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A NEW ADVENTURE BEGINS: ROYAL CARIBBEAN’S WONDER OF THE SEAS ARRIVES FOR EUROPEAN DEBUT

Photo Courtesy Royal Caribbean

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The Ultimate Summer Holiday Sets Sail from Barcelona, Spain, to the Mediterranean on 8th May

BARCELONA, SPAIN, May 4, 2022 – The world’s newest wonder, Royal Caribbean International’s Wonder of the Seas, arrived in Barcelona, Spain, to kick off a summer full of memorable holidays in Europe. The fifth in the cruise line’s revolutionary Oasis Class line-up sets course for the Mediterranean on 7-night cruises from Barcelona and Rome beginning Sunday, 8th May. With a combination of brand-new thrills and signature favorites on board, Wonder is the getaway where holiday-makers of all ages can make memories as they sail to explore sought-after destinations such as Florence, Naples and Capri, Italy; Provence, France; and Malaga, Spain.

The adventures in store aboard Wonder span eight distinct neighborhoods – a Royal Caribbean first – that are filled with exhilarating experiences, entertainment, restaurants, bars and lounges to enjoy day and night. Highlights include:

New 8th Neighborhood, “Suite Neighborhood”, Photo Courtesy Royal Caribbean

• Suite Neighborhood – The new, eighth neighborhood welcomes Royal Suite Class guests to a private Suite Sun Deck with a plunge pool and bar complemented by stunning ocean views, and several returning favorites: the exclusive restaurant, Coastal Kitchen; the Suite Lounge and the grandest Ultimate Family Suite yet for a family of 10, complete with an in-suite slide, a cinema and karaoke area, table tennis and more across two stories.

• The Mason Jar Southern Restaurant & Bar – Already a guest favorite among Wonder’s 40-plus restaurants, bars and lounges, the new hotspot is where Southern comfort food meets Royal Caribbean’s hospitality and creativity. Staples and new twists on classics are on the menu for brunch and dinner, and late at night, capped off with live country music, farmhouse-style decor, a collection of whiskeys and Southern cocktails.

• Wonder Playscape – Families with kids will find a brand-new, outdoor adventure designed for precious quality time. Adults can partake in the games or enjoy watching from the sidelines as they take in the ocean views while the young adventurers take on the underwater-themed play area’s slides, climbing walls, interactive features that come alive by touch, puzzles and more.

• Fan favorites – A lineup of bold signature experiences are back, including the FlowRider surf simulator, The Ultimate Abyss, the tallest slide at sea; the 10-story-high zip line, and newly designed areas dedicated to kids – Adventure Ocean – and teens, Social100 and The Patio. Plus, awe-inspiring neighborhoods such as Central Park, with more than 20,000 real plants, and the Boardwalk, that brings together seaside charm and activities for the whole family – from riding the hand-carved carousel to watching the big match and engaging in friendly competition at the arcade in Playmakers Sports Bar & Arcade.

Central Park, Photo Courtesy Royal Caribbean

Also setting the stage for this summer’s ultimate holiday is the original entertainment across Wonder’s four “stages”: air, ice, water and theatre. More than 100 performers and technicians, and cutting-edge technology, come together to bring to life full-scale productions like inTENse, featuring the first all-female cast of aerialists, high divers, slackliners and more in the one-of-a-kind AquaTheater; and The Effectors II: Crash ‘n’ Burn, debuting this summer, where Royal Caribbean’s very own high-tech superheroes – The Effectors – battle it out with their archnemesis to save the planet once again.

Aqua Theater, Photo Courtesy Royal Caribbean

Wonder’s western Mediterranean sailings will continue through October, rounding out a summer splash in Europe with eight action-packed ships, including Odyssey of the Seas – also marking its first season in Europe. In November, Wonder will return to the U.S. to sail from its new year-round home in Port Canaveral, Florida, to explore the Caribbean and The Bahamas, including the cruise line’s private island destination, Perfect Day at CocoCay. For more about Wonder, including sailings open for bookings, holiday-makers can visit Royal Caribbean’s website.

