Earlier this year Royal Caribbean decided to shift plans and send what will be the new world’s largest cruise ship, Wonder of the Seas, to Florida instead of China.
While it will debut in March out of Port Everglades, the company decided to shuffle its Oasis-class arsenal in the fall and send the ship up to Port Canaveral starting in November.
Port Canaveral has hosted three of its sister ships and currently hosts Harmony of the Seas. The line sails them out of PortMiami as well.
“We’re very proud to have Royal Caribbean’s Wonder of the Seas homeport here, and we look forward to welcoming her next fall,” said Port Canaveral CEO Capt. John Murray in a press release. “This is terrific news for our entire port community and another endorsement of our commitment to excellence in providing a world-class experience for our cruise guests.”
The ship comes in at 1,188 feet long, 217 feet wide with 18 decks and 2,867 staterooms. It debuts four years after the debut of Symphony of the Seas, the current record holder for world’s largest cruise ship. Each ship from 2008′s Oasis to 2009′s Allure of the Seas to 2016′s Harmony and then Symphony have been incrementally heavier in terms of gross tons so that they have been able to hold the moniker of world’s largest cruise ship.
Symphony’s size measures at 228,081 gross tons and has a maximum capacity of 6,680 guests with 2,200 crew. At double capacity, though, the guest count is 5,518 from 2,759 staterooms.
Wonder of the Seas will debut with a gross tonnage of 236,857 but have a 6,988-guest maximum capacity, the highest among all Oasis-class ships.
Wonder of the Seas remains under construction at the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France gearing up for its debut.
Unlike the other four ships in its class, Wonder of the Seas will add one more neighborhood among its design for a total of eight with the introduction of the Suite Class Neighborhood. In it, suite guests will find an elevated Suite Sun Deck with a plunge pool, bar and loungers. The neighborhood will be home to private dining experience Coastal Kitchen serving global dishes, plus the Suite Lounge. Dedicating a large space within the ship that’s exclusive to suite guests is a move similar to MSC Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Line.
For everyone on board, a new bar called The Vue will offer panoramic vistas from above the pool deck, and at night feature a colorful mosaic canopy.
On the top deck will be a new Wonder Playscape, an open-air kids play area with slides, climbing walls, games, puzzles and an interactive mural activated by touch.
Similar to other Royal ships, the main pool deck will get the Caribbean feel overlay that includes the multi-story bar The Lime & Coconut. It will once again include the three waterslide of The Perfect Storm, a kids waterpark called Splashaway Bay and oodles of unique lounge spaces such as hammocks, in-pool loungers and mini covered casitas.
Like other Oasis-class ships, Wonder of the Seas will still feature the Central Park space in the interior, Boardwalk, Pool & Sports Zone, Entertainment Place, Royal Promenade, Vitality Spa & Fitness Center and Youth Zone. The ship will also have the popular Ultimate Abyss dry slide, zip line, AquaTheater, twin rock-climbing walls, carousel, FlowRider and ice skating rink.
For its Florida voyages, the ship will sail seven-night alternating Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries with stops like Cozumel, Mexico; Philipsburg, St. Maarten; and San Juan, Puerto Rico plus visits to the line’s private Bahamas island Perfect Day at CocoCay.
Beginning in May, the line plans to take the ship to Europe to sail from Barcelona and Rome on seven-night Western Mediterranean itineraries.
Wonder of the Seas had its first steel cut in April 2019 with its keel-laying in October of that year. It was originally to have debuted this year, but the COVID-19 pandemic delayed construction. The ship successfully completed sea trials in August.
It’s the third Oasis-class ship built at the shipyard, previously known as STX France. The first two ships were built at what was then STX Finland, now known as Meyer Turku.
Wonder of the Seas will hold the world’s largest cruise ship title until a sixth Oasis-class ship, also to be built at Chantiers de l’Atlantique, comes online in 2024.
The Oasis-class ships have a limited number of home ports, first using Port Everglades when Oasis of the Seas debuted, but now regularly sailing from PortMiami, Port Everglades and Port Canaveral as well as from Cape Liberty in Bayonne, New Jersey in 2020.
