I took my first Caribbean cruise, and quickly learned that cruising is a lifestyle that's not for me

Cruise novice here! Before stepping on board my first Caribbean cruise in April, I had never even seen this type of ship in real life. I joined the cruise for a reporting trip with multiple stops in the Caribbean Sea.

I embarked on a seven-night voyage on the largest cruise ship of its kind, Royal Caribbean's Wonder of the Seas. We sailed to Roatán, Honduras; Cozumel and Costa Maya in Mexico; and Royal Caribbean's private island in the Bahamas.

It felt surreal to be on such a large vessel in the middle of the ocean. And a week of sun and cool breezes was just what I needed after a winter at home in New York City.

Many people love cruising, and I can see the appeal. In January 2020, before the pandemic disrupted the cruise industry, Forbes reported that 30 million people take a cruise each year, up from 17.8 million in 2009.

But cruising comes with pros and cons, and ultimately I realized it's not my ideal type of vacation. Here's why.

Read more: Step aboard the world's largest cruise ship, which is so big it has 8 'neighborhoods' spread across 18 stories

After talking to several fellow passengers, I quickly understood that cruising is a lifestyle. Most people I met were well-seasoned cruise travelers. They told me that they take cruises for every vacation, racking up hundreds of nights on board cruise ships and earning points on their loyalty programs.

I probably shouldn't have been surprised. Cruising remains a popular vacation option, even after two years of the pandemic. My ship had more than 5,000 passengers.

Despite searching, I didn't meet any other first-time cruisers on the ship.

Read more: 8 things seasoned cruisers say you should know before stepping foot aboard your first cruise

As someone who is prone to motion sickness, I should have predicted that I'd have a hard time cruising. I get nauseous from a rocking chair in a living room. The days at sea were especially challenging for me to eat and participate in activities.

An added challenge was the location of my room, something seasoned cruisers pay attention to while booking.

Since it was at the very front of deck eight, I felt constant motion in my room. According to some of my fellow passengers, the front of the ship is one of the worst places to be if you're often seasick. Higher decks in the middle of the ship feel calmer and more stable, they said.

Some nights were rockier than others. On the roughest nights, I heard and felt thunder-like sensation beneath me every few minutes. Loud thumps and heavy vibrations in my room sounded like large pieces of furniture falling down. The first night this happened, I feared the worst — Titanic comes to mind. By the end of the trip, I realized that this is a normal aspect of cruising: It's caused by waves hitting the bow of the ship.

I don't think I would ever get used to this.

Since it sometimes took days to get to each port, I thought we'd spend more time in each of them.

I booked excursions for the ports, thinking I'd have time after to explore the destination. I enjoyed the excursions I went on, especially hiking in Honduras and exploring ancient ruins in Mexico. But some of my excursions took the entire day, ending just in time to board the ship for departure.

I was also hoping to see the stops at night, but we always departed before sundown. The ship usually docked in the morning around 8 a.m. but unfortunately, left in the afternoon, around 4 p.m.

I would describe the ports as a "taste" of the Caribbean, but certainly not a real adventure in each destination. The experience was helpful, though, as I realized I prefer to vacation in one place with more time to explore it.

Wonder of the Seas was packed with activities. Guests could play games in the arcade and ride waves on the surf simulator. There were sports like ping pong, basketball, and rock climbing, as well as more surprising offerings like a carousel, laser tag, an escape room, and even ice skating.

The waterslides were a big hit on the ship, which included the tallest slide at sea. It drops 10 stories.

The ship also had a wide variety of entertainment, including dancing, drumming, ice skating, and acrobatics. There were also live bands performing throughout the day and comedy shows at night.

I'm not much of a swimmer, athlete, or thrill-seeker. I don't have kids, so I'll admit that most of the activities on board didn't appeal to me. I didn't get into the water slides or sports, which are the top attractions on the ship. I did have fun playing laser tag and mini golf, but overall, the activities served a different audience.

When you go on the world's largest cruise ship, it's guaranteed to be busy. Certain areas of the ship, like the outdoor decks and main buffet, were packed with passengers throughout the day. The elevators were often so jammed with guests that I felt it was faster to take the stairs, and, to my disappointment, finding a chair at the pool was an ongoing challenge.

I was hoping for more relaxation, but it made my anxious. Add to that my dislike for crowds, and this aspect of cruising stressed me out during the entire trip. Despite an exhaustive search, I didn't find a quiet, crowdless corner of the ship besides my stateroom.

Speaking of staterooms, mine was cozy but came with a catch as a solo traveler. Apparently, cruising can be more challenging and expensive when you go alone, so I recommend taking a vacation buddy.

Because most cruise-ship staterooms are meant to hold at least two people, booking a room by yourself often means paying higher prices that are equivalent to two people. According to Cruise Critic, some cruise ships have solo cabins priced for one passenger, but it's not common. For example, Royal Caribbean has some ships with single occupancy staterooms, but my ship didn't offer them.

The listed rates for my ship were per person, not per room like most hotels. When switching between one and two guests in my search, the cost per person doubled when I had just one person selected. This is known as the "single supplement," as it helps the cruise line make up for the revenue that would have come from a second person on board, according to the LA Times.

My total cost was $2,000 for an ocean-view stateroom. It would have cost about half the price per person if I had brought someone with me.

It would have been more fun, too. While there were many social activities and friendly cruisers who chatted with me, I found myself feeling lonely on the ship. I longed to have a conversation with someone who knew me and to share my experiences in new places with a loved one. I usually enjoy solo trips, but being surrounded by so many families and groups of friends made me wish I could be with mine.

A cruise will keep you busy. Everyday is full of plans. In the mornings, I received a daily planner listing the day's timed events and activities.

I like to go with the flow on vacation, and that means not booking every hour of my day. But making spontaneous decisions proved challenging.

The specialty restaurants and all the shows on board required reservations made through the Royal Caribbean app.

The circus-style acrobatic water show in the AquaTheater was the most popular show — and the hardest reservation to get. I failed the first day, and ultimately didn't see the show until I scored a ticket two nights later.

Other passengers seemed to like the system, and it was clearly the expectation by the cruise line. I, however, found the constant planning to be stressful.

Apart from reporting, I spent my cruise laying in the sun, exploring ports during excursions, and occasionally participating in activities like laser tag and rock climbing.

After spending seven nights on the largest cruise ship in the world, I can see why it would appeal to a traveler who likes all sorts of entertainment in one place, with the occasional excursion to a new destination. For me, I don't think cruising is my preferred form of travel. I'd rather spend more time at each island than wander a ship. Next time I want to visit the Caribbean, I'll hop on a plane.

Read more: I went to Royal Caribbean's private island in the Bahamas. It wasn't for me, but I can see why cruise-goers love it.