Source: Royal Caribbean

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I attended a Royal Caribbean press briefing on the Wonder of the Seas, here’s what I learned!

Royal Caribbean’s Wonder of the Seas is the fifth ship in the Oasis class, is the cruise line’s newest vessel, and has claimed the title of the biggest cruise ship in the world!

The Wonder of the Seas will be sailing for two months out of Fort Lauderdale and then debuting in Europe for the summer season and finally returning to Florida calling on her “home port”, Port Canaveral in November.

Here is what I learned about various aspects of this brand new cruise ship from the restaurants, entertainment, how venues changed, deployment itineraries, etc.

Mason Jar - A Brand New Experience

The Wonder of the Seas has a new restaurant debuting called The Mason Jar. Wondering what happened to the other southern style restaurant., PortSide BBQ, which is found on other Oasis-class ships? Well if you enjoy Portside BBQ, don’t fret, it isn’t going away from other ships!

The Mason Jar is a southern-style comfort food restaurant and bar. Designed by Royal Caribbean executives as a southern extension, with really great music!

The musicians are originally from California and are a country, Trio. I will be having brunch here later in the voyage. Stay tuned for my review!

• Reservations are required; Brunch is 24.99 and Dinner is 39.99

• Late night snacks are also available.

• If you can’t secure a reservation, still stop by this brand new venue and enjoy a drink and the bar

A Royal Caribbean employee explained that the Mason Jar is going to be as different to Port Side BBQ as Chops is to 150 Central Park. (Chops and 150 Central Park are both steakhouses found on Royal Caribbean’s fleet.)

The Solarium

Originally, prior to the pandemic, the ship’s deployment schedule was set to have the Wonder debut in China.

Due to the weather and humid climate that you experience while cruising in that region of the world changes needed to be made to the design. The Solarium was built differently from her other sister ships on the Oasis class. These climatization changes were said to have become a new design favorite and we will likely see it on the Oasis VI (We do not know the name yet).

West Coast Operation

Q: When will we see an Oasis-class ship come to the west coast?

A: The hope is to continue to build out the west coast market.

• Currently, the Navigator of the Seas is operating out of Los Angeles and guests are loving having this addition on the West Coast.

As described by RC employees, the hope is to get an Oasis-class to the pacific but it is challenging due to the ship’s size they don’t fit through Panama Canal. Would have to go around South America.

Galveston, TX- New Terminal will be able to support Oasis and Quantum Ultra Class. Construction is ongoing currently.

Oasis VI-  What we know about the next new Royal Caribbean Cruise ship!

·       will be even bigger than Wonder

·       will be LNG (Liquified Natural Gas) powered

Fun Facts & How Wonder of the Seas was Westernized

Wonder was originally going to be deployed for China. Adaptations were made to make the ships appealing for the Western market included:

·       The Mason Jar was originally going to be a hot pot restaurant.

·       The Vue bar- initially was going to be a massive cantilevered hot tub, Oasis VI is still in design phase and may see this.

·       Didn't have a Lime & Coconut Bar, she was retrofitted to include it. 

·       Largest windjammer in the world.

·       Purpose-built bigger for the Asian market. But will continue to see an even largest Winderjammer on Oasis VI

·       Starbucks had to be retrofitted to be included. 

·       Signage was a big task to change as well, (Take a look at the back of your Stateroom door, it still has some Mandarin!

How safe cruising is today. After an emotionally charged few years...

Families, and friends coming together thanks to the protocols from the healthy return to service. Guests do not have to wear masks although the crew is still wearing masks as a recommendation not a requirement from CDC. 

Environmentally Friendly Vessels

Royal Caribbean is Environmentally focused in a number of ways that keep sustainability and ecosystems top of mind.

·       Every new ship becomes more and more efficient

·       Fuel usage vs Shore power. Ships have the ability to hook up to shore power so they aren’t burning fuel in ports of call

·        Limiting Food waste as much as possible- source locally when they can

·       Save the waves program- Encouraging guests to reuse towels if clean etc.

·       Oasis 6 will be the first LNG (Liquified Natural Gas) ship, this is the most eco-friendly burning of fuel for cruise ships to date. 

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