Just got back from Wonder of the Seas 1/15/2023 -1/22/2023

[NightOne]

Just got back from Wonder of the Seas 1/15/2023 -1/22/2023 and all I can say is WOW, WOW, WOW!!!

 

Best Overall Entertainment of any ship I have ever been on.

 

365 Seasons on Ice = Best Ice Show I have ever seen.

Intense Maximum Performance Aqua Show = Awesome! Hiro is still slightly better because of the music but Intense is properly named. How do those girls do it?

Effectors 2 = HOLY Superheroes and Villians = I was NOT expecting that. WOW!!! 

 

Food was good. Crew was phenomenal. Ship was beautiful. Crowding was not an issue with 6700 onboard. 

 

Loved this cruise.

 

Only small thing I would change is main casino smoking situation but there is a smoke free casino annex. 🙂

[Diver2014]

We were on this cruise as well.  Nice ship.  Not in our top 10 but still nice. Ice show was half of what they used to be.  We saw a much longer, more elaborate ice show on Harmony a few years ago.  The show we thought was outstanding was 'Voices'.  It was absolutely magnificent! (and amazing!) Agree with Aqua show - very well done but way too loud.  Head throbbed leaving. 

Crew were very good.  Friendly, attentive, plenty to go around.  No shortages we could see.

Food (always subjective) was good but we thought better on Harmony and Mariner. Loved the lobster.

I had the best sweet/sour chicken and the best Felafel sandwiches I have ever had in the Windjammer.

Plenty of room in the Windjammer even with the huge group of people with their kids that were aboard. (when I say huge, I mean over a thousand families with their kids).  Unfortunately, they don't believe in being quiet in the hallways after 10pm.  

We stayed on the ship this cruise since we've been to St Maarten, St Thomas and CocoCay numerous times.  Best time to be aboard!  We won't be going on Icon Of The Seas.  It's too family oriented for us (we're seniors so we like peace and quiet).   Still, a cruise is a cruise and it's better than staying home.

The most interesting things that occurred last week were the launch of the SpaceX rocket, which we witnessed from our dining room table as we sailed out of the port, and then watching the boosters land.  Also interesting was the abandoned life boat from an auto carrier that sunk 11 months ago off the coast of Portugal (per the announcement from the captain).  

Sad situation for people who were pelted with shards of glass when apparently some kids shattered the glass partition between balconies above the Boardwalk. We heard the Alpha Alpha Boardwalk announcement.  We also saw firetrucks and ambulance meet the ship Sunday morning at Port Canaveral.

Best thing for us, our departure time was 6:45 (self assist).  We were in our car and on the road by 7:15am.  Couldn't have been easier. 

Edited January 24, 2023 by Diver2014

[NightOne]

5 minutes ago, Diver2014 said:

We were on this cruise as well.  Nice ship.  Not in our top 10 but still nice. Ice show was half of what they used to be.  We saw a much longer, more elaborate ice show on Harmony a few years ago.  The show we thought was outstanding was 'Voices'.  It was absolutely magnificent! (and amazing!) Agree with Aqua show - very well done but way too loud.  Head throbbed leaving. 

Crew were very good.  Friendly, attentive, plenty to go around.  No shortages we could see.

Food (always subjective) was good but we thought better on Harmony and Mariner. Loved the lobster.

I had the best sweet/sour chicken and the best Felafel sandwiches I have ever had in the Windjammer.

Plenty of room in the Windjammer even with the huge group of people with their kids that were aboard. (when I say huge, I mean over a thousand families with their kids).  Unfortunately, they don't believe in being quiet in the hallways after 10pm.  

We stayed on the ship this cruise since we've been to St Maarten, St Thomas and CocoCay numerous times.  Best time to be aboard!  We won't be going on Icon Of The Seas.  It's too family oriented for us (we're seniors so we like peace and quiet).   Still, a cruise is a cruise and it's better than staying home.

 

I wouldn't want to go to a longer ice show. I've seen 1977, iSkate 2.0, Ice Games, and maybe some others and 365 was the best one I ever saw.

 

You know what they say about loud? If it is too loud then you are too old. LOLOLOL

 

There were just under 1000 passengers under 12 years old. I didn't have any issues with them.

