Cruise on Wonder of the Seas – the largest cruise liner in the world

This ship is yet another creation of Royal Caribbean, a company that regularly sets records for the size of its cruise liners. Check out the epicness!))

As usual, my review is based on personal experience, no copy-paste or theory. A year after this journey, I created a separate playlist about it on YouTube. And I am gradually adding to it.

You might also be interested in a post about a cruise on the Nile in Egypt.

This publication about the cruise on the ship Wonder of the Seas by Royal Caribbean is still a work in progress and is regularly updated.

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So, instead of the canceled Bahamas cruise due to lockdowns, Royal Caribbean helped us set sail in the Mediterranean. There were no direct flights from Cyprus to Barcelona (the starting point of the cruise), so we traveled via Vienna on the way there and through Budapest on the way back.

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The Ship

You can’t describe the feeling of realizing you’re speeding through the Mediterranean on a massive 18-deck floating CITY. Just look at how the large ship NORWEGIAN EPIC appears when viewed from WONDER OF THE SEAS:

Ship profile on Royal Caribbean’s website: https://www.royalcaribbean.com/cruise-ships/wonder-of-the-seas

A journey like this is worth taking, if only because it’s not just a cruise, it’s a true adventure.

And it all began in the beautiful city of Barcelona.

After spending a couple of wonderful days there, we walked from the hotel to the Harbor with numerous huge ferries and ships. There, we found the largest of them all (and the largest in the world), the cruise ship Wonder Of The Seas.

Sizes of “Wonder of the Seas”

Wonder Of The Seas is 65 meters tall, 362 meters long, with a draft of 9 meters. Its maximum capacity is 7084 people, including 2204 crew members. Source of information – RoyalCaribbeanPressCenter.com/fact-sheet/34/wonder-of-the-seas/ (I checked, the link to this resource is provided on the official RoyalCaribbean.com website).

THIS SHIP IS 5 TIMES BIGGER THAN THE “TITANIC”!

Promenade

A large and spacious central street with Starbucks, a delicious pizzeria, many other cafes, restaurants, bars, and even a rock club with live music.

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I can’t say much about them, asI have been completely sober for several years.

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Although I can say something else on this topic — by giving up alcohol,you can save not only your health but also a significant amount of money, as alcohol on board is quite expensive, and bringing your own is not allowed.

I think I’ll highlight this message separately:

Friends, if you drink alcohol, keep in mind: IT IS VERY EXPENSIVE ON BOARD, AND BRINGING YOUR OWN IS NOT ALLOWED; IT WILL BE CONFISCATED!
(And, of course, don’t try to buy alcohol somewhere off the ship and smuggle it onboard).

The dimensions of Wonder of the Seas allow it to have its own ice rink on board. I would even say an ice arena. It hosts shows of a very high level performed by true professionals.

A variety of shows. Just imagine the magical performance by Jamie Allan.

You can fly over part of the ship on a Zipline. Pretty cool.

• The ship features FlowRider. FlowRider is an artificial wave where, under the supervision of several instructors, you can even start surfing from scratch. It’s super cool, and thanks to the specialists for their lessons, support, and advice.
• Waterslides – for every taste, size, and age! And, of course, there are jacuzzis too.
• A giant dry slide called Ultimate Abyss – a must-try!
• As for the area called Solarium, it deserves a separate mention.

Dining on the Ship

Some of these establishments are à la carte, while others are inclusive. We only went to the A la Carte restaurant Wonderland once (more on that below), and the rest of the time we chose the standard options. The food is excellent, with a diverse range of dishes from different countries and cultures.

And yes, there is a wide selection for vegetarians. (By the way, if you’re interested in my personal experience and review of vegetarian living, please go here. No propaganda or anything – just personal experience.)

Even pizza here is no worse than in Naples, which we visited as part of our journey.

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We started to navigate these corridors somewhat better only closer to the end of the trip. But it wasn’t an issue, as navigation signs are everywhere, and the friendly staff is always ready to help point the way.

By the way, the staff is amazing. A massive international team from dozens of countries.

The Royal Caribbean app is also very helpful for navigating time and space. It provides a comprehensive view of the cruise liner “Wonder of the Seas,” showing all the venues, activities…

Central Park

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Besides Barcelona, where our cruise started, we visited the following destinations during this trip:

• Mallorca;
• Marseille;
• Florence;
• Rome (+Vatican);
• Naples.

It is delightful to be in countries that, despite lacking natural resources, thrive on tourism and other industries, ensuring a decent quality of life for their residents. The difference in intentions, priorities, and mindset is clear.

Mallorca, Spain

Detailed post – https://kachkonst.com/mallorca/

Mallorca is a wonderful place — developed and colorful. I would have been even more captivated by this island if I hadn’t already been living for a few years on a similar one, located 2,718 km away.

