Cruising on the Largest Ship in the World – Royal Caribbean’s Wonder of the Seas

It’s always special to get to be amongst the first people to experience a new cruise ship on an inaugural sailing, and doing so for Wonder of the Seas, the biggest ship in the world, feels especially magical. We tried to explore her as much as possible during our 7-day Caribbean voyage, but what can I say – she’s so big, you just can’t possibly experience it all in one trip! Here’s my take on Royal Caribbean’s newest addition to its fleet.

The Entertainment

Our first night onboard we checked out the brand new ice-skating show, 365. I really love that Royal Caribbean has ice shows onboard as I think that’s a very unique form of entertainment! This show is definitely worth attending. While it’s much smaller than a normal ice rink, which limits the number of tricks the performers can do, it’s still quite fun and exciting. One of the highlights was a skater who did aerial scarves and acrobatics while in SKATES above the rink. Royal Caribbean hires former Olympians as their ice skaters so you know it’s top quality! 

Having an ice rink onboard the ship also means that you can go skating yourself during select free skate times. Where else can you ice skate while at sea?! The ice skating for guests is free and was in 20-minute segments, and depending on how busy it is they may let you skate longer. They offered it onboard in two 4-hour slots during our 7-day sailing, and we were required to wear helmets. Studio B, where the rink lives, is also where you’ll find things like the RED Nightclub and the Crystal City Laser Tag (an inflatable laser tag arena). Basically, they’re constantly changing Studio B to offer different forms of entertainment during the cruise!

Tap Factory is a show that surprisingly combines dance, particularly tap dance of course, with circus arts and percussion. Think Blue Man Group and Stomp with some extras. I don’t think anyone in the audience was expecting a contortionist as the main act in the show – it definitely shocked some folks. There was also an acrobat who did some balancing, gymnastics tricks, and aerial acrobatics. So overall, it was more of a variety show than a pure dance show. 

The big headline show onboard is their Aqua show at the Aqua Theater at the back of the ship. InTENse has an all-female cast, which is unique to Wonder of the Seas. While the full show wasn’t ready for us to see on the inaugural sailing, we did get to see a sneak peek, which included slackline tricks over water, 60-foot dives, aerial acrobats, and some very cool choreography to a fantastic soundtrack and light show (the projection mapping is truly a show of its own). 

I highly recommend sitting in the front row. You will get wet, and likely soaked, but it’s worth it, I promise! Just wear clothing and shoes that can handle being wet. Another tip is that they can’t do the show if the ship is moving too much, so you might be safer reserving a showtime while the ship is still in port. Seriously, even without getting to see the full production, we loved this show so much that we went to see it twice!

Of course, there are loads more entertainment options on Wonder of the Seas than what I mentioned above. There’s comedy and plenty of live music options, a karaoke venue, a music staged show called VOICES, and loads more. I’d bet it’s impossible to try everything in only a week-long cruise. 

The Food

Wonder of the Seas has the biggest Windjammer Marketplace yet with tons of buffet food options. I found myself hitting it up quite often since it’s just such a convenient dining option. I also loved the buffet over in the Solarium, which is a nice spot if you’re looking for a quieter atmosphere, though the selection is smaller.

I continue to be impressed with the food quality on Royal Caribbean. I loved all the meals I had in the Main Dining Room and my servers were fantastic. And classic spots like Sorrento’s… let’s just say I’m obsessed with that pizza. I don’t think I went a single day without stopping by for at least a slice!

There are lots of specialty dining options around the ship. My favorite one I got to try was their newest concept, The Mason Jar. They do brunch on sea days, which is what we did. This is southern cuisine with a dash of Cajun, and it is so good! I loved the chicken and waffles, the French toast, the cinnamon roll… really, everything was great. I’m only sad I didn’t get to go back and try their dinner.

Another popular restaurant concept is Wonderland, which is of course Alice in Wonderland themed, complete with its own Mad Hatter. This is the most photogenic dining experience onboard, but I found the food to be a bit hit or miss. I think it’s a fun experience and worth doing, but considering the whimsical nature of the dishes, some were more for TikTok than for tastebuds, if you know what I mean.

Wonderland Restaurant

Sadly, I didn’t get to try most of the other specialty dining options on the ship. I did have a lovely dinner at Hooked Seafood (I am never one to turn down an elevated seafood experience), and I would have loved to try Izumi Hibachi and 150 Central Park, amongst others. 

Around the Ship

First off, I love the Oasis-class layout. This was my first time on an Oasis ship, and I appreciate how open the design is. Spots like Central Park, with its real plants, make it feel like you’re not even on a ship. It also lets natural light come into places like the Promenade. You’re just not so locked indoors on this ship.

Deck 4 is where you’ll find the Entertainment Place. There’s the Royal Theater, Studio B and the ice rink, The Attic, Golden Lounge, the art gallery, Diamond Club bar, and of course, Casino Royale. There’s also Izumi Hibachi and Sushi, and one level of the Main Dining Room (it’s on 3, 4, and 5).

