I sailed on both Royal Caribbean and Norwegian's newest cruise ships. Here's how they compared.

I sailed on Royal Caribbean's Wonder of the Seas and Norwegian's Prima and it showed me what each cruise line does best.Brittany Chang/Insider

• I sailed on Royal Caribbean's Wonder of the Seas and Norwegian's Prima.
• The Prima had a nicer balcony stateroom, better food, and superior adults-only retreat.

In 2022, I was invited to sail on Royal Caribbean Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Line's newest ships, the Wonder of the Seas and the Prima, respectively.

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Both cruise ships were designed to appeal to families.

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But in my opinion, Royal Caribbean's Wonder of the Seas is a superior ship.

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See how the cruise ships compared in seven categories: overall look, staterooms, food and beverage concepts, pool decks, family friend amenities, adults only spaces, and nighttime shows.

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The Royal Caribbean ship is a behemoth of a vessel.

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The 1,188-foot-long, 7,084-guest Wonder of the Seas is currently the largest cruise ship in operation.

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And much to my surprise, several spaces aboard the ship — called "neighborhoods" — looked nothing like a cruise ship.

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The Boardwalk neighborhood was nearly identical to a real boardwalk complete with wood-paneled floors, a hot dog stand, and a candy store …

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… while the Central Park neighborhood looked just like an outdoor mall filled with lush plants.

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These uniquely curated spaces made it one of the most unique ships I've ever been on.

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In comparison, 3,215-guest Prima looks more like a traditional ship.

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It is slightly smaller at 965 feet-long. And unlike the Wonder of the Seas, every space aboard this ship looked like a typical cruise.

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It's still a modern ship. But it doesn't have the same unique appeal as the Wonder of the Seas.

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During my two-night media sailing, Royal Caribbean let me stay in the balcony stateroom on the same deck as Central Park.

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However, this hotel room at sea was not nearly as glitzy as I anticipated.

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It was minimally decorated compared to the rest of the ship.

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Sure, there were some decorative pillows and a patterned carpet.

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But besides a handful of decor pieces, the beige, blue, and white-toned stateroom looked more bland than exciting.

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The bathroom sink was so poorly designed, water splashed onto the counter whenever I washed my hand. And the shower didn't even have a separate body wash and shampoo.

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The surplus of storage made up for these lackluster amenities: The stateroom had two closets and a large dresser.

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But at a starting rate of $1,400 for 2023 itineraries, I was hoping this cold balcony stateroom would’ve looked livelier and more comfortable.

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I don't have any of this criticism for the Norwegian Prima's family balcony stateroom.

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The cruise line invited me to spend four nights in this 230-square-foot stateroom during its inaugural sailing.

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It's one of the nicest staterooms I've ever stayed in despite having nearly identical furnishings as the Wonder of the Seas stateroom.

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There was less storage than my Royal Caribbean accommodations. But my Prima stateroom made up for this with better decor.

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This decor added the perfect splash of color, although I'm still confused by this mural.

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And the warm ambient lighting made the space feel like a cozy hotel room.

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I didn't want to spend time in my Wonder of the Seas stateroom. But my Prima accommodations were so cozy, I didn't mind hanging back.

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And it's more affordable too. This balcony stateroom aboard the Prima will start at $991 for spring five-to-seven-day round trips from New York City to Bermuda.

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Onto the food and beverage offerings. Royal Caribbean's mega ship has over 20 dining venues although over half aren't included in the base fare.

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There were some fun dining options like a build-your-own taco and burrito bar, poolside ice cream machines (if you count that as dining), and the recognizable Johnny Rockets.

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But to my surprise, the best venue was the buffet, which had sections like international dishes, classic favorites, and a seafood.

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Unfortunately, the two speciality dining venues I tried — Hooked Seafood and Mason Jar — weren't stellar.

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The latter is a new-to-brand Southern concept with live music and a separate bar.

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Sounds fun, right? Unfortunately, my fried chicken was dry to the point of being nearly inedible.

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However, I will credit the Wonder of the Seas for having unique bars, including a karaoke bar ...

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… a bar operated by robotic arms …

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… and two with dance floors and live music.

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Unlike the mega cruise ship, food is where Norwegian Prima truly shines.

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There were 14 dining options. Like the Wonder of the Seas, half were specialty restaurants.

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Prima's Onda by Scarpetta was one of the best meals I've ever had on a cruise vessel.

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The Prima and Wonder of the Seas do share two similarities: an onboard Starbucks and teppanyaki concept.

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But unlike Royal Caribbean's vessel, the Prima had the most unique complimentary dining venue I've ever seen on a ship: a food hall with touch screen ordering pads at every table.

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Here, diners are offered 11 restaurants — like Indian, international noodles, and rotisserie — all inside a touch screen.

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And almost everything I tried here was delicious, although the pad thai was subpar at best. Besides that, I would've paid to eat here.

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The Prima's watering hole options weren't as diverse as the Wonder of the Seas. But the Metropolitan was a standout bar.

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Norwegian says this bar is zero-waste by using liqueurs and syrups made from some of the ship's food waste.

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However, this emphasis on being zero waste feels futile. Cruises aren't known for being environmentally friendly. And the bar only cut out a tiny fraction of its waste.