 

Let's hear some of your top 10 so I can check them out. 🙂

[Diver2014]

1 minute ago, NightOne said:

 

 

 

Let's hear some of your top 10 so I can check them out. 🙂

1. Queen Mary II  2 thru 5. any one of 4 Holland America ships.  6. Radiance of the Seas  7. Crown Princess  8. Norwegian Pearl 9. NCL Norway (now extinct).  10. Paul Gauguin in Tahiti

[NightOne]

1 hour ago, Diver2014 said:

1. Queen Mary II  2 thru 5. any one of 4 Holland America ships.  6. Radiance of the Seas  7. Crown Princess  8. Norwegian Pearl 9. NCL Norway (now extinct).  10. Paul Gauguin in Tahiti

 

Sounds like Wonder of the Seas is the wrong cruise ship for you. 😉

[Diver2014]

2 hours ago, NightOne said:

 

Sounds like Wonder of the Seas is the wrong cruise ship for you. 😉

I agree, we won't be going on Wonder, Harmony or Oasis again.  Once you've been on them, not much difference between them.  And not really our style since we're not into all the water stuff, pools and

specialty restaurants. 

[Mikew0805]

I am glad you enjoyed it. I was on this sailing as well, and it was my second time on Wonder. I like the ship. I agree that the Ice show is my favorite in the fleet, but the AquaTheater show was my least favorite. Voices was a fantastic show again as well, I would see it over and over.

 

Food in MDR was blah at best, but Coastal Kitchen was great!  Crew was great everywhere, especially the baristas. Elevators had long waits, but that is normal on Oasis class ships. Casino is my favorite in the fleet, I would not change a thing about it. 

 

I have two more booked on Wonder.

 

 

Edited January 25, 2023 by Mikew0805

[Tatka]

4 hours ago, Diver2014 said:

1. Queen Mary II  2 thru 5. any one of 4 Holland America ships.  6. Radiance of the Seas  7. Crown Princess  8. Norwegian Pearl 9. NCL Norway (now extinct).  10. Paul Gauguin in Tahiti

We love Princess and it used to be #1 line for us even though we had only 7 cruises with them. Crown Princess during New Year 2020 made us to seriously rethink Princess. We had RCI Explorer for Christmas and Crown for New Year… surprisingly Explorer even though it was a quick 5 dayer won over Crown in quality. Food was nowhere near Princes food, paint was peeling all over elevators, there was some weird smell etc.

 

We like NCL Jewel class.. and it’s fun, but nowhere here Oasis or most other classes of RCI.

 

We were wowed buy  Queen Mary 2 experience overall - history on the walls, quality of PAX, entertainment in lounges, cozy state rooms - … but food was weaker than even RCI much less comparable Celebrity. We were in Britannia accommodation so maybe in higher ones it would’ve been better.

 

HAL still needs to be tried more. Zuiderdam in 2004 had very questionable service (room wasn’t made till we called at 1 pm 3 times a week, long and with many mistakes service in MDR). Veendam in 2016 offered good service, but ship itself was in questionable conditions ..

[lattegirl10]

Can any of you upload your dailies? DH and I will be on the February 5th sailing and want to know what to expect.  especially day 1, embarkation day.  Usually they have specials in the promenade area and free stuff on the first day but we are always too excited and tired and miss those things.  Please and thank you!!!

[crewsweeper]

Thanks for both of your reviews @Diver2014and @NightOne

We're on board in April.  Will definitively check out "Voices".  We've always enjoyed the ice shows and Aqua shows.  But yes music can be a bit loud.  

How were the specialty restaurants compared to similar on other Royal Oasis class ships?  Did Mason Jar stand up to it's hype?

[TheHawk1]

18 hours ago, NightOne said:

Effectors 2 = HOLY Superheroes and Villians = I was NOT expecting that. WOW!!! 

Really?  You must like to watch Power Rangers and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles then?  About the same as watching Effectors 2, only at sea.

[NightOne]

1 hour ago, TheHawk1 said:

Really?  You must like to watch Power Rangers and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles then?  About the same as watching Effectors 2, only at sea.

 

Yes, we loved it and we don't watch power rangers or ninja turtles. :)

[NightOne]

3 hours ago, crewsweeper said:

Thanks for both of your reviews @Diver2014and @NightOne

We're on board in April.  Will definitively check out "Voices".  We've always enjoyed the ice shows and Aqua shows.  But yes music can be a bit loud.  

How were the specialty restaurants compared to similar on other Royal Oasis class ships?  Did Mason Jar stand up to it's hype?

 

I thought the singers in Voices were phenomenal (same main singers are in Effectors 2) but I wasn't a huge fan of that show. Tap Factory was very good too (especially the gymnast) but was a once and done thing for us.

