We sailed on Royal Caribbean’s newest cruise ship, Wonder of the Seas, back in March when she made her debut in the United States. During this 7-day Caribbean cruise, we got to experience much of what the ship has to offer.
From many of the dining venues, to the new bars and lounges, and even some of the entertainment offerings, we had a wonderful time on this current largest cruise ship in the world. That is why we were thrilled to be invited back onboard for the ship’s official naming ceremony last weekend.
During our second time cruising on Wonder of the Seas, we attended this special event with Royal Caribbean executives and the godmother herself, Marie McCrea. We also got to check out some of the new entertainment offerings that weren’t quite ready during our first sailing on the ship.
In this signature day-by-day cruise review, we detail everything from our second time cruising on Royal Caribbean’s new Wonder of the Seas.
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Our Second Time Cruising on Wonder of the Seas – Day 1
A Busy Day of Travel
For our second time cruising on Wonder of the Seas, we would be cruising out of Port Canaveral, the ship’s new homeport.
Our travel schedule has been a bit hectic lately with so many new ships debuting in the United States. Thus, we literally drove home from an event in NYC and hopped on a plane the same evening bound for MCO.
Arriving in Orlando around 11:30 PM, we took the approximately 45 minute Uber ride to our hotel, the TownPlace Suites by Marriott, located near Port Canaveral. This new and spacious hotel provided a comfortable night’s sleep before embarking Wonder of the Seas in the morning.
Let’s Get This Day Started
Sleeping in a bit, we checked out of our hotel and took the short drive over to Terminal 1, arriving around 11:30 AM. The check-in process was quick and efficient, and we were officially back onboard Wonder of the Seas before noon.
It was great to see the ship decorated for Christmas with a large tree and gingerbread house display in the Royal Promenade. Of course, we couldn’t resist taking a selfie with the Christmas tree.
We first made our way to our cabin, cabin 10638, to drop off our carry-on items. Since we were heading to another cruise immediately following this one, we did have quite a bit of luggage with us. Not to mention, I’m also an over-packer.
This stateroom was a balcony cabin and looked pretty similar to our cabin from the previous sailing.
Next on our agenda was a quick pitstop at the media check-in desk to pick up our media credentials for the day’s scheduled events. Then, we made our way to our muster station, the Bionic Bar, to complete this mandatory safety drill. Watching the compulsory videos in the app ahead of time, this drill now requires just a quick scan in at the actual muster station.
An Indulgent Afternoon on Wonder of the Seas
Since we would not be eating dinner this evening until 8 PM, we made sure to grab something for lunch before the naming ceremony festivities. One of our favorite lunch time spots on Royal Caribbean is El Loco Fresh. This quick-service outdoor eatery serves up Mexican favorites like nachos, burritos, tacos, and more.
We spent the rest of the afternoon getting reacquainted with the ship, making our way around the pool deck and Central park. While in Central Park, we may have stopped in the specialty restaurants for a few samples as there was a complimentary tasting event occurring. Of course, we also ran into many media friends along the way.
Around 3 PM, we grabbed our afternoon caffeine fix at Starbucks and headed back to the stateroom to do some basic unpacking before our next scheduled event at 4 PM.
This event was a food and beverage presentation with Royal Caribbean executives in The Mason Jar. The Mason Jar is a new specialty restaurant on Wonder of the Seas which has been a huge hit. We were lucky enough to dine here during our previous sailing for both brunch and dinner. We really like this new concept. Not to mention, there is live music and tasty drinks at the adjacent bar.
Officially Named
Following this presentation, it was time to get ready for the christening festivities. Donning our “Caribbean Chic” attire, whatever that means, we made our way to the AquaTheater around 5:30 PM.
The naming ceremony was scheduled to take place in this outdoor space at 6 PM. In the very prompt hour-long ceremony, we heard from Michael Bayley and Jason Liberty, President and CEO for Royal Caribbean and Royal Caribbean Group respectively. There was also a short highlight of the inTENse aqua show, a special bagpipe performance, and the national anthem performed by the Royal Caribbean singers and dancers.
The event culminated with the ship’s Godmother and Wonder Mom, Marie McCrea, blessing the ship and the ceremonial champagne bottle breaking on the ship. This is always a special moment no matter how many naming ceremonies we’ve attended.
Immediately after this event, we had a media cocktail hour up in the Solarium. It was great seeing so many familiar faces and getting to catch up with friends and colleagues in the industry. Who doesn’t love to talk ship?
This evening, we were on our own for dinner; however, specialty restaurants were invite only for this sailing. So, we decided to skip the MDR and enjoy some food at Giovanni’s Wine Bar. Attached to the Giovanni’s Italian Kitchen specialty restaurant, this wine bar features select items from the menu at a la carte prices.
We opted for some arancini, calamari, and the Nonna’s favorite Giovanni’s pizza, along with some tiramisu for dessert. Everything we sampled was quite tasty. This is a nice option for those who want to sample the specialty restaurant’s menu without paying the full cover charge.
An Entertaining Evening on Wonder of the Seas
Following dinner, we made our way to the main theater for the 10 PM showing of Effectors II. Effectors II is the sequel to Effectors which debuted on Odyssey of the Seas. This show was not ready for our sailing back in March, so we were excited to be reunited with our favorite Royal Caribbean superheroes.
In this sequel, Crash and his sidekick Burn return to avenge the superhero foursome. In our opinion, this show was not as good as the original. The story seemed a little redundant, and the music selection was not as good in our opinion. The choregraphed drone display was the highlight.
Still, I enjoyed watching Pixel, Reverb, Lume, and Captain Viz save the day by defeating Crash and Burn once again. I certainly liked the show better than Don did.
