean delivers consistent and impressive service, from the oldest in the fleet to the newest.
Again, we tip our hats to the crew and staff of all five of these Royal Caribbean ships for creating many memorable vacations in 2023!
Find a Deal on Oasis of the Seas
Onboard Activities and Entertainment
- Allure of the Seas - 4.478
- Symphony of the Seas - 4.456
- Wonder of the Seas - 4.428
- Odyssey of the Seas - 4.395
- Independence of the Seas - 4.395
What our Members Say:
Member FamilyCruiser23 on Allure of the Seas, “So much to do! My family went zip-lining for the first time...on the ship! The staff were very patient & helpful! So much fun! Putt-putt was a blast too! The carousel on the Boardwalk was beautiful!”
Member r5starman on Symphony of the Seas, “Shows were great, especially Hairspray. They hire a lot of very good musicians to play around the ship.”
Member Trevorbuff on Wonder of the Seas, “Obviously it’s a giant ship with a lot of people, but it was rare for it to feel cramped or overcrowded. I would do it again tomorrow.”
Our Thoughts:
Onboard activities and entertainment are the primary reasons some of our community members choose to sail with Royal Caribbean. The cruise line is constantly striving to out-‘wow’ itself with high-energy thrill activities, bigger and better outdoor spaces, robust daily programming, and a variety of entertainment options to suit travelers of all ages.
Number one in the list, Allure of the Seas, also came in at number one in the same category across all cruise ships in our 2024 Member Choice Awards. We are (frankly) not surprised to see it number one here as well. Here’s a sample of the activities and entertainment options that keep propelling Allure of the Seas to the top of our member rankings: zip line, rock climbing, FlowRider surf simulators, the H2O Zone waterpark, Rising Tide moving bar, night clubs, dance parties, live music, the Vitality Spa, kids/teens lounges, table tennis, scrapbooking classes, game shows, and live productions of popular shows like ‘Mama Mia’. Not only does Allure of the Seas offer something entertaining for all ages, but the ship does it very well as evidenced by the rankings of our member reviews.
The next three on the list in this category were Symphony of the Seas, Wonder of the Seas, and Odyssey of the Seas. All of these Oasis Class ships are among the newest of the Royal Caribbean fleet. Number five, Independence of the Seas, retained its spot from last year with activities like The Perfect Storm water slides, Splashaway Bay, Broadway at Sea, and outdoor movie nights.
Search Allure of the Seas Sailings
Final Thoughts
As we look back on the winners of the best Royal Caribbean ships of 2024, it’s interesting to see the wide variety of new and old ships as well as vessel classes that scored the best among their peers. When you look at a cruise line like Royal Caribbean with such a large and eclectic fleet, it is very interesting to see how the ships stack up against each other.
The variety of dining venues and stateroom options aboard Odyssey of the Seas, to the exceptional service provided by Oasis of the Seas, and the diverse array of activities and entertainment options on Allure of the Seas further cemented these ships as the best of the best among Royal Caribbean ships last year.
Congratulations to all the ship winners and to Royal Caribbean for a year’s worth of great member reviews for 2023!
Did you recently take a Royal Caribbean cruise and want to share your vacation experience? Write a review! Sailing with Royal Caribbean and have questions about your ship or ports? Ask our community of seasoned sailors to get the answers you need.
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