A-State walkthrough exhibit replicates solar system

JONESBORO, Ark. (KAIT) - Arkansas State University’s Voyage Model Solar System is officially up and ready for exploration, just in time for April’s solar eclipse.

The permanent exhibit takes visitors on an interplanetary journey of our solar system. Stations are outlined throughout the campus with details about each planet, star, or asteroid.

The model is located along the green space running south to north through the campus, stretching 2,000 feet or a comfortable 10-minute walk.

Outreach Coordinator Shea Harris said the Voyage is an accurate model of the solar system, at one ten-billionth of its actual size.

“It kind of gives you a feeling of how big our solar system is as you walk through it,” she said.

The first model, The Sun, is placed near Bookout Plaza. The last station stands across from the North Parking Deck.

For more information on the exhibit, click here .

To report a typo or correction, please click here .

Copyright 2024 KAIT. All rights reserved.

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I compared every aspect of a Royal Caribbean and a Virgin Voyages cruise ship. One was worth the higher price.

  • I've sailed on both a Royal Caribbean and a Virgin Voyages cruise ship. 
  • The Virgin Voyages cruise cost $4,000 more, as it was a luxury, adults-only ship in a higher-tier cabin.
  • The Virgin Voyages cruise was more worth the price, but the Royal Caribbean ship was great for families.

Insider Today

Royal Caribbean and Virgin Voyages offer completely different experiences. And I've cruised with both.

In April 2022, I embarked on my first cruise aboard Royal Caribbean's Wonder of the Seas . The seven-night Caribbean cruise took me to Roatán, Honduras; Cozumel and Costa Maya, Mexico; and Royal Caribbean's private island in the Bahamas.

Royal Caribbean is one of the world's most popular cruise lines for adults and families alike. Since its founding in 1968, the travel company has become known for breaking records with some of the largest cruise ships in the world, according to Cruise Critic .

Virgin Voyages, on the other hand, is a luxury, adults-only cruise line that's only been sailing since 2021. However, it's already made a name for itself with five awards from Cruise Critic for its ships, cabins, dining, and service, according to the company's website .

In August 2023, I took a seven-day Mediterranean cruise on Virgin Voyages' Valiant Lady ship , sailing everywhere from Ibiza and Barcelona to ports in Italy and France, including Toulon, Ajaccio, and Marina di Carrara .

Here's the rundown of all the similarities and differences between these two cruise lines — and which was more worth the cost for me.

The differences started with booking. My seven-day Virgin Voyages cruise cost nearly $4,000 more than my Royal Caribbean one — but for good reason.

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I spent $2,000 on my seven-day Royal Caribbean Cruise, and my Virgin Voyages cruise cost $5,900 for a trip of the same duration.

Aside from the obvious factor of Virgin Voyages being a luxury cruise line, there's another reason for the huge price gap.

I booked a cabin with only a window on the Royal Caribbean cruise. But on my Virgin Voyages cruise , I had a room with a balcony .

The Wonder of the Seas was the largest ship in Royal Caribbean's fleet when I sailed on it in 2022, but the Icon of the Seas has since taken that title. If I booked the same itinerary in 2024, a balcony room on the Wonder of the Seas would start at $2,000. And the balcony room for the same Virgin Voyages cruise I booked costs $5,000 this year, according to the company's website.

The Royal Caribbean ship was twice the size of Virgin Voyages', but I preferred the smaller layout.

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Royal Caribbean's Wonder of the Seas is a giant. The 18-deck ship is 1,200 feet long, 210 feet tall, and 235,600 gross tons, with a passenger capacity of 7,000, according to the cruise line .

Being on board felt like navigating a massive mall. While there was lots to do and see, getting around to specific venues and activities overwhelmed me and left me feeling like I'd prefer a smaller ship.

The Virgin Voyages ship was much smaller — 125 feet tall, 910 feet long, and 110,000 gross tons, to be exact. The 17-deck ship holds up to 2,700 passengers, according to the cruise line .

Naturally, there was less to do on board the Valiant Lady. But this didn't bother me because I felt more relaxed in an easy-to-navigate environment.

