Royal Caribbean invested more space on its newest cruise ships for families, including rooms that are design with kids in mind.
I sailed on Star of the Seas for its first voyage with paying passengers, and wanted to try the Surfside Family Suite to see what it's like.
This is a new type of cruise ship stateroom, which was introduced with the Icon of the Seas. Like many other new room types on the Icon Class, these staterooms are designed with kids in mind.
I think Royal Caribbean wanted to do more with their spaces, and offer more room and separation. Parents love their kids, but they don't want to be spending every minute with them either.
While I was cruising solo, I was interested to see how well this type of cabin would work if I was cruising with my kids.
I paid about $4,400 total for this cruise
I booked my reservation on Star of the Seas the first day the cruise became available, because it's the best strategy to lock in a really good price.
Originally I paid $4744.35 for my Surfside Family Suite with just me in the room, but that price dropped by $271.75 to a new total of $4472.60.
I paid for my cabin and was not compensated or subsidized by Royal Caribbean in any way.
Keep in mind because I'm cruising solo, I have the pay a single supplement fee, and the price would be about the same for two people in the room.
There's a good chance if I had kids, they would be free because of the popular Kids Sail Free deals offered.
The Surfside Family Suite is divided into three areas
The general layout of the Surfside Family Suite is all about giving space but breaking it apart.
I was staying in cabin 9693 on deck 9.
You'll find the main bedroom, kids room, and a balcony.
I was impressed how well the separation works to make each area feel apart.
The kids room is separated by a curtain. On Icon of the Seas, there was a metal door as well, but that is not present on Star of the Seas.
The suite was bigger than expected
Maybe it's the different rooms, but I liked how roomy it all felt in here.
My cabin measured 269 square feet, along with a 53 square foot balcony.
Obviously that's plenty of room for just me, but if I was sharing this room with my kids and wife, I still think we'd find enough space. At least, when my kids were younger.
I think this room is not big enough for my teenagers, but back when they were in elementary school, I think this room would have been great.
The split bathroom reduces waiting, but it's missing a tub
I love that there's a split bathroom in this suite, because it's such a benefit to families.
One bathroom has a shower and sink, while the other one has a sink and toilet. This means someone showering isn't monopolizing the bathroom (and vice versa).
Disney Cruise Line has gotten many accolades for its split bathroom cabin design on its ships, and I like that Royal Caribbean is leaning into this direction now.
The only observation I have about this configuration is there's no bathtub, which is curious for two reasons.
First, Royal Caribbean suites usually come with bathtubs. And second, families would especially find bathtubs useful since kids often bathe in them.
I wish there was more storage space
I've generally felt the amount of storage space on Icon Class ships is lacking compared to Quantum or Oasis Class ships, and that trend continues with this suite.
For a room designed for up to four passengers, I think there's a real lack of storage space.
There's also a vanity area near the closet with a few more outlets and two mirrors to use.
There are 3 drawers, 3 shelves and a giant closet.
The drawers each have things in them, such as the hair dryer or room service menus. And one of the shelves is taken up by the safe.
I had enough space for my belongings, but I doubt my wife and I could easily share the space on a 7-night cruise, let alone with my kids.
The closet is massive, and there are two bins in the kids room.
If I were to redesign this room, I'd add more shelving on the walls.
The kids bed is bigger than I expected
The kids nook has a pullout sofa, and I think this is the smartest area of the suite.
During the day, it's a comfortable sofa to sit on and there's a television facing it. With two televisions in the room, there's no less fighting about what to watch.
At night, the sofa can be converted to a bed.
Yes, I had the room attendant make it into the bed to see if I could fit in it.
Surprisingly, I fit in the bed without my feet hanging off the end of it, but I'd probably sleep diagonally on it to prevent that from happening.
Like any sofa bed, it was rigid, but I think I could manage.
The main bedroom has a giant bed
The primary bed in the suite has a king size bed that could be separated into twin beds, if necessary.
There are nightstands on both sides of the bed. Each night stand has a USB-A and USB-C outlet, with one side having an electrical outlet too.
A large TV is found on the wall near the bed, but it swivels out quite nicely. I barely watch TV on a cruise, but it's nice it can be moved.
The balcony isn't massive, but it's a nice outdoor space
For a suite, the balcony isn't that large.
I don't think it matters as much because this balcony faces into the Surfside neighborhood. Plus, I think the idea was to maximize the indoor space rather than the outdoor space.
My specific cabin was too close to the entrance to Surfside, so it was a bit strange how close my balcony is to people passing by.
I'm not someone to spend a lot of time on my balcony anyway, but it's always nice to have private outdoor space you can use from time to time.
Noise issues were not a problem at all
In case you're wondering, no, the Surfside Family Suites are not noisy at all.
Even during the day time, I rarely heard anything in my room. I'd take afternoon naps and never hear a thing to disturb me. And at night, Surfside is very quiet since most of the amenities in this neighborhood are closed.
In fact, it was great for sleeping because with the windows drawn and the lack of direct sunlight into the neighborhood, I was never woken up by the sun.
Changes are coming
It's important to note the perks that come with Surfside Family Suite are changing soon.
For my sailing, I was granted Sky Class suite benefits. However, for sailings on or after May 2, 2026 (regardless of when it was booked), that will come to an end.
After May 2, Surfside Family Suites will be downgraded to Sea Class.
This means they will no longer have access to the Suite Lounge, Suite Concierge services, complimentary internet access, complimentary beverages in the Suite Lounge, and can only dine at Coastal Kitchen restaurant for dinner only (instead of breakfast and lunch).
When the change was announced, Royal Caribbean's only explanation was, "we continuously strive to enhance guest experience onboard and reach alignment of our product offerings across the fleet."
Essentially, this downgrades the perks of this room back to a Junior Suite.
I think the Surfside Family Suite is great for young families, even without the perks
If my kids were under the age of 7 or 8, I wouldn't have hesitated to book a Surfside Family Suite for us.
I love the concept of having a kids nook. They'd love having their own space and TV. Plus, they can people watch really easily from it.
As a parent, the split bathroom design is a wonderful idea. Anytime you're sharing a room with more than two people, I think keeping the toilet in a different area makes it more manageable.
I was concerned about noise bleed, but I rarely ever heard anything while inside my room.
The downgraded Sky Class perks are disappointing, but I'm not sure this room truly feels like a suite to begin with. Plus, when my kids were that young, we rarely took advantage of anything in the Suite Lounge anyway.
I'm certainly not in favor of less perks while paying the same price (I doubt the prices are going down on these rooms when it transitions to Sea Class), but I think the selling point of this room is the arrangement for families. Unlike a Grand Suite, the perks are secondary to this.
I don't think families with teenagers or adults should book this room with that nook in mind. It's truly meant for young children.
Plus, it still gets twice a day cabin service, and that's a lovely benefit for families to keep the room tidier.
