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Wonder of the Seas

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Wonder of the Seas
Wonder of the Seas in Málaga, Spain
History
Bahamas
NameWonder of the Seas
OwnerRoyal Caribbean Group
Operator Royal Caribbean International
Port of registryNassau, Bahamas
Route
Ordered
  • 25 May 2016 (MoU)[1]
  • 27 September 2016 (contract date)[2]
BuilderChantiers de l'Atlantique, Saint-Nazaire France
Yard numberC34[2]
Laid down9 May 2019[2]
Launched4 September 2020[2]
Sponsored byMarie McCrea
Christened9 December 2022
Completed27 January 2022[2]
Acquired27 January 2022[3]
Maiden voyage4 March 2022[3]
In service2022–present[3]
Homeport Port Canaveral, Florida
Identification
StatusIn service
NotesThe world’s third largest cruise ship as of July 19, 2024.
General characteristics
Class and typeOasis-class cruise ship
Tonnage
Length362.04 m (1,187 ft 10 in)[2]
Beam
  • 47.4 m (155 ft 6 in) waterline[2]
  • 64 m (210 ft) max beam[4]
Height73.2 m (240 ft)
Draught9.3 m (30 ft 6 in)[2]
Decks19[4]
Installed power
  • 4 × 14,400 kW (19,300 hp) Wärtsilä 12V46F
  • 2 × 19,200 kW (25,700 hp) Wärtsilä 16V46F
  • 2 × 2,070 kW (2,780 hp) MTU 16V4000
  • Total: 100,140 kW (134,290 hp)
Propulsion
Speed22.0 knots (40.7 km/h; 25.3 mph) cruising[4]
Capacity
  • 5,734 passengers at double occupancy[4]
  • 7,084 passengers maximum[4]
Crew2,369[4]

Wonder of the Seas is a cruise ship operated by Royal Caribbean International. She was completed in 2022 in the Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard in Saint-Nazaire France,[5] the fifth in Royal Caribbean's Oasis class of cruise ships.[6] At 235,600 GT,[2] she was the largest cruise ship by gross tonnage, until she was surpassed in 2024 by the Icon-class cruise ship, Icon of the Seas, also owned by Royal Caribbean International.

Description and design

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Wonder of the Seas measures 1,188 feet (362 m) in length and has a gross tonnage of 236,857 across 18 decks. This ship accommodates 5,734 passengers at double occupancy or up to a maximum of 6,988 passengers, as well as a 2,300 crew. There are 16 decks for guest use, 20 restaurants, four pools and 2,867 cabins.[4]

Facilities include a children's water park, a children's playground, a full-size basketball court, an ice-skating rink, a surf simulator, a zip line that is 10 decks high, a 1,400-seat theater, an outdoor aquatic theater with 30-foot (9.1 m) high platforms, and two 43-foot (13 m) rock-climbing walls.[7][8][9][10][11]

As with all Oasis-class ships, one of the special features on board is the Central Park, with more than 10,000 plants and flowers.[12]

Wonder of the Seas is powered by six marine-diesel sets: two 16-cylinder Wärtsilä 16V46D common rail engines and four 12-cylinder Wärtsilä 12V46D engines.[2]

For propulsion, Wonder of the Seas uses three 20,000 kilowatt azipod main engines, which are electric thrusters. These engines are mounted under the stern of the ship and they each drive 20 foot wide rotatable propellers. In addition to the three electric thrusters, there are four bow thrusters used for docking, each with 5,500 kilowatts of power or 7,380 horsepower.[2]

Construction and career

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Wonder of the Seas under construction in Saint-Nazaire France in 2020
Wonder of the Seas in Port of Naples

On 25 May 2016, the Royal Caribbean Group signed a memorandum of understanding with STX France (now Chantiers de l'Atlantique) for a fifth Oasis-class ship for delivery in the spring of 2021.[13] and two more ships of the Edge class.[14] The first steel for the new ship was cut at the Saint-Nazaire shipyard in April 2019,[15] and the vessel's keel was laid on 9 May 2019.[2] Construction cost £1 billion.[16]

In August 2020, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Royal Caribbean announced that delivery of the ship would be delayed until 2022.[17]

In April 2021, Royal Caribbean opened bookings aboard Wonder of the Seas for an inaugural 2022 season sailing in Asia from ports in Shanghai and Hong Kong.[18][19] However, in September of that year, Royal Caribbean announced that the ship would instead debut at Port Everglades, sailing Caribbean cruises, before moving to the Mediterranean in the summer, sailing out of Barcelona and Rome.[20] In November 2021, the ship's livery was modified to resemble that of Odyssey of the Seas, with her name moved rearward and repainted in larger print.[21] The following month, Royal Caribbean announced that the ship would homeport at Port Canaveral, Florida starting in November 2022.[22]

On 29 October 2021, Royal Caribbean accepted the ship for "technical delivery", and the following week she sailed under her own power from Saint-Nazaire to a Chantier Naval de Marseille drydock in Marseille-Fos Port for finishing work.[23][24] On 27 January 2022, the ship was handed over to Royal Caribbean.[25][26] Wonder of the Seas commenced her maiden voyage on 4 March 2022 out of Port Everglades, Florida.[27] On 9 December 2022, she was christened by Marie McCrea, the ship's godmother, who bestowed her blessing amongst the vessel.[28]

