Why You Shouldn’t Book a Room at the Front of a Cruise Ship

The first night of my first cruise was terrifying. The floor trembled beneath me. I was startled by booming noises coming from the decks above and below mine. Was that furniture falling, sliding, and crashing into walls?

I sat stiffly on the couch at midnight, determined to stay awake and prepared for disaster. I read the emergency instructions over and over for what felt like hours until I accidentally fell asleep.

When I woke up, I rushed out the door to ensure everything was all right. As seemingly unfazed cruisers filled the buffet and lined up for the water slides, I realized I’d experienced a normal night at sea.

This was back in April 2022, when I booked a room on one of the largest cruise ships in the world, Royal Caribbean’s 18-deck Wonder of the Seas.

For $2,000, I spent seven nights in a 179-square-foot ocean-view stateroom at the very front of deck eight. It was a mid-tier room — a step above the windowless interior staterooms, a step below staterooms with a balcony, and two steps below a suite.

I unknowingly booked a room where movement on the ship felt the strongest

After my first rocky night aboard the ship, I wondered whether everyone had the same experience. So, I talked to some fellow passengers who were seasoned cruisers. They told me that the front of the ship is one of the worst places to be if you’re prone to seasickness. They said that higher decks in the middle of the ship feel calmer and more stable.

Since my room on the 18-deck ship was situated at the front of the eighth floor, I felt constant motion in my room. As someone who gets motion sickness from the slightest movement of bathwater, this spoiled many aspects of my first cruise. 

Some nights were rockier than others. On the roughest nights, I heard and felt a similar sensation to thunder beneath me every few minutes. Loud thumps and heavy vibrations in my room sounded like large pieces of furniture colliding.

During the days at sea, it was especially challenging for me to eat and participate in activities. And I didn’t feel rested for my excursions at port stops, which included hikes in the sun.

Some cabins can be rockier than others, like those situated at the front of the cruise ship

Cruise passengers prone to motion sickness should book a room in the middle of the ship to feel the least amount of rocking.

I wish I’d researched how the location of a cabin can affect the amount of motion you feel while the ship is moving before booking my cruise. Next time, I’d choose a room in the middle of the ship.