Royal Caribbean’s Wonder of the Seas: Overview and Things to Do – Cruise Hive

A new ship has taken the throne as the largest cruise ship in the world. Just recently launched, Royal Caribbeans Wonder of the Seas stands tall as the largest cruise ship in the world, overthrowing sister ship Symphony of the Seas, built in 2018.

Claiming the largest ship in the world is nothing new for Royal Caribbean. This cruise line has been turning out mammoth ships for years now. However, even though building big ships is nothing new for Royal Caribbean, theres a lot about Wonder of the Seas thats absolutely brand-new.

Need to know what to expect if youre one of the lucky cruisers snagging a spot on one of this ships upcoming itineraries? Here are all the details youll need.

Wonder of the Seas boasts some impressive stats, clocking in at

How exactly does that compare to some of the other largest ships in the world?

Well, the second-largest ship in the world is Royal Caribbeans Symphony of the Seas, which measures in at 228,081 GT nearly 8,000 GT less than Wonder of the Seas. Additionally, Symphony of the Seas only has 2,759 staterooms, or 100 fewer than Wonder of the Seas. Wonder of the Seas is also longer than the largest military ship ever, the U.S. Nimitz-class aircraft carriers.

Wonder of the Seas premier has been a long time coming. Royal Caribbean Group first ordered the ship in 2016, with an anticipated early 2021 delivery. Construction was moving along as planned up until the Covid-19 pandemic shut down the cruising industry, at which point delivery was delayed until 2022.

Bookings for the much-anticipated ship opened in early 2021, though (even as itineraries evolved to meet changing travel guidelines), and, in January 2022, Royal Caribbean accepted delivery of Wonder of the Seas. The ships maiden voyage kicks off March 2022.

Read Also: Royal Caribbean Takes Delivery of the New Worlds Largest Cruise Ship

So what can you expect with Wonder of the Seas 2,867 staterooms?

You have four primary stateroom options to choose from:

Whichever of these four categories that you choose, though, you can be assured of updated, modern, fresh interiors like you definitely wont find on older cruise ships. Think sleek furnishings that make great use of each space, for roomier accommodations even in interior staterooms, and muted color palettes that are a far cry from the bold, bright, somewhat-jarring decor of the older era of cruise ships.

Unlike previous interior staterooms, you can find interior staterooms aboard Wonder of the Seas that actually include sitting areas, which is a nice change. The ocean-view staterooms, of course, have that big, bed-side window, while the balcony staterooms feature well-furnished outdoor spaces and floor-to-ceiling windows.

Its the suites aboard Wonder of the Seas that really stand out, though. Elegantly decorated and incredibly spacious, each suite is designed with the full guest experience in mind, giving you a private resort-like feel that youll hardly want to leave. You could enjoy your full cruise in some of these suites and never even feel like youre missing a thing especially when you upgrade to Royal Suite Class.

Royal Suite Class breaks down into three other classes: Star Class, Sky Class and Sea Class. Depending on which you upgrade to, youll receive special benefits and perks. These perks can include

Of course, every suite aboard this ship is magnificent, but theres one that really stands out: the Ultimate Family Suite. This ship is the third Royal Caribbean vessel to include an Ultimate Family Suite and it truly is ultimate. The suite is outfitted with sleeping arrangements for 10 guests and comes with cool features like game areas, a hot tub and more.

So, have you sailed on another Oasis-class ship or even on an older Royal Caribbean ship and you want to know whats new on Wonder of the Seas? Here are a few of the brand-new offerings that you can expect, namely:

The Suite Neighborhood is basically an entire section of the ship thats only dedicated to those lucky guests staying in a suite (see the Royal Suite Class perks listed above!). Those in Royal Suite Class stay in this neighborhood and get access to a bevy of VIP areas, such as a suite guest-only sun deck with a plug pool and bar, as well as a private suite guest-only restaurant, Coastal Kitchen.

The new Mason Jar specialty restaurant is as you may have been able to guess by the name a southern-inspired restaurant that focuses on barbecue, Bayou and Low Country fare. Think fried chicken, gumbo and beignets.

The new Vue pool bar is a cantilever, panoramic bar that sits above the main pool deck. During the day, you can sip your favorite drinks while enjoying ocean views. At night, you can enjoy the light installation over the bar that adds extra visual appeal.

