I compared every aspect of a Royal Caribbean and a Virgin Voyages cruise ship. One was worth the higher price.

I spent $2,000 on my seven-day Royal Caribbean Cruise, and my Virgin Voyages cruise cost $5,900 for a trip of the same duration.

Aside from the obvious factor of Virgin Voyages being a luxury cruise line, there's another reason for the huge price gap.

I booked a cabin with only a window on the Royal Caribbean cruise. But on my Virgin Voyages cruise, I had a room with a balcony.

The Wonder of the Seas was the largest ship in Royal Caribbean's fleet when I sailed on it in 2022, but the Icon of the Seas has since taken that title. If I booked the same itinerary in 2024, a balcony room on the Wonder of the Seas would start at $2,000. And the balcony room for the same Virgin Voyages cruise I booked costs $5,000 this year, according to the company's website.

Royal Caribbean's Wonder of the Seas is a giant. The 18-deck ship is 1,200 feet long, 210 feet tall, and 235,600 gross tons, with a passenger capacity of 7,000, according to the cruise line.

Being on board felt like navigating a massive mall. While there was lots to do and see, getting around to specific venues and activities overwhelmed me and left me feeling like I'd prefer a smaller ship.

The Virgin Voyages ship was much smaller — 125 feet tall, 910 feet long, and 110,000 gross tons, to be exact. The 17-deck ship holds up to 2,700 passengers, according to the cruise line.

Naturally, there was less to do on board the Valiant Lady. But this didn't bother me because I felt more relaxed in an easy-to-navigate environment.

But Royal Caribbean has a handful of smaller ships with a capacity of less than 3,000 people, including Rhapsody of the Seas, Serenade of the Seas, and Jewel of the Seas. The smallest fleet of the cruise line's nearly 30 ships is Grandeur of the Seas, which weighs 73,817 gross tons and has a capacity of about 2,000 passengers, The Points Guy reported.

Meanwhile, all Virgin Voyages ships are the same size, according to the company's website.

On my first cruise with Royal Caribbean, I felt like the ship was made primarily for families. Kids ran around the pool deck filled with water slides and spilled ice cream cones. I would have enjoyed the youthful energy if I had been on a family trip with my cousins and nephews. But as a solo cruiser, this made the trip less relaxing.

However, there was an adults-only indoor solarium with whirlpools, a bar and bistro, and plenty of lounge chairs. I found it peaceful compared to the other communal spaces on board and spent time there most days. I wondered what it would be like if the entire ship felt this relaxing.

Luckily, that's exactly how I felt on board the Valiant Lady. Virgin Voyages is an adults-only cruise line, meaning all its ships are only for those 18 and older.

The whole Virgin Voyages cruise ship felt like a sanctuary with tranquil pool decks, relaxing dining rooms, and more activities geared toward adults (more on that later).

Now that I've experienced the calming environment of a cruise free of screaming children, I don't think I'll ever take a family-friendly voyage again without children of my own.

On the Royal Caribbean ship, my ocean-view stateroom was a 179-square-foot space with an en-suite bathroom, a desk, and a king-sized bed. There was also a closet and drawers with plenty of space to store my belongings.

I enjoyed having a window in my room to peek at each port stop before venturing out, but I couldn't help thinking that a room with a balcony would have been worth the upgrade. That's why I booked a Sea Terrace cabin for my Virgin Voyages cruise.

Including the balcony, the cabin was 225 square feet with a queen-sized bed. Like Royal Caribbean's, this room had a desk, a bathroom, and plenty of storage space. But naturally, the room felt more luxurious with modern, sleek furniture and an in-room tablet with smart controls for the curtains, lighting, and entertainment.

On the balcony was a hammock and a small table with two chairs. I loved stepping out to see the ocean views the moment I woke up each morning, and retiring to my balcony at sunset restored my energy each night. It was definitely worth the splurge.

The Wonder of the Seas had 20 restaurants on board. Nine of them were included in the price of the cruise, like the main buffet, Windjammer, which served three meals a day, including French toast, burgers, and pastries.

The rest of the dining options, which had specialty offerings like sushi and juicy steak dinners, came at an additional price. I paid between $40 and $60 per meal.