Since her maiden voyage in 2022, Wonder of the Seas has been commanded by masters Rob Hempstead and Trym Selvag.[29][30]

Incidents

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  • In November 2022, a Wonder of the Seas crewmember died by suicide after going overboard the ship. The crewmember reportedly had asked for leave to return home and had been denied prior to their death.[31][32]
  • In August 2023, 19-year-old college student Sigmund Ropich went overboard Wonder of the Seas while on a Caribbean cruise with his friend and their family.[33] Despite a search by the ship and the Cuban Coast Guard, Ropich has never been found.[34]

References

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  1. ^ "Royal Caribbean Cruises Expands Oasis and Edge-Class" (Press release). Royal Caribbean Group. Royal Caribbean Press Center. 25 May 2016. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "Wonder of the Seas (38209)". Vessel Register for DNV. DNV. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  3. ^ a b c "It's Official: World's Newest Wonder Joins Royal Caribbean International". Royal Caribbean Press Center (Press release). 27 January 2022. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g "Wonder of the Seas Fact Sheet". Royal Caribbean Press Center. Royal Caribbean Group. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  5. ^ Valadnina, Michèle (5 November 2021). "Wonder of the Seas heading from Chantiers to Marseille". Seatrade Cruise News. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  6. ^ Tribou, Richard. "Royal Caribbean takes delivery of Florida-bound largest cruise ship in the world". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  7. ^ Godfrey, Kara (4 October 2021). "Inside world's largest cruise ship". news.com.au. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  8. ^ "Wonder Playscape | Kid Friendly Cruise | Royal Caribbean Cruises". Wonder Playscape. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
  9. ^ "Zip Line - Onboard Activity | Cruise Activities | Royal Caribbean". Zip Line. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
  10. ^ "Things to Do | Wonder of the Seas | Royal Caribbean Cruises". Things to Do. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  11. ^ International, Royal Caribbean. "World's Newest Wonder Sets Course For U.S. And Europe". www.prnewswire.com (Press release). Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  12. ^ "How to Spend an Incredible Day in Central Park | Royal Caribbean Blog". Royal Caribbean Connect. 25 May 2016. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  13. ^ Sloan, Gene. "World's largest cruise ship to get a sister in 2021". USA TODAY. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  14. ^ ROYAL CARIBBEAN CRUISES EXPANDS OASIS AND EDGE-CLASS (25 May 2016)
  15. ^ Storey, Ken (30 April 2019). "Royal Caribbean announces new 'world's largest cruise ship'". Orlando Weekly. Euclid Media Group. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  16. ^ Network, MI News (7 March 2022). "World's Largest Cruise Ship 'Wonder Of The Seas' Sets Sail From US". Marine Insight. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
  17. ^ Mathisen, Monty (10 August 2020). "Royal Caribbean Newbuilds Will Be Delayed". www.cruiseindustrynews.com. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  18. ^ Schmidt, Ann (21 April 2021). "Royal Caribbean makes 'world's largest cruise ship' available for booking". Fox News. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  19. ^ Thiruvengadam, Meena (21 April 2021). "Royal Caribbean's Newest Supersize Cruise Ship Will Make Its Debut in China Next Year". Travel + Leisure. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  20. ^ Kalosh, Anne (15 September 2021). "Wonder of the Seas to debut in US and Europe, not China". seatrade-cruise.com. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  21. ^ "Royal Caribbean adding giant name to side of Wonder of the Seas". Royal Caribbean Blog. 27 November 2021. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
  22. ^ "Royal Caribbean's Wonder to Homeport at Port Canaveral For 2022-2023". Cruise Industry News. 15 December 2021. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  23. ^ Valandina, Michèle (5 November 2021). "Wonder of the Seas heading from Chantiers to Marseille (*updated*)". seatrade-cruise.com. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  24. ^ "Royal Caribbean's New Wonder of the Seas Set to Sail from Chantiers". Cruise Industry News. 4 November 2021. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  25. ^ Kalosh, Anne (27 January 2022). "Wonder of the Seas is delivered to Royal Caribbean". seatrade-cruise.com. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  26. ^ "Royal Caribbean Takes Delivery of Wonder of the Seas". highseascruising.com. 27 January 2022. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  27. ^ Gill, Tamara (21 February 2022). "The world's biggest cruise ship is making its debut". CNN. p. 1. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
  28. ^ "ROYAL CARIBBEAN NAMES WONDER MOM AS GODMOTHER OF WONDER OF THE SEAS". www.royalcaribbeanpresscenter.com. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
  29. ^ "Will a cruise ship wait for me if I'm running late at a port stop? Here's what a captain has to say". Yahoo News. 21 August 2023. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
  30. ^ "Just Back from Wonder of the Seas - Top 3 / Bottom 3". Royal Caribbean Blog. 1 October 2023. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
  31. ^ Walker, Jim (18 November 2022). "Crew Member on Royal Caribbean's Wonder of the Seas Ends His Life". Cruise Law News. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
  32. ^ Rahman, Khaleda (22 November 2022). "Cruise ship worker took own life after not being allowed to leave: Report". Newsweek. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
  33. ^ "Teen who fell overboard from world's largest cruise ship is identified". The Independent. 7 September 2023. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
  34. ^ Watson, Melissa Alonso,Caroll Alvarado,Michelle (2 September 2023). "A 19-year-old Texan went overboard from a cruise ship. An ongoing search has yet to find him". CNN. Retrieved 14 December 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)


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