But Royal Caribbean has a handful of smaller ships with a capacity of less than 3,000 people, including Rhapsody of the Seas, Serenade of the Seas, and Jewel of the Seas. The smallest fleet of the cruise line's nearly 30 ships is Grandeur of the Seas, which weighs 73,817 gross tons and has a capacity of about 2,000 passengers, The Points Guy reported .

Meanwhile, all Virgin Voyages ships are the same size, according to the company's website.

Perhaps the biggest difference was that the Virgin Voyages ship was for adults only.

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On my first cruise with Royal Caribbean, I felt like the ship was made primarily for families. Kids ran around the pool deck filled with water slides and spilled ice cream cones. I would have enjoyed the youthful energy if I had been on a family trip with my cousins and nephews. But as a solo cruiser , this made the trip less relaxing.

However, there was an adults-only indoor solarium with whirlpools, a bar and bistro, and plenty of lounge chairs. I found it peaceful compared to the other communal spaces on board and spent time there most days. I wondered what it would be like if the entire ship felt this relaxing.

Luckily, that's exactly how I felt on board the Valiant Lady. Virgin Voyages is an adults-only cruise line, meaning all its ships are only for those 18 and older.

The whole Virgin Voyages cruise ship felt like a sanctuary with tranquil pool decks, relaxing dining rooms, and more activities geared toward adults (more on that later).

Now that I've experienced the calming environment of a cruise free of screaming children, I don't think I'll ever take a family-friendly voyage again without children of my own.

The cabins were roughly the same size, but on the Virgin Voyages ship, I splurged for a private balcony.

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On the Royal Caribbean ship, my ocean-view stateroom was a 179-square-foot space with an en-suite bathroom, a desk, and a king-sized bed. There was also a closet and drawers with plenty of space to store my belongings.

I enjoyed having a window in my room to peek at each port stop before venturing out, but I couldn't help thinking that a room with a balcony would have been worth the upgrade . That's why I booked a Sea Terrace cabin for my Virgin Voyages cruise.

Including the balcony, the cabin was 225 square feet with a queen-sized bed. Like Royal Caribbean's, this room had a desk, a bathroom, and plenty of storage space. But naturally, the room felt more luxurious with modern, sleek furniture and an in-room tablet with smart controls for the curtains, lighting, and entertainment.

On the balcony was a hammock and a small table with two chairs. I loved stepping out to see the ocean views the moment I woke up each morning, and retiring to my balcony at sunset restored my energy each night. It was definitely worth the splurge.

All the restaurants are complimentary on the Virgin Voyages ship, but I paid extra for specialty menus with Royal Caribbean.

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The Wonder of the Seas had 20 restaurants on board. Nine of them were included in the price of the cruise, like the main buffet, Windjammer, which served three meals a day, including French toast, burgers, and pastries.

The rest of the dining options, which had specialty offerings like sushi and juicy steak dinners, came at an additional price. I paid between $40 and $60 per meal.

Meanwhile, the Valiant Lady had only 12 restaurants, but all were included in the price of the cruise.

The Galley is Virgin Voyages' food hall. Similar to Royal Caribbean's buffet, there were several stands with a wide range of offerings. But unlike Wonder of the Seas, the meals were made-to-order, making them taste fresher, in my opinion.

Virgin Voyages also had high-end restaurants with a wide range of genres to fulfill any craving I might be having — Mediterranean seafood, Korean barbecue, and Birria tacos, to name a few.

I thought the food was good overall on both ships, but I found that the Virgin Voyages ship's meals tasted consistently high quality, whereas on board the Royal Caribbean ship, I had a mixed bag of delicious entrées and dishes that were just all right.

Royal Caribbean had more pools than Virgin Voyages, but the latter was less crowded.

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On board Wonder of the Seas, there were three large pools. The ship also had a water playground for kids known as Splashaway Bay.

Throughout each day, I found the ship's pool decks to be crowded, and it was hard to find a single empty chair after noon, making pool time feel less relaxing than I had hoped.