After Phuket, I developed the habit of comparing the size of the island I live on to others. So if you’re wondering which is bigger — Cyprus or Mallorca — the answer is Cyprus. It has an area of 9,251 km² (3,572 sq mi), while Mallorca’s is 3,640 km² (1,405 sq mi).

What to Do in Mallorca

If you’re here for only a few hours and are in the capital — Palma de Mallorca, here’s what you can do.

1. Take a ride on the old tram (or retro train) that goes from Palma de Mallorca to the town of Sóller. It’s a beautiful ride and route, really.
2. Walk around Sóller.
3. If you’re there on the second Monday of May — be amazed by the crowds of tourists and deafened by the sound of firecrackers and people celebrating an event almost 500 years old. In 1561, Moorish pirates tried to seize the town, but failed, and in honor of this, an annual festival is held. You can read more about the Es Firo festival here https://turstyle.com/es-firo-malorka-soller/.
4. Take another beautiful tram ride from Sóller to Port de Sóller.
5. Have lunch at one of the local restaurants.

Marseille, France

The second port where we arrive on Wonder of the Seas is Marseille.

Where to Go in Marseille for a Day?

Besides Notre-Dame, in this beautiful city, during a 1-day visit you should (and need to) see the Old Port, the Marseille Cathedral, and the Le Panier district. The walk will be interesting and picturesque, but keep in mind — part of the path will be UPHILL (on the way to Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde), which might not be comfortable for everyone.

Details in this post about Marseille.

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Of course, talking about the beauty of Italy could take forever, but it should also be tasted! Therefore, a report without tasting the local food is clearly incomplete. Here are just brief snippets (but if anyone is interested — there are links to more detailed posts for each city in this article).

Florence

Detailed post – https://kachkonst.com/florence/

A new day, a new city, a new country. This time it’s Florence, Italy. As part of our 7 Night Western Mediterranean Cruise, we arrived in the city of La Spezia, Liguria region. From there, we took a bus to Florence. Wow… Beautiful…

Rome

Detailed post – https://kachkonst.com/rome/

Arrival in Civitavecchia, from there by train to Rome. At the same time, we visited Vatican City, an amazingly beautiful place.

It seems this is the first country whose geographical border I just crossed on foot.

The place is, of course, significant. I highly recommend visiting. At least for photos. And for the record. By entering Vatican territory, I had the full right to add another country to my list of visited ones. Yay… ) Ok, now let’s go to Rome. More details about it are in a separate post (link above), but here are a few pictures.
It’s worth noting that in the cities visited during the cruise (and not just during the cruise — we have a similar situation in Cyprus), I often saw the Ukrainian flag. And not somewhere in the backstreets, but on the walls of government buildings, landmarks, etc. The world supports Ukraine, and it’s immediately visible.

Rome Photo Gallery

Colosseum.

Oh, and one more thing. I was prepared for this, but I was still surprised to find that in the center of Rome and Florence, there were plenty of stores offering men’s clothing, but almost none with women’s. We barely managed to find suitable outfits for my better half.

At the same time, men’s stores had reasonable prices (considering it’s the center of the Italian capital), while women’s stores were at least five times more expensive, with a pretty basic selection.

Yes, that’s Italy for you!) Men pay a lot of attention to their appearance, many of them look like Hollywood superstars.

Pantheon

It left an indelible impression on me. Perhaps the most memorable part of this visit to Rome (apart from Italian cuisine, of course) was the Pantheon. But that’s not all!

Naples

Detailed post – NAPOLI

Napoli is beautiful. I would gladly return again to stroll through its stunning historical center.

Special thanks to the city for its amazing Neapolitan pizza! Mmm, it’s incredibly delicious, bellissimo!

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When reviewing your cruise photos, don’t be surprised — some pictures taken on the ship might have geotags of the USA, such as Hollywood or Fort Lauderdale, Florida. This is due to various mobile towers and systems being “virtually there.”

• There were representatives from over 90 countries on the ship. A small, cheerful, friendly multicultural kingdom. Like!
• It is worth noting that during our European cruise, there were many residents of the Western Hemisphere onboard — from the USA, Canada… However, when the ship sails on Atlantic cruises, it is filled with passengers from Europe. As for Asian guests — they are present on both! And rightly so, when you are offered two good options — choose both. 🙂 I first heard this phrase from Geshe Michael Roach, and it really stuck with me.

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The Wonderland Restaurant on Wonder Of The Seas

Everything is designed in the style of “Alice in Wonderland.” There is even a Mad Hatter. The cuisine is molecular or something similar.

Each dish brought to the table has its own preparation story, so the waiter explains that this little red thing is something like a dehydrated and dried tomato soaked in some kind of juice. Honestly, dear reader, I didn’t remember much.

