I have seen the press releases for the forthcoming Wonder of the Seas, the new Royal Caribbean ship scheduled to be launched March 2022. My, but it is big, and is geared toward families.
The ship is being built at the shipyard at St. Nazaire, in France, and it is intended to be the biggest passenger ship yet launched. So far. There will be a maximum of 6.988 guests in total, with a crew of 2,300. The stats are fascinating, because there will be 16 guest decks, two others for crew, and something that cruise ship designers frequently overlook, extra lifts. There will be 24 of these for passengers, I assume others for crew to use as well, as is normal. It is very frustrating on the day of disembarkation to have access denied to most of the lifts as they are being used to transport luggage. Fair to assume that this ship will be no different.
You will have nine dining options included in your ticket price, but there are a further fourteen described as speciality, which I assume will require extra fees to be paid. You will pay extra for ‘Chops Grille, Coastal Kitchen, Giovanni’s Italian, Kitchen and Wine Bar, Hooked Sea Food, Hot Pot, Izumi, Johnny Rockets,’ I do find it annoying when on a cruise you have to pay extra for an Italian, which let’s face it is a lot cheaper to produce than the usual main menu, and a lot easier to place on the table. Same goes for burgers.
Advertised activities include an aqua theatre, but no further details so far. Not too sure what this means, various intriguing possibilities here I am looking forward to hearing more about. There are also planned an ultimate abyss, an ultimate family suite, and a zip line. No, you wouldn’t get me on one, but there would have been a time I would have relished it. There are also a ‘perfect storm, flowrider, rock climbing walls, minigolf, laser tag, carousel, jogging track, outdoor movie screen, and something only described as voom. Nope, no idea either.
With a cruising speed of 22 knots, this is a ship that further extends the cruising ethos. Excellent, ideal for families, I can only speculate what they will think of next to keep all entertained on future behemoths of the sea.