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But bars aside, the food on the Prima was far superior to the Wonder of the Seas.

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Cruise ship cuisine isn't known for being diverse. But the Prima had several multi-cultural options at the food hall.

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I could've eaten every meal here. And I still find myself craving it sometimes.

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However, no other cruise ship pool deck can compare to the Wonder of the Seas.

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Here, it was a collection of colorful amenities ranging from three multicolored water slides to several pools and hot tubs …

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… a children's water playground, and nearly endless rows of pool chairs.

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It's the world's largest cruise ship so of course this is one of the largest pool decks I've ever seen.

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And the bright decor made it as visually overwhelming as a theme park.

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Unfortunately, the Norwegian Prima's pool deck can't compare to the Wonder of the Seas. It looked as plain as any other cruise ship's pool area.

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There was one water slide and another small water playground but both looked drab compared to the Wonder of the Seas.

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Luckily, there were other options for pool-side lounging: an outdoor walkway with pools, lounge chairs, daybeds, and panoramic views of the ocean.

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But there's no comparison: The Wonder of the Seas' pool deck is far superior to the Norwegian Prima, especially if you're traveling with young children.

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Speaking of children, both cruise ships were designed to appeal to families. And there are plenty of amenities on both vessels that do just that.

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Both had dry slides and mini golf courses (although the Prima's was definitely flashier and more interactive).

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Besides that, the two cruise ships offer different activities and amenities.

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The deck above the Wonder of the Seas' pool deck was a mecca of outdoor family fun.

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Besides the dry slide and mini golf course, this outdoor activity deck also had a playground, a surfing simulator …

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… and a zipline that soared over Central Park.

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Across other neighborhoods, the ship also had an arcade, a carousel …

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… and two large rock climbing walls, giving families of all ages and all activity levels a wide variety of amenities.

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Meanwhile, the Prima had some of the most unique activities I've seen on a cruise vessel.

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The ship also had an arcade. But unlike the Wonder of the Seas, this one was driven by virtual reality.

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Here, travelers could walk through haunted mansions, ride roller coasters, and fight off creepy aliens without leaving the cruise ship.

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For travelers who prefer more tangible activities, the ship also had an outdoor go-kart course with a viewing platform.

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There's also a high-tech darts lounges (although the wind made it difficult to play) and an outdoor "Stadium" with games like pickleball and beer-less pong.

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But ultimately, the Wonder of the Seas offered up more free fun despite the Prima's more unique activities.

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Emphasis on free: The Prima's best activities — the VR arcade, go-karts, darts, and mini-golf course — all came at an extra fee to guests.

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But if you're willing to pay, the Prima has more exciting and exhilarating family friendly amenities. It's hard to beat a VR arcade and go-karting at sea.

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Both cruises are designed for traveling families but that doesn't mean adults can't have their own peaceful retreats aboard the vessels.

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The Wonder of the Seas has the adults-only Solarium.

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The idea of a Solarium isn't new to cruise ships. But the Wonder of the Seas is more grand than the other Solariums I've seen.

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The glass dome-enclosed venue has hot tubs, a pool, rows of lounge chairs, and of course, a bar.

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Unfortunately, this covered space made me feel like a fish inside a fish bowl.

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Norwegian's adult retreat had the same amenities: pools, hot tubs, and views of the ocean.

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But unlike the Solarium, Norwegian's Vibe Beach Club is outdoors.

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It had more of a relaxed space.

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And even though the Solarium had more eye-catching decor, the airy Vibe Beach Club was more of a standout adults retreat.

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Onto the last category: shows. During my sailing, the Wonder of the Seas was showing its ice skating, superhero, and water shows.

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I wasn't able to catch the cruise ship's play on a superhero drama. But I did find time to watch the wholesome ice skating show.

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The performers were undeniably talented but the lack of a cohesive storyline and somewhat tacky scenes weren’t enough to keep me entertained.

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It seemed like a typical cruise ship show with the addition of an ice rink.

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But I have none of this criticism for "inTENse," the ship's diving, dancing, and synchronized swimming performance.

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The exhilarating show paired fast paced music with equally quick movements, creating a show with so much exciting visual appeal, I didn't know where to look.

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It was the most creative cruise ship show I've ever seen. And the venue was just as unique.

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The outdoor dive board-lined stage rose and sunk into a pool, creating a set that moved as much as the performers.

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The Prima didn’t have “inTENse” divers and tightrope walkers.

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But it did have some distinguishable shows: "Summer: The Donna Summer Musical," tap dance and beat box medley "Noise Boys," and "The Price Is Right Live" game show.

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The production for "Summer" rivaled that of a true Broadway performance. And at the time, "Noise Boys" was the most contemporary show I had ever seen on a cruise ship.

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But to my surprise, I enjoyed "The Price Is Right" the most.

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The well-executed game show — which looked like it was ripped from a television screen — was interactive, entertaining, and surprisingly funny. I found myself chuckling throughout the show.

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When I sailed on the Norwegian Prima in October 2022, it was the first time I had ever found myself enjoying cruise ship shows.

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But after sailing on the Wonder of the Seas, Prima's riffs on recognizable shows are no longer as appealing. However, I'll always have a soft spot for the "The Price Is Right Live."

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