Here, as far as I recall, there is both a salad and a hot dish.

The WONDERLAND restaurant on “Wonder of the Seas” is worth visiting for at least two reasons:

• To admire the various delights of molecular cuisine (even the descriptions of the dishes are astonishing). Why do I say “admire”? Because I didn’t experience any particularly incredible, unforgettable flavors. It’s not about the cuisine, but about my personal preferences. For example, pasta with truffles at the Galeries Lafayette in Paris — yes; thin, crispy pizza in Naples — oh yes; but molecular dishes, those strawberries made of carrots, and salads served on a teaspoon — not my thing. 🙂
• To meet the Mad Hatter, chat, and immerse yourself in the atmosphere of Carroll’s work. It turns into a light, unobtrusive show (in English).

There is a casino onboard. Just a fact. I didn’t visit it, so I can’t say much. However, I believe it’s not much different from other gambling venues.

Rock Climbing Wall

I personally enjoyed trying out the Rock Climbing Wall onboard the Wonder of the Seas. It’s not much different from typical climbing walls elsewhere, but the point isn’t in the differences. Firstly, during the short time climbing it, I gained a valuable life lesson, an experience that will stay with me forever. Secondly, it was nice to test my physical fitness and awaken muscle groups that hadn’t been engaged for a long time.

The Wonder of the Seas is so massive that it features two full-fledged climbing walls with staff and winches. Despite their size, they are not very noticeable and blend in seamlessly.

Solarium

The quietest and most peaceful area onboard the Wonder of the Seas is called the Solarium. No noisy kids here, as the Solarium is adults-only.

However, don’t worry about the younger generations—there are dedicated areas onboard for children and teenagers featuring various games and other entertainment (like spending an entire day glued to a PlayStation, for example), where adults are not allowed.

An undeniable advantage of the Solarium is that it is COVERED. I’ve been living in the Mediterranean region for several years now, and since our cruise also takes place in its waters, I know firsthand how hot it can get here in May. The beautiful glass roof of the Solarium on Wonder of the Seas not only shields passengers from the scorching May sun but also creates a unique microclimate onboard!

It’s more humid inside, creating a perfect atmosphere for simply lying back and enjoying the Mediterranean views from the best vantage point (you’re positioned above the ship’s bow). And in bad weather, you can take shelter from the rain and wind here.

There’s also a small pool with a jacuzzi that extends slightly beyond the ship’s edge. It partially hangs over the sea, offering a stunning view of the water dozens of meters below—truly beautiful.

When you get tired of admiring the waves rushing below you, you can lean against the transparent wall with your back and just freeze. Mmm…

The Solarium is located at the front of the ship on the 15th deck.

Music Hall

The Music Hall is a venue with live music, where professional performers play various pieces. We visited it only once and caught a full rock concert! We were impressed by the talent, charisma, and energy of the band playing famous rock hits. It was very atmospheric!

Why You Should Travel

I already shared my reflections on this topic during a Nile cruise in Egypt, and now there’s a new series.

A bit from my Instagram:

Trip of the Year. @WonderOfTheSeas – a magnificent 18-deck ship, the largest cruise liner in the world. It can accommodate up to 7,000 people (over 2,000 of whom are crew). Height 65m, length 362m. Saying that it’s wonderful, epic, stunning, delightful, grandiose, magnificent, and incredible is like remaining silent. Of course, with the richness of the Russian language (and the proper command of it), I could use even more eloquent epithets, but children and at least two highly cultured people are reading this, so let’s keep it civil (though, of course, it’s f****g awesome).
🥳
It’s worth going on such a cruise at least because it’s not just some trip, it’s a real adventure. Seven days, 4 countries (including the Vatican), 6 cities (I counted Mallorca as a separate city)… – and that’s not all. Even if the cruise didn’t include such a cultural program and we didn’t stop anywhere, there would still be so many different activities on the ship itself that boredom wouldn’t be an issue.
For example:
– A giant ice rink
– Several large stages and shows on them
– Special mention to the inTENse show – it’s off the charts
– A rock club and karaoke
– Boutiques
– Cafés and bars
– Great restaurants
– Endless variety of pools, jacuzzis
– Lots of waterslides
– A CLIMBING WALL (two of them!)
– An artificial wave for surfing
and much more.