 

I seen Intense 3 times and would see 365 and Effectors again. :)

 

We had unlimited dining package and I have to be gluten free so my experience is different than others. I actually posted all of my meals on Zuckerberg's platform in a dining group started by Matt Hochberg.

[NightOne]

3 hours ago, lattegirl10 said:

Can any of you upload your dailies? DH and I will be on the February 5th sailing and want to know what to expect.  especially day 1, embarkation day.  Usually they have specials in the promenade area and free stuff on the first day but we are always too excited and tired and miss those things.  Please and thank you!!!

 

Dailies were only in the app (to the best of my knowledge --- I didn't go looking for printed versions) and I did not save them.

[NightOne]

16 hours ago, Diver2014 said:

I agree, we won't be going on Wonder, Harmony or Oasis again.  Once you've been on them, not much difference between them.  And not really our style since we're not into all the water stuff, pools and

specialty restaurants. 

 

I love Oasis class. I have also been on 3 of them and have the other 2 booked. I have been on other lines and would like to try HAL but Cunard and Virgin are definitely lines I will never be on. Not every line is for every cruiser. :)

[FlatFooted Freda]

16 hours ago, Diver2014 said:

I agree, we won't be going on Wonder, Harmony or Oasis again.  Once you've been on them, not much difference between them.  And not really our style since we're not into all the water stuff, pools and

specialty restaurants. 

We’re on Wonder now. DH & I are at the age we’re not too adventurous anymore. Realizing we are paying for all these adventurous bells and whistles that are included. Enjoying the big , new ship aspect of it. But not sure we’ll be going for Icon. Perhaps time to check out celebrity. Having said that, Royal often seems to just fit our schedule better. 

[danoconnl]

23 hours ago, NightOne said:

 

I thought the singers in Voices were phenomenal (same main singers are in Effectors 2) but I wasn't a huge fan of that show. Tap Factory was very good too (especially the gymnast) but was a once and done thing for us.

 

I seen Intense 3 times and would see 365 and Effectors again. 🙂

 

We had unlimited dining package and I have to be gluten free so my experience is different than others. I actually posted all of my meals on Zuckerberg's platform in a dining group started by Matt Hochberg.

 

Ddi yo uhave any trouble getting the reservations you wanted with the UDP?  we've had it the last two cruises and loved it, but I've seen reviews where the reservations are gong by the time you get on board.

 

Dan

[Fitzget]

We were boarding the MSC Meraviglia same day as you. Y'all left before SpaceX launched the rocket - were y'all able to see it? 

[FlatFooted Freda]

19 minutes ago, danoconnl said:

 

Ddi yo uhave any trouble getting the reservations you wanted with the UDP?  we've had it the last two cruises and loved it, but I've seen reviews where the reservations are gong by the time you get on board.

 

Dan

On the Wonder, we made reservations via the app - I think a few weeks prior to sail date. There were some non reservations able to get seats , I recall on day 2 show. 
Tap Factory on day 4 was fun. Had a Res but they didn’t even ask. Just let us in. 

[NightOne]

2 hours ago, danoconnl said:

 

Ddi yo uhave any trouble getting the reservations you wanted with the UDP?  we've had it the last two cruises and loved it, but I've seen reviews where the reservations are gong by the time you get on board.

 

Dan

 

I didn't get the desired time for the 1st night and I think I had to swap a couple around but everything worked out overall.

 

I was on pretty early and went to the dining line immediately.

[NightOne]

2 hours ago, Fitzget said:

We were boarding the MSC Meraviglia same day as you. Y'all left before SpaceX launched the rocket - were y'all able to see it? 

 

Someone on our ship shared some video of it but I did not personally see it.

[NightOne]

2 hours ago, FlatFooted Freda said:

On the Wonder, we made reservations via the app - I think a few weeks prior to sail date. There were some non reservations able to get seats , I recall on day 2 show. 
Tap Factory on day 4 was fun. Had a Res but they didn’t even ask. Just let us in. 

 

 I believe @danoconnl  was asking about dining reservations. :)

[Diver2014]

1 hour ago, NightOne said:

 

Someone on our ship shared some video of it but I did not personally see it.

We were at dinner when the rocket launched - I took some photos from our table window.  I saw the rocket lift off then watched a few minutes later as the boosters came back to land.  It was amazing.

Not great photos since all I had was my I Phone camera and had to take photos in a hurry.