Top Royal Caribbean Ships for 2023

Trying to decide which Royal Caribbean ship is best for your cruise? We pulled together the data of all member reviews submitted by our community from January-December 2022 to create the rankings for the top Royal Caribbean ships for 2023. 

The impressive 27 ships in the Royal Caribbean fleet offer something for travelers of all types and ages. In 2022, Royal Caribbean returned all its ships to service visiting destinations worldwide. The brand also debuted the highly-anticipated new Oasis-class ship, Wonder of the Seas. By the end of the year, things were back to pre-pandemic service levels for the cruise line, including receiving tons of feedback and ratings from our members on their Royal Caribbean cruises. 

Following are the top-ranked Royal Caribbean ships for 2023 in the categories of the best overall ship, ship quality, dining, staterooms, and onboard activities/entertainment. 

Best Overall

The top 5 best overall Royal Caribbean ships as ranked by our community members:

1. Allure of the Seas - 4.407
2. Symphony of the Seas - 4.375
3. Harmony of the Seas - 4.3749
4. Oasis of the Seas - 4.373
5. Adventure of the Seas - 4.371

What Our Members Say

This was our first cruise and it met and exceeded our expectations. Outstanding service, great entertainment options, beautiful ship. - SergeL on Allure of the Seas

This cruise was amazing! I thoroughly enjoyed the shows(the Aqua show was outstanding), and the food was really good! - drjames on Harmony of the Seas

Phenomenal experience from check-in to departure! Loved using the RC app throughout our cruise. The Voyager Class series is small enough to be less crowded, yet large enough to have everything you would want for a fabulous vaca! The food, service, and venues were a notch above our many previous RC cruises. Exactly what we needed! - bennis on Adventure of the Seas

Our Thoughts

We’re not surprised by our winner for the best overall Royal Caribbean ship, Allure of the Seas, only as it was also recently named the winner of Best Overall Cruise Ship (across all lines) in our 2023 Member Choice Awards! In 2022, Allure of the Seas sailed uninterrupted for an entire year, allowing guests to experience its freshly-added Royal Amplified upgrades. Our members raved about the new onboard amenities, stateroom offerings, dining, and great service, which catapulted Allure of the Seas to the top of this list to make it the best ship overall for Royal Caribbean. 

Numbers two through five of this list were incredibly close in the rankings, separated by mere thousandths of points. Symphony, Harmony, and Oasis of the Seas all have a number of the same Oasis-class venues and activities like zip lines, surf simulators, multiple pools, bars, restaurants, and tons of stateroom classes. In addition, the majority of these ships can accommodate over 6,000 passengers at full capacity, so nothing is in short supply! Number five, Adventure of the Seas, is an older Voyager-class ship. Although a smaller ship, the vessel received high marks with offerings like an onboard ice rink, rock climbing wall, and duel race water slides. Adventure of the Seas also came in at number three in the overall best ships category in the Member Choice Awards this year, indicating how well the ship stands out from among the rest.  

Ship Quality

These are the top five best Royal Caribbean ships for ship quality for 2023: 

1. Oasis of the Seas - 4.624
2. Allure of the Seas - 4.604
3. Symphony of the Seas - 4.595
4. Navigator of the Seas - 4.562
5. Harmony of the Seas - 4.558

What Our Members Say

The layout and design were amazing, everywhere was clean! - Jeandhimy on Oasis of the Seas

I was a little anxious about being on such a large ship (6000+ passengers), but it turned out to be the best cruise we have ever been on. It did not feel any more crowded than on smaller cruise ships. The ship is gorgeous, new, and clean, with many amenities and attractions. Well-staffed, good service. - mrcouture on Symphony of the Seas

The ship is extremely clean, thanks to the many staff who day and night clean the ship. There is an information board everywhere so that we can know where we are and where we need to go at all times. - aliwar on Allure of the Seas 

Our Thoughts

Oasis of the Seas retained its number-one position in this category for Royal Caribbean in this year’s rankings. The ship was last refurbished in 2019 with ‘Amplified’ upgrades and continues to receive high ratings from members for design and onboard ship perceptions. Also retaining its position as number two was Allure of the Seas. Once again, this ship’s offerings and the overall experience delivered onboard knocked it out of the park for Royal Caribbean guests, as captured by review data. 

Symphony of the Seas made its debut in this category at number three. This Oasis-class vessel received outstanding marks for service onboard and ship layout. Once again, Navigator of the Seas and Harmony of the Seas retained their spots at numbers four and five in this category for Royal Caribbean.  

Dining

Royal Caribbean is known for having an eclectic mix of included and specialty restaurants onboard its ships. These are the top five best Royal Caribbean ships in food and dining for 2023: 

1. Navigator of the Seas - 4.323
2. Allure of the Seas - 4.318
3. Harmony of the Seas  - 4.280
4. Symphony of the Seas - 4.274
5. Liberty of the Seas - 4.273

What Our Members Say

The quality of the food in the main dining room was spectacular! Honestly, even though we ate in a few specialty restaurants on board, you don't need to. The menus revolve and provide a nice variety. Every entree I selected was incredibly tasty. -  ​​jennmakanoff on Symphony of the Seas

Great food selection and service as always. The crew always goes above and beyond. - dgalan92 on Navigator of the Seas

Our main dining room waiter and assistant waiter were great always helpful and very attentive. - karlashley on Liberty of the Seas

Our Thoughts

The older Royal Caribbean ship Navigator of the Seas at the top of this list may seem confusing to some. However, the ship received a full refurbishment at the end of 2019, where many of its dining options were revamped and upgraded for guests. In 2022, our community members ranked the food quality, service, and dining experience to be exceptional at ship eateries like Hooked Seafood, Jamie’s Italian, Izumi, El Loco Fresh, Chops Grille, Cafe Promenade, and more. 