Lastly, the new Wonder Playscape childrens area is an outdoor play space thats great for the younger travelers in your crew, with tot-friendly climbing walls, games, puzzles, murals and more. Think of it as the coolest outdoor playground on water.

Give a quick look to Wonder of the Seas dining options and youll immediately see how dining on this ship gives you so many more options than you might find on one of Royal Caribbeans older ships. Just included within your normal cruise fare, you get access to

For an elegant sit-down meal, the main dining room is your place to go. The Windjammer Cafe offers your typical cruise buffet experience. For lighter options throughout the day, such as salads, soups and sandwiches, you can choose between Park Cafe, Vitality Cafe, Cafe Promenade and the Solarium Bistro.

If youre a suite guest, youll have access to the suite guest-only VIP Coastal Kitchen, with its California-meets-Mediterranean cuisine. For kid-friendly casual eats, theres the Sorrentos pizzeria, El Loco Fresh Mexican restaurant and the Boardwalk Dog House for gourmet hot dogs.

Your options expand even further when you look at all of the restaurants that are open to dining cruisers for an extra fee. Specialty restaurants on Wonder of the Seas include

As mentioned already, The Mason Jar is the newest restaurant in the Royal Caribbean family, and a nice change from some of the staple eateries on the ship, such as Izumi, Giovannis and Chops Grille, which long-time cruisers already know for their respective Japanese, Italian and American steakhouse-style eats. The Chefs Table is the five-course chef-led dining experience thats limited to 18 guests at a time.

150 Central Park is an Oasis-class-only restaurant that features prix fixe tasting menus. Hooked Seafood is a New England-style seafood eatery, while Playmaker is the ships sports bar. Wonderland channels the latest and greatest in food trends, like molecular gastronomy, while the on-board Starbucks and Johnny Rockets venues offer the same experiences you already know from these two brands.

And while, sure, you can enjoy a drink with your dinner at any of the above restaurants, if you want to visit a watering hole for a true bar experience, then you have plenty of options there, too. Wonder of the Seas boasts a large number of bars and lounges, including

If youve sailed with Royal Caribbean in the past, youll recognize a few of these bars from some of the older ships, but if you havent sailed on a newer vessel from the cruise line, youll want to be sure to check out The Lime and Coconut, the newer resort-style, pool-side bar space, as well as, of course, the new Vue Bar.

But you cant just spend all of your time aboard this amazing ship just enjoying your suite and then eating and drinking your way through the dozens of restaurant and bar options. There are plenty of other ways to have a great time, too.You can

Another major aspect of entertainment onboard the worlds largest cruise ship is the AquaTheater, located aft of the Royal Caribbean cruise ship in the Boardwalk neighborhood. This stunning open-air venue features slackliners, divers, dancers, acrobats, and more in breathtaking performances and shows. The venue also features the deepest pool at sea.

So, what are you waiting for? Wonder of the Seas packs so much fun into one enormous space. This brand-new, larger-than-ever-before cruise ship is the mega-ship that avid cruisers have been waiting for. See what all the fuss is about, when you book your Wonder of the Seas cruise.

As the largest cruise ship in the world, Wonder of the Seas has a gross tonnage of 236,857 GT and is 1,188 feet long. It has 2,867 staterooms to fit a maximum of 6,988 guests at full capacity (5,734 guests at double occupancy). It carries 2,300 crew members and features 18 total decks, with 16 guest decks.

Royal Caribbeans Wonder of the Seas is an Oasis-class cruise ship. All Oasis-class ships rank as the largest passenger cruise ships in the world. Wonder of the Seas sister ships include Symphony of the Seas, Harmony of the Seas, Allure of the Seas and flagship Oasis of the Seas. A final Oasis-class ship has been ordered and is planned to launch in 2024; it is still unnamed.

There are four pools and 10 hot tubs on Wonder of the Seas. There are three main pools available to all cruisers, an adults-only pool in the Solarium and a plunge pool on the VIP, suite guests-only sundeck. The main pools include a beach pool with a resort feel, and then two pools next to the Lime and Coconut tropical bar. Other water features include the FlowRider surf simulator, Perfect Storm water slides and kid-friendly Splashaway Bay.

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Royal Caribbean's Wonder of the Seas: Overview and Things to Do - Cruise Hive