I sailed on Royal Caribbean's Wonder of the Seas. It's the world's largest — and this is why it's my favorite cruise ship.

This 18-deck floating resort has a seemingly endless list of amenities throughout its eight "neighborhoods," a term Royal Caribbean uses to describe the different sections of its ships.

I would know — I spent two nights on the vessel in December 2022 during a sailing for journalists and travel agents.

The Wonder of the Seas felt more like a massive amusement park than a typical cruise liner.

But the vessel sets itself apart from any competitors with its nontraditional neighborhoods.

The most impressive of these, and now my favorite, was the Boardwalk.

This energetic open-aired neighborhood was grounded by wood-planked flooring reminiscent of the real beach boardwalks that were a staple of my California childhood.

The hot dog stand, anchored with a bright neon sign and giant mustard statue, looked like a retro beachside food spot.

Next door, the candy and ice cream store was bespeckled with colorful lit-up decor, just like the irresistible sweets shops of my childhood (except this time, I had no accompanying parent to drag in).

Like the iconic burger restaurant, travelers also have to pay extra for a plate of chicken tenders at Playmakers sports bar across the "street."

Here, children can play at the small arcade while their parents catch the latest game over a platter of chicken wings and a cold beer.

A bright carousel centered this neighborhood.

For agile youngsters, there was also a wall with suspended climbing platforms and nets, shown above.

These two walls perfectly framed the Aqua Theater.

Nighttime cruise entertainment no longer means cheesy song-and-dance performances.

This water-based theater hosted the most exhilarating cruise show I've ever seen.

The performers bounced between two stage platforms that rose and sank into the pool, the first I've seen on a ship.

It's one of the few times I didn't want to leave halfway through a cruise show.

I'm not the target demographic for a carousel or ice cream shop.

But I'm sure other adults could relate to the nostalgic feeling I got while walking around this neighborhood.

While the pool deck was overwhelmingly colorful and loud, the Central Park neighborhood was too quiet and passive.

I found the Boardwalk to be somewhere in the middle: fun and energetic without feeling draining.

But I've never seen it on a floating resort, nor would I have expected it to feel so similar to its on-land counterpart.

The buzzing energy I remember from boardwalks of my childhood was exactly what I felt when I walked around the Wonder of the Seas' interpretation.

But if you have plans to travel on the Wonder of the Seas in 2024, you could see more travelers than that — more cruises are expected to sail at an occupancy rate of more than 100% in 2024.

In late January 2023, Royal Caribbean's larger Icon of the Seas will overtake the Wonder of the Seas' title.

While the upcoming Icon won't have a Boardwalk, Royal Caribbean's renderings of its Surfside neighborhood show it could be an acceptable substitute.

We'll have to wait another two months to see if that's the case.