Number two Allure of the Seas missed the top spot by a mere hundredth of a point. The ship continually scores high with dining eateries such as 150 Central Park, Giovanni’s Table, Sabor, Dog House, and Saba Grill. Number three, Oasis-class Harmony of the Seas, retained its position in the dining category, with eateries like Coastal Kitchen, Sorrento’s, Wonderland, and Hooked Seafood being member favorites. Coming in close behind at numbers four and five were Oasis-class Symphony of the Seas and Freedom-class Liberty of the Seas. 

Staterooms

With vessels of varying sizes, you will find numerous types of stateroom categories available on Royal Caribbean ships. These five Royal Caribbean ships ranked the highest for overall stateroom quality:  

1. Symphony of the Seas - 4.619
2. Odyssey of the Seas - 4.586
3. Oasis of the Seas - 4.576
4. Wonder of the Seas - 4.558
5. Freedom of the Seas - 4.547

What Our Members Say

Nice cabin with large balcony, plenty of hot water. Nice flat screen in front of the bed. - tomgriffin748 on Symphony of the Seas

The cabin was excellent, with plenty of storage, and very clean. I like the size of the cabin, it was very roomy and had a nice size balcony. - Scheuerm on Wonder of the Seas

The cabin was large and had lots of drawer space. I liked having two closets. The personnel on the ship were very helpful and friendly. - lsimmonssteve52 on Odyssey of the Seas

Our Thoughts

Making a jump from last year’s number four to this year at number one for best in staterooms was Symphony of the Seas. This mega-ship packs an impressive 2,759 total cabins with 53 cabin categories. Our members overall found accommodations on Symphony to be spacious, with great amenities and ample storage spaces, as well as providing a comfortable living experience for guests. 

Numbers two through five were separated by tiny percentage points, making this category very close. If you are considering a stateroom on any of these ships, you really can’t go wrong! 

Odyssey of the Seas kept its position at number two for best cabins. This extra-large ship offers a whopping 2,105 staterooms across 41 categories. Number three, Oasis of the Seas, offers an impressive 2,803 cabins with 75 cabin categories. Making its debut in this category and in the rankings of Royal Caribbean ships was number four, Wonder of the Seas. This ship had less than a year of reviews for its 2,868 staterooms, so we look forward to seeing how it grows in the ratings in years to come. Rounding out the list at number five was Freedom class Freedom of the Seas with its 1,894 cabin options. 

Onboard Activities/Entertainment 

No expense is spared in the areas of onboard activities and entertainment when Royal Caribbean designs a ship. They are known for groundbreaking activity venues and for creating the ‘wow’ factor when it comes to shipboard entertainment. 

These are the five top Royal Caribbean ships in onboard activities/entertainment for 2023: 

1. Oasis of the Seas - 4.348
2. Navigator of the Seas - 4.330
3. Symphony of the Seas - 4.320
4. Freedom of the Seas - 4.309
5. Independence of the Seas - 4.292

What Our Members Say

Loved the water slides, ice skating, laser tag, and really all of the entertainment activities! When else can you say you went ice skating in the Caribbean Sea? - Brensa on Oasis of the Seas

With four days at sea, I knew I needed good onboard activities and RC/Navigator of the Seas has them – Flowrider, rock climbing, ice skating, shows, plus the usual poolside stuff. - CCMarlo on Navigator of the Seas

Royal knows how to entertain. First-class Broadway plays with wonderful actors and actresses. - herrdarlene on Symphony of the Seas

Our Thoughts

Once again, Oasis of the Seas has found itself in first place for best onboard activities and entertainment. It’s not the newest or shiniest ship in the Royal fleet, however, its recent Amplified upgrades have been well received by our community members. The ship offers an Ultimate Abyss slide, the H2O Waterpark Zone, an upgraded pool deck, Broadway-style theatre performances, interactive game shows, ice skating shows, and jam-packed nightlife.

Number two, Navigator of the Seas, is a newcomer in this year’s rankings for activities and entertainment. The ship's featured highlights include mini-golf, ice skating, a Riptide mat racer, the Blaster Aqua Coaster, an escape room, and original stage shows. Also new in the rankings was number three, Symphony of the Seas, which rated highly for its 23 pools and jacuzzis, dual rock climbing walls, Aqua Theatre, and the adults-only Solarium. Number four, Freedom of the Seas, dropped from number two in last year's rankings, and number five Independence of the Seas, was new to the rankings for activities and onboard offerings. 

No matter which Royal Caribbean ship you choose, get ready to meet new friends, enjoy endless entertainment and onboard activities, and feast with dining options galore! Have more questions? Ask our Community! With more than 2 million cruisers, there are plenty of experienced Royal Caribbean cruisers to answer your questions. 

Did you recently take a Royal Caribbean Cruise? Write a review!