Meanwhile, the Valiant Lady had only 12 restaurants, but all were included in the price of the cruise.

The Galley is Virgin Voyages' food hall. Similar to Royal Caribbean's buffet, there were several stands with a wide range of offerings. But unlike Wonder of the Seas, the meals were made-to-order, making them taste fresher, in my opinion.

Virgin Voyages also had high-end restaurants with a wide range of genres to fulfill any craving I might be having — Mediterranean seafood, Korean barbecue, and Birria tacos, to name a few.

I thought the food was good overall on both ships, but I found that the Virgin Voyages ship's meals tasted consistently high quality, whereas on board the Royal Caribbean ship, I had a mixed bag of delicious entrées and dishes that were just all right.

On board Wonder of the Seas, there were three large pools. The ship also had a water playground for kids known as Splashaway Bay.

Throughout each day, I found the ship's pool decks to be crowded, and it was hard to find a single empty chair after noon, making pool time feel less relaxing than I had hoped.

On board Valiant Lady, there were two pools, and both were smaller than the Royal Caribbean options but also less crowded. I had no trouble finding a place to lounge at any time of the day.

In addition to the main pools, both ships had several whirlpools and small plunge pools on the top decks.

Due to its grand size, the Wonder of the Seas was packed with activities, most geared toward children. Inside was an arcade, an ice skating rink, laser tag, and an escape room. On the outdoor decks, there was a surf simulator, multiple rock climbing walls and water slides, and sports like ping pong, basketball, and mini golf. Adults could also enjoy dance classes ranging from salsa and swing to hip-hop and ballroom styles.

The Valiant Lady had fewer activities, but given it's a kids-free ship, they were more geared toward adults.

Indoors, there was a less crowded arcade, making it easier to play. There was also a larger room nearby that had large tables and shelves packed with board games and puzzles.

Outside, the Virgin Voyages ship had a playground for grownups with giant seesaws and swing sets, a jumbo-sized chess set, a foosball table, and a basketball court. These activities made me feel like a kid again without all the screaming and rushing around.

The was no shortage of artwork on either ship.

Paintings, photographs, and accent wallpapers lined the staircases and some walls on each deck of Wonder of the Seas. There was a wide range of colors and artistic styles, too.

On board the Valiant Lady, the artwork matched the ship's design style with a bold color scheme contrasting a red theme and modern works in a variety of mediums, from iridescent mirrors to sculptures.

While the artwork on both ships impressed me, I preferred the art on the Virgin Voyages cruise. The array of mediums and cohesive style made the art feel more immersive rather than just decorative.

Both ships had a wide variety of entertainment, from dancing and gymnastics to comedy shows and concerts. But only Wonder of the Seas had dazzling ice skating shows, thanks to the in-house rink.

On board the Valiant Lady, I found the entertainment to be more unique and immersive with events like Scarlet Night, where the entire ship was decked out in red, from lights and pop-up sculptures to guests who were encouraged by the cruise line to wear the color. On this special evening, entertainers filled the decks' main spaces as cruisers gathered around for intimate shows.

On board one of the largest cruise ships in the world, Royal Caribbean's spa and fitness center was naturally larger. In fact, it took up half of a deck.

Inside both ships' gyms were cardio machines, strength and training equipment, and dramatic ocean views. Both cruise lines also had fitness classes like yoga, although these sessions came at an additional cost on the Royal Caribbean ship. Both ships had running tracks, too.

But only the Virgin Voyages ship had an outdoor fitness area next to the playground with kickboxing bags and body-weight workout equipment nodding to athletic social clubs of the 1920s, according to the cruise line's website.

Both ships also had spa centers with a range of massages and facials for an additional price. Treatments started at $100 on board Wonder of the Seas and $155 on board Valiant Lady.

For $2,000, the Royal Caribbean cruise was a great value for those looking to spend seven days on a mega-ship with countless activities. It's especially ideal for families since it's more affordable and spacious, and kids will never run out of things to do.

But couples and solo travelers are better off splurging for an intimate setting on a unique, sleek ship made for adults who want to feel wrapped in luxury.