As experienced cruisers, we were very skeptical when we booked our trip on the world’s largest cruise ship, Royal Caribbean’s Wonder of the Seas. But it seemed to be a great choice for taking our grandsons on their first cruise, so we decided to give it a try.
Filled with water slides, rock climbing walls, a miniature golf course and lots of other amenities, we were certain the thrill-a-minute possibilities would keep the grandkids entertained. Plus, with two “private island” stops and two other Caribbean ports, we thought this would be a great blend of fantasy and reality for our young first-time cruisers.
Now that we’re back, we couldn’t be happier about our choice. We loved several aspects of the trip on Wonder of the Seas, including some that were surprising. We discovered that cruise ship shows can rival top-flight theatrical spectacles. And we learned a few things that would make a return trip on Wonder of the Seas even better.
5 Favorites on Wonder of the Seas
We loved sailing on Wonder of the Seas for five reasons, including a few surprises:
- “Free” Family Food Options. We traveled with two picky pre-pubescent eaters. So, we were happy the dining outlets featured lots of familiar, family-friendly foods in addition to themed, regional and more exotic options. Burgers, hot dogs, chicken nuggets, tacos, spaghetti and other kid favorites are available everywhere without extra cost.
- Plethora of Pools. Wonder of the Seas features four outdoor pools for families. Each includes an extended “soaking” area equipped with water loungers. That means parents can sit in the cool water without joining in the active pools. Plus, there’s a massive kids area for youngsters and three multi-story water slides for the brave. A quiet adult-only pool and hot tub area prohibits the under-18 crowd.
- Specialty Restaurant Options. We enjoyed most of our meals in the huge buffet area and main dining rooms. But Wonder of the Seas features a wide array of specialty dining available for a small upcharge. Whether you want bar favorites, drive-in fare, Italian, steaks, seafood, sushi, exotic menus or Southern comfort food, there’s a specialty restaurant to meet your culinary cravings — all at a reasonable upcharge.
- Early Mornings On Board. When you’re on the world’s largest cruise ship, solitude is a challenge. But we loved early morning walks around this floating island, using these uncrowded times to explore and get our easy exercise. Aside from the dedicated walking track around deck five, our favorite was strolling through the ship’s Central Park. As the name implies, it’s a park-like setting featuring a strolling path through a park-like setting, with small restaurants on each side. Bird songs play in the background to complete the experience.
- Embarkation and Disembarkation. Sailing on a full ship with nearly 7,000 others, we dreaded the embarkation process during our drive down. We had read horror stories of long delays on other lines, and feared the worst. But, without a doubt, our embarkation and disembarkation was the easiest, most convenient and fastest of any ship we’ve sailed. And that includes a 1,500 passenger small ship!
Top-Flight Entertainment
How can we describe the shows best? Think about combining Las Vegas-style Cirque de Soleil acts and immersive high-tech sets, staging and props. Then add emotional soundtracks. And deliver it all in intimate settings. Plus, throw in a few circus-style high wire acts — performed while the ship is in motion on the ocean.
How good were the shows? Well, we’d pay admission to see several again if they came to a nearby venue. That’s especially true of our two favorites, InTENse and Voices.
InTENse lives up to its name, including the capitalization. This water-based show performed in the outdoor aqua-theatre at the ship’s stern featured a high-wire act, dancing, water ballet, high dives, acrobatics, aquabatics, and a sensational synchronized slackline ballet. An all-female cast performed the show.
Voices delivers an immersive musical experience combining live singers with a recorded music and video track delivered without the use of musical instruments. Instead, all the background music is performed by sound generating musical impersonators featured on the immense video walls.
In addition to these two marquis shows, Wonder featured a full array of comedic, music and other theatrical performances. There was even an ice skating show, complete with a Caribbean snowfall during the performance — a true Wonder of the Seas.
And 3 Dislikes
Now, it has always seemed to be incredibly bad manners for a family to take a cruise vacation then complain about what they didn’t like. After all, unless you were one of the unfortunates stranded on a ship at the onset of COVID, you likely had some enjoyable time exploring fun ports and partaking in the party times on the ship.
So, let’s get this out of the way: We loved our trip on Wonder of the Seas. It was a near-perfect getaway, especially since we chose the ship largely because we were taking our pre-pubescent grandsons on their first cruise.
But, as experienced cruisers, there were few things that could have been better. We share these not as complaints, but to help prepare those who may be considering a similar cruise. Here are the three things we disliked, and would avoid on another journey:
- Buffet food quality. While there were some excellent foods available at the family-oriented buffets, many of the regional or themed food options were average — at best. We found the Asian, Caribbean, Italian and Mexican offers at the buffet bland and lacking in authentic flavors. If you’re looking for better versions, try the specialty restaurants. Or just stick to the “familiar favorites” at the buffet.
- Crowds. OK, so you have to expect those on the world’s largest cruise ship. But just beware of a few of the worst, including peak times at all the pools, common areas near entertainment venues at start and end times, and excursion departures. For pools, we found mornings and afternoons after 4 pm the least crowded.
- Mandatory Cabin Gratuities. This practice is common on all cruise lines, and doesn’t bother us for food and beverage service. And we applaud cabin crew rewards. But charging a flat, per-person mandatory gratuity for cabin service — especially with four people in a cabin — adds up quickly. Except for making an extra bed, the work required to support a two-person and four-person cabin nearly is identical. So, maybe give families a break and reduce the mandatory cabin gratuity for the third and fourth guest.
Plus One Wonderful Coincidence
Most of our family lives in Louisiana, and our school breaks don’t often align. Our niece and her family told us they had booked a Mardi Gras-time cruise. Then, we booked our cruise during Cobb County, GA, spring break to travel with our grandkids. Wouldn’t you know it — this was the once-ever-10-year-time the break coincided. And we booked on the exact same cruise without knowing it! This turned out to be a great coincidence, as we got to visit a few times at poolside, and the kids got to hang out together. Plus, we had a great time watching our great-nieces try out the onboard boogie board feature.
We’d Do It Again
Again, we had a great time on Wonder of the Seas. And though we booked with trepidation, we may even consider a future adult-only return trip during a time when there aren’t as likely to be quite so many kids. We still have lots to experience and explore onboard, and we wouldn’t hesitate to sail again despite the minor dislikes.