On board Valiant Lady, there were two pools, and both were smaller than the Royal Caribbean options but also less crowded. I had no trouble finding a place to lounge at any time of the day.

In addition to the main pools, both ships had several whirlpools and small plunge pools on the top decks.

Royal Caribbean had seemingly endless activities for kids, while Virgin Voyages had unique activities for adults.

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Due to its grand size, the Wonder of the Seas was packed with activities, most geared toward children. Inside was an arcade, an ice skating rink, laser tag, and an escape room. On the outdoor decks, there was a surf simulator, multiple rock climbing walls and water slides, and sports like ping pong, basketball, and mini golf. Adults could also enjoy dance classes ranging from salsa and swing to hip-hop and ballroom styles.

The Valiant Lady had fewer activities, but given it's a kids-free ship, they were more geared toward adults.

Indoors, there was a less crowded arcade, making it easier to play. There was also a larger room nearby that had large tables and shelves packed with board games and puzzles.

Outside, the Virgin Voyages ship had a playground for grownups with giant seesaws and swing sets, a jumbo-sized chess set, a foosball table, and a basketball court. These activities made me feel like a kid again without all the screaming and rushing around.

Both ships were decorated with art, but the Virgin Voyages ship felt more modern and creatively cohesive.

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The was no shortage of artwork on either ship.

Paintings, photographs, and accent wallpapers lined the staircases and some walls on each deck of Wonder of the Seas. There was a wide range of colors and artistic styles, too.

On board the Valiant Lady, the artwork matched the ship's design style with a bold color scheme contrasting a red theme and modern works in a variety of mediums, from iridescent mirrors to sculptures.

While the artwork on both ships impressed me, I preferred the art on the Virgin Voyages cruise. The array of mediums and cohesive style made the art feel more immersive rather than just decorative.

Both ships entertained with concerts, comedy sets, and acrobatics, but the Virgin Voyages shows were more immersive.

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Both ships had a wide variety of entertainment, from dancing and gymnastics to comedy shows and concerts. But only Wonder of the Seas had dazzling ice skating shows, thanks to the in-house rink.

On board the Valiant Lady, I found the entertainment to be more unique and immersive with events like Scarlet Night, where the entire ship was decked out in red, from lights and pop-up sculptures to guests who were encouraged by the cruise line to wear the color. On this special evening, entertainers filled the decks' main spaces as cruisers gathered around for intimate shows.

Both ships had impressive spas and fitness centers.

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On board one of the largest cruise ships in the world, Royal Caribbean's spa and fitness center was naturally larger. In fact, it took up half of a deck.

Inside both ships' gyms were cardio machines, strength and training equipment, and dramatic ocean views. Both cruise lines also had fitness classes like yoga, although these sessions came at an additional cost on the Royal Caribbean ship. Both ships had running tracks, too.

But only the Virgin Voyages ship had an outdoor fitness area next to the playground with kickboxing bags and body-weight workout equipment nodding to athletic social clubs of the 1920s, according to the cruise line's website .

Both ships also had spa centers with a range of massages and facials for an additional price. Treatments started at $100 on board Wonder of the Seas and $155 on board Valiant Lady.

While Royal Caribbean's trip was cheaper and bigger, I thought the Virgin Voyages cruise was worth the higher price tag.

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For $2,000, the Royal Caribbean cruise was a great value for those looking to spend seven days on a mega-ship with countless activities. It's especially ideal for families since it's more affordable and spacious, and kids will never run out of things to do.

But couples and solo travelers are better off splurging for an intimate setting on a unique, sleek ship made for adults who want to feel wrapped in luxury.

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  16. A-State walkthrough exhibit replicates solar system

    JONESBORO, Ark. (KAIT) - Arkansas State University's Voyage Model Solar System is officially up and ready for exploration, just in time for April's solar eclipse. The permanent exhibit takes ...

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  22. Royal Caribbean Vs. Virgin Voyages: Cruise Ship Comparison With Photos

    The Virgin Voyages ship was much smaller — 125 feet tall, 910 feet long, and 110,000 gross tons, to be exact. The 17-deck ship holds up to 2,700 passengers, according to the cruise line .