For reference. The wake (kil’vaternaya struya, kil’vaterny sled) is the disturbed strip of water left behind the stern of a moving ship (vessel). Wikipedia

How Much Does a Cruise on Wonder Of The Seas Cost

[wpremark preset_name=”default-info” icon_show=”1″ icon_image=”info-circle-regular” icon_color=”#3da2e0″ icon_width=”32″ icon_height=”32″ icon_indent=”16″ background_show=”1″ background_color=”#e3f1f4″ border_top=”0″ border_right=”0″ border_bottom=”0″ border_left=”0″ border_width=”2″ border_color=”#3da2e0″ shadow_show=”0″ shadow_x=”0″ shadow_y=”5″ shadow_blur=”10″ shadow_stretching=”-5″ shadow_opacity=”0.3″ title_show=”0″ title_bold=”0″ title_italic=”0″ title_underline=”0″ title_uppercase=”0″ title_font_size=”18″ title_line_height=”1.5″ text_bold=”0″ text_italic=”0″ text_underline=”0″ text_uppercase=”0″ padding_top=”20″ padding_right=”20″ padding_bottom=”20″ padding_left=”20″ margin_top=”20″ margin_right=”0″ margin_bottom=”20″ margin_left=”0″ border_radius=”5″ block_id=”V63M”]In our case, the average cost was around $1,000 per person. But this is very approximate, because the price of a cruise on Wonder of the Seas depends on factors such as:

• The type of cabin (we had a room with a window and a balcony; there are also rooms with a non-opening window but no balcony, ones with an artificial window, or neither of the two).
• Moreover, the view from the window matters – sea view or overlooking the inside of the ship (ours faced Central Park).
• The cruise itself (three nights in the Bahamas – $490 per person, 7 nights in the Caribbean – $650 per person, our 7-night Mediterranean cruise: Barcelona – Palma – Marseille – Florence – Rome – Naples – $1,068).
• Much also depends on the booking time (the earlier, the cheaper) and the many discounts that Royal Caribbean regularly offers its wonderful customers. Even while onboard the Wonder Of The Seas, we could book our next cruise with a very good discount by just leaving a small deposit.

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Tips for Those Planning a Cruise

• You fly (in our case, from Cyprus to Spain via Austria), then sail through several cities and countries (in our case: Spain–France–Italy). So, to make sure you don’t miss an early excursion or other events, set your alarm, calendar, and other reminders to the time zone you’re in. Automatic synchronization might not work because it needs an internet connection, and not everyone has it 24/7 (it’s expensive onboard, and cellular coverage isn’t always available at sea).
• Free up space on your phone for photos and videos. As with the previous point, you might not be able to upload everything to the cloud and then easily delete synced media. Internet isn’t always available, especially for sending photos/videos to the cloud. As an option, you could bring a laptop to transfer your pictures, but that’s up to you.
• A power bank will come in handy. Really. Bring one.

Were There Any Downsides?

Yes, but they’re so subjective and rare that I only wanted to share them directly with Royal Caribbean. So I waited for the feedback form to arrive in my email (filling it out would have made me eligible for some prize drawing), and I started giving my ratings. But there were so many questions, criteria, points, and other details that I lost patience about halfway through. That’s probably the biggest downside – you can’t just send a brief comment on what you specifically liked or didn’t like (or maybe you can, but at the very end, which I never reached). You have to fill out a huge form with many criteria. Sure, you can find the necessary email on the Royal Caribbean website and write an arbitrary message, or even leave feedback with onboard staff, but personally, I didn’t have the time or the desire. I’m certain Royal Caribbean will be just fine without my feedback on a couple of minor shortcomings, and they’ll keep improving their cruises.

Minor discomfort may arise from the need to keep a lot of information in mind: arrivals, departures, excursions, walks, sights, etc. You can make things easier by PLANNING AND WRITING DOWN what you need in advance. And don’t forget to use the app – there’s so much to do on the biggest cruise ship in the world that you’ll want to remember it all while on vacation.

One of the Most Striking Impressions from the Cruise on Wonder of the Seas

It’s incredible, stunning, magnificent, grandiose, and spectacular! Definitely go see it at least once! AT LEAST! Because it’s well worth it.

No, of course, if you spend every week at shows like Cirque du Soleil, you might skip this part, but for everyone else I’ll say that this show alone is worth taking a cruise on the Wonder of the Seas!

Check out how beautifully the show preparations unfold.

Here’s the official page for the show https://www.royalcaribbean.com/cruise-activities/intense, but at the time of this post, it only has a brief description. Of course, you can google it and watch the videos you need. Or do as I did – don’t google or watch videos, but instead see it yourself onboard the Wonder of the Seas!

Wait, hold on a moment. If you thought this is impossible, just read the paragraph below.

I once lived on the streets of Moscow without money or documents, eating thanks to singing and playing guitar in the underpasses, then worked all sorts of jobs, and all that. A comfortable life in Europe on a beautiful Mediterranean island and cruises on the largest liners in the world was not even on the table back then. But it all worked out, it’s all real. So your dreams can also come true. That’s what I wish for you!