Next on the agenda for the evening was the inTENse performance in the AquaTheater. While we got to see a preview of this show back in March, the full performance was not ready. The AquaTheater is our favorite entertainment space at sea, so we couldn’t wait for the show. Unfortunately though, the performance was cancelled due to weather conditions.
Luckily though, there was still more great entertainment occurring around the ship. Thus, we decided to head to the Attic early to grab a drink and wait for the midnight comedy show featuring some of our favorites. Royal Caribbean fans will recognize Simeon Kirkiles, Paul Ogata, and Al Romas. Each put on solid set list, but Simeon just knows how to engage a cruise crowd.
By the time the comedy show ended at 1 AM, we were exhausted and ready to call it a night. Tomorrow was going to be another busy day.
Our Second Time Cruising on Wonder of the Seas – Day 2
A Perfect Day Cruising on Wonder of the Seas
Day 2 of this Wonder of the Seas cruise had us calling into Perfect Day at CocoCay, Royal Caribbean’s private island in the Bahamas. Though, we did have a press conference to attend before heading ashore.
Up around 6 AM, hubby headed out on his typical morning routine. Grabbing our coffees and taking a few select photos and videos around the ship, he was back in time to get ready for our 8 AM media event.
This press conference included Q&A with Michael Bayley, Jason Liberty, the Captain, and the Hotel Director. Discussions included info about Starlink internet, shore power and sustainability, future capital projects, and more.
Following the press conference, we grabbed a quick breakfast at Park Cafe and did a little work in our cabin before heading ashore around 10:30 AM. The Park Cafe in Central Park on Oasis Class ships is always an easy alternative to the buffet.
With two ships in port today, the island was a little busy. Yet, we were still able to find some seats near the Oasis Lagoon pool. Here, we relaxed for a few hours. One of us may have even fallen asleep.
A visit to Perfect Day at CocoCay is never complete without a visit to the snack shack! So around 1 PM, hubby grabbed some food to bring back to our seats near the pool. Chicken sandwiches, burgers, mozzarella sticks, and fries may not be healthy, but they are quite tasty.
After lunch, we headed back to the ship for our afternoon caffeine fix and a little more work before our next media immersion session at 4:30 PM.
During this presentation, we learned that the cocktail menus at many of the bars and lounges are being refreshed in 2023. We even got to sample two new cocktails that you will likely see onboard in the Schooner Bar. One was the desert pear margarita and the other yet-to-be-named drink featured a combination of peanut butter whiskey and pineapple.
Don’t worry, the famous lavender daiquiri will remain on the menu. Thank goodness!
Once this event ended, we planned to visit the logo shop to see if they had any ship ornaments. This plan quickly changed when we heard they were setting off fireworks for our departure from CocoCay.
We b-lined up to the aft of the ship near the Ultimate Abyss to find a large crowd of other spectators. Still, we were able to get a decent viewing spot for this short display.
Our Final Evening Onboard
All the talk about cocktails and lavender daiquiris made us realize that we hadn’t had one yet this cruise. So, down to the Schooner Bar we went. With cocktails in hand, we set off to Studio B for the 7 PM show of Ice Spectacular: 365.
While we did see this ice show back in March, many of the set pieces hadn’t arrived to the ship yet. Thus, we wanted to see the full extent of this production. After seeing this show a second time, we both still agree that it is one of the best Royal Caribbean ice shows.
Approaching 8 PM, we were both getting hungry, but our assigned dinner reservation wasn’t until 8:45 PM at Izumi Sushi. We attempted to check-in early without success. In the meantime, we had run into some media friends who were heading up to the Mason Jar Bar. So, we tagged along.
Chatting for 45 minutes while enjoying this bar’s specialty cocktails, it was finally dinner time. Neither of us are big on sushi; thankfully though, Izumi’s menu does feature other options. I opted for the crispy chicken and fried rice to start; Don did rice, dumplings, and the shrimp spring rolls.
For entrees, I ordered the Udon noodles with chicken, and hubby did the Futomaki roll. Then, we finished out the meal with some mochi.
While not our favorite Royal Caribbean specialty restaurant, the food was all pretty good.
Finishing up dinner around 10:30 PM, we hurried to the AquaTheater to get seats for inTENse. Since the performance was cancelled last night, we wanted to ensure we saw this final showing at 11 PM.
Surprisingly, the venue was not very busy. Despite being cold and windy, the performance did go on without a hitch. This all-female cast put on a high-energy show with choreographed dance numbers, aerial feats, and high-diving stunts. This AquaTheater show is a must-see when cruising on Wonder of the Seas.
While some of our friends were heading up to the Solarium for the Silent Party, we decided to call it a night. We needed to get some rest as we had another full week cruising.
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Our Second Time Cruising on Wonder of the Seas – Disembarkation
Completing self-assist checkout, we set our alarm for 6 AM this morning. This gave us enough time to get ready, pack, and grab a coffee and breakfast pastries from Cafe Promenade before disembarking the ship.
Waiting for some friends with whom we were carpooling, we were among the last off the ship around 8:30 AM. Scanning off the ship and getting through CBP was quick and efficient.
While our time cruising on Wonder of the Seas had come to an end, we weren’t going home just yet. We were driving to Miami to board our next cruise ship!
This time, we would be checking out MSC Cruises’ newest ship, MSC Seascape. So, be sure to follow along to see what we thought of this cruise line and its private destination in the Bahamas, Ocean Cay.
Comments
Have you sailed on Royal Caribbean’s new Wonder of the Seas yet? What do you like/dislike about this largest cruise ship in the world? Drop us an anchor below to share your experiences cruising on Wonder of the Seas.