On Deck 5, the Promenade level where you first enter the ship, you’ll find the majority of the shopping options. There’s the Royal Theater, Boleros, Spotlight Karaoke, Sorrento’s Pizza, Cafe Promenade, Starbucks, and whimsical spots like the Bionic Bar and Rising Tide. The Bionic Bar is a robotic bartender that’ll make your cocktails for you while Rising Tide is a bar that rises up and down slowly like an elevator. So if you time it right, you can enter Rising Tide on Deck 5 and take it up to Deck 8 at Central Park.

Rising Tide Bar

On Deck 6 is the Boardwalk is a fun more family-focused themed area. There’s a carousel, an ice cream and sweets shop, and things like the rock climbing walls and AquaTheater are also located there. Also on Deck 6 is the upper level of the Promenade, where you’ll find Schooner Bar. At the front of the ship is where you’ll find the spa and fitness center.

Deck 8 is home to Central Park, which also has shopping and several specialty dining options like Chops Grille and Giovanni’s Italian Kitchen. It’s especially nice to stroll this area at night when they turn on the lights, and maybe sit here, have a drink, and listen to some live acoustic music. You’ll also find the Music Hall on this level.

Decks 11 and 12 are home to Wonderland, which I talked about up in the dining section. Deck 14 has Adventure Ocean, where the kids can go hang out. There’s also the Royal Escape Room here. I didn’t get to try this since it wasn’t ready for guests yet, but if it’s anything like the one I did on Navigator of the Seas, then I’m sure it’s a blast!

Then we’ve made it outside to the top decks! On Deck 15 is the Windjammer Marketplace, The Mason Jar, three pool options, Splashaway Bay for the kids to play in, two Lime & Coconut Bars (the Lime and Coconut cocktail may be my favorite Royal Caribbean drink), and two whirlpools. This is also where you’ll find the staircase that takes you up to the three water slide options, The Perfect Storm and Supercell.

There’s also the new Vue Bar, which as the name suggests is a great place to get a drink and hang out while enjoying the view, especially when you’re coming into a port (I loved taking photos and videos from here as we pulled into San Juan). 

Finally, we’ve made it up top to Deck 16! Starting at the front, we’ve got Hooked Seafood, and the top level of the pool deck with two plunge pools (they look like whirlpools but they’re cold, FYI!). There’s also yet another Lime & Coconut bar and El Loco Fresh. Then there’s the big outdoor entertainment deck. There’s the movie screen (where they play movies at night on deck), the arcade, Social 100 (aka the teen hangout place), table tennis, sports court, the Wonder Dunes mini-golf, a small zip line (which is free), one FlowRider, the Playscape, and last but not least, the Ultimate Abyss.

What’s the Ultimate Abyss? It’s the tallest slide at sea, a dry slide you do on a mat that takes you down 216 feet of slide and is a whopping 150 feet up above the ocean. You go from Deck 16 all the way down to Deck 6 on the Boardwalk. Sadly, I chickened out of doing this! Maybe next time.

If you’re lucky enough to be in a suite, you’ll find the Suite Neighborhood all the way up on Decks 17 and 18. There’s the Coastal Kitchen and Suite Lounge and a Suite Sun Deck, all of which are exclusive to the suite guests.

The Itinerary

Our sailing was a 7-day itinerary out of Fort Lauderdale with two sea days and four ports, which I felt was the perfect amount of time to explore the ship. Here’s a little run down of the ports we stopped at!

Labadee, Haiti

Labadee is home to one of Royal Caribbean’s private destinations, making it a great beach day stop. You can choose to just hang out on the beach, or there are plenty of activities to do.

For example, they have the highest zipline in the Caribbean! Dragon’s Breath Flight Line is more than 2600 feet long and starts from 500 feet up! Or, you can go down Superman-style like me on their Dragon’s Fire Flight Line (pssst do this one).

San Juan, Puerto Rico

San Juan was such a wonderful port because Old Town San Juan is within easy walking distance right when you disembark the ship. I really enjoyed just wandering around taking pictures of the colorful Old Town, visiting the fort, having some local cuisine, etc.

Nassau, Bahamas

Nassau was also a really convenient port stop. You can easily walk to many dining options and shopping, or take a ferry or taxi to some of their best beaches. There are also plenty of Royal Caribbean-led excursions you can book, like private island escapes. My favorite thing to do was to shop at the historic Nassau Straw Market. I highly recommend buying a locally made souvenir here. I bought a beautiful straw beach bag and another smaller bamboo-handled bag. Just make sure to bring cash!

Perfect Day at CocoCay in the Bahamas

Last but definitely not least, we had a full day to enjoy Perfect Day at CocoCay, Royal Caribbean’s private island in the Bahamas! This is really the perfect pool or beach day stop. We decided to spend the day at the waterpark, which does cost extra. However, if you’re into waterslides, I definitely think it’s worth it! They even have the tallest slide in the Caribbean – Daredevil’s Peak. And wow, that slide delivered. I don’t think I’ve ever gone so fast down a waterslide! But don’t worry, even if you don’t want to spend extra for some of the activities and excursions they offer here (like their private beach club and overwater villas) there are still plenty of great beach spots to enjoy and a very large pool!