3 underrated spaces that make older Royal Caribbean ships special
Royal Caribbean's Icon- and Oasis-class ships may get a lot of attention for their modern neighborhood designs, giant waterparks, expanded dining options, and cutting-edge entertainment, but that doesn't mean older cruise ships aren't worth considering.
Not only do older cruise ships make cruising accessible to those with a limited vacation budget, they offer a cruise experience that's more relaxed and less crowded. Since most older cruise ships are significantly smaller than today's modern megaships, they also offer access to more varied cruise itineraries that feature smaller, more unique ports that can't accommodate larger ships.
As ship sizes and amenities have expanded, Royal Caribbean cruise ships have also lost much of the charm that traditionally has made cruising feel personalized, intimate, and peaceful.
If a cruise centered around the experience of being at sea is more your vibe, you can still find some fantastic, budget-friendly vacation options to consider on Royal Caribbean's older ships, including the Radiance and Voyager classes. Many loyal Royal Caribbean cruisers continue to choose these ships not just for the value and itineraries they offer, but for their nostalgic feel and classic ship features that you won't find on new megaships.
Royal Caribbean passengers recently highlighted some of those underrated classic cruise ship spaces and experiences that makes cruising on older ships special in a discussion in the Royal Caribbean community on Reddit.
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Older Royal Caribbean ships offer bow access
Bow access was the most popular of the underrated older ship features discussed in the Reddit thread. While the bow is a restricted area on the largest classes of Royal Caribbean ships, passengers report that access continues to be open on Radiance-, Voyager-, and Freedom-class ships.
On these ships, the bow is a hidden-gem spot for scenic cruising, sailaways, and enjoying the peaceful experience of being at sea.
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"Great views, never crowded, and quiet. At night it is blacked out, so you will get amazing views of the night sky," MuckRaker83 said about the bow.
How to get to the bow varies by ship class, but you'll typically find a door that leads to it at the far forward end of deck four or five on older ships.
Schooner Bar is a bigger venue on older Royal Caribbean ships
You'd probably expect to find expanded versions of fan-favorite venues on Royal Caribbean's newer ships, but some bars and lounges like the beloved Schooner Bar, the cruise line's nautical-themed piano bar, are an exception. The Schooner Bar has actually gotten smaller or been designed with a different feel as Royal Caribbean introduced a wider variety of bars on newer ships.
"Schooners on Anthem and Oasis are landlocked! Arrrr! And Navigator's was minuscule. No matey," DogsMom248 said in the Reddit thread. "Schooners that are large with many huge windows, a grand piano, and a large bar - that's a classic Royal Caribbean party! That's Radiance class."
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Traditionally, the Schooner Bar was a main gathering space on Royal Caribbean ships, but that's evolved with ship designs.
"First time on Radiance I literally got lost in the Schooner Bar it is so huge. But the fact that the rest of the layout for that ship is so closed off and there are no real open gathering places it has to be that big to take the place of what's replaced it on the bigger ships," hockeychick67 pointed out.
Older Royal Caribbean ships feature unmatched views for all to enjoy in the Viking Crown Lounge
Similarly, the Viking Crown Lounge, a classic spot for cocktails with panoramic views at the top of the ship, is slowly fading away as Royal Caribbean designs new ships. Once a fixture across the fleet, the signature lounge has been dropped in favor of new dining venues and private retreats on Oasis- and Icon-class ships.
On the newest Royal Caribbean ships, passengers can only enjoy the serene space if they reach one of the top tiers of the cruise line's loyalty program. On Icon-class ships, the entire space is reserved for the Crown Lounge, an exclusive lounge for Diamond, Diamond Plus, and Pinnacle Club members of Royal Caribbean's Crown & Anchor Society loyalty program.
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Loyal cruisers say passengers should enjoy the traditional Viking Crown Lounge experience on older ships while they still can.
"I also love the Viking Crown Lounge, but I noticed on our Brilliance cruise last month that they blocked a sizable section off to create the Crown Lounge. I'm Diamond Plus and was allowed in the lounge, but I missed having the full sweeping view from the Viking Crown Lounge," What_Fresh_Hell77 shared.
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This story was originally published June 3, 2026 at 7:18 AM.