Wonder of the Seas Honest Review and Tips

[nimbex1970]

6 hours ago, lattegirl10 said:

For all the people who hide ducks on the cruise, this is for you.  We were coming back from dinner one night and climbed the stairs behind the a couple of teens who spotted one and was sooo excited.  They kept saying my mom is going to love this what should I do?  I quietly walked passed them and said show your mom and then go hide it again.  Was I wrong??  I just loved the excitement.  So now before we get on Freedom next week, Im thinking about buying a couple to hide.

 

 

We LOVE hiding and finding the ducks,  I have 50 for our next WOS in May.  Ordered tags and everything.  They are to keep or hide, you decide, wink. 

[nimbex1970]

On 3/2/2023 at 7:11 AM, Teeara said:

I just posted a video on my YouTube channel where I tried to show as many of the slot machines on Wonder since they looked so different from others I've seen on other ships (we sailed on the WB TA).  If you're interested in the slots on Wonder, here's the link:

 

 

 

 

TY for sharing.  Any favorites of yours?  It was hard to catch the names of many of them, did not recognize them at all. 

[DavidMutchler]

9 hours ago, lattegirl10 said:

For all the people who hide ducks on the cruise, this is for you.  We were coming back from dinner one night and climbed the stairs behind the a couple of teens who spotted one and was sooo excited.  They kept saying my mom is going to love this what should I do?  I quietly walked passed them and said show your mom and then go hide it again.  Was I wrong??  I just loved the excitement.  So now before we get on Freedom next week, Im thinking about buying a couple to hide.

Hiding rubber ducks is great fun.  It may sound silly, but there are very sensible "rules" regarding where to hide them.  See https://thepointsguy.com/guide/cruising-ducks/, for example.  Have a great cruise!

[Teeara]

14 hours ago, nimbex1970 said:

 

 

TY for sharing.  Any favorites of yours?  It was hard to catch the names of many of them, did not recognize them at all. 

I didn't do any of them, but that one at the beginning with the cows had me intrigued only because I like cows ;o)))  I didn't recognize any of them either which was why I wanted to share them.  There was a lot of things in Chinese since the ship was originally planned for the Chinese market.

[lattegirl10]

Casino Slots -

You can't go wrong with Wonder 4, Stinkin' Rich and Lightning Link.  Progressive games were paying out the major several times during the cruise.   

[dunrobbin]

On 3/2/2023 at 9:48 AM, lattegirl10 said:

Here are a few more observations:

Room Service- We ordered room service every morning.  Why? Why not.... Coffee was amazing and tasted better when sitting on a balcony looking over the ocean.   We ordered pastries and fruit.  So here's another tip: The room service door hangers are located in the drawers.  For newbies- Continental breakfast is still complimentary and you can basically customize your order on the menu.  We just write extra this or extra that, and add ice or honey or whatever.  They will accommodate if they can.  

 

Good luck getting any "extra anything" anymore 😞

[lattegirl10]

I will be on Freedom next week and I compare the service and amenities.  

[lattegirl10]

Anything new to add????

[OCSC Mike]

58 minutes ago, lattegirl10 said:

Anything new to add????

 

Not new but since I've now been on Wonder (in June), I'll support your recommendation for the Mason Jar brunch. One of the best meals I've had on a ship. And yes, come hungry! My family of 8 ordered about 75% of the menu to share/try and then re-ordered a few things. Out server was awesome and encouraged us to try everything. The bar and band were also very popular there at night.

 

One thing that's new about it... the base price recently rose from $24.99 ($20.99 with 10% off pre-cruise) to $34.99 ($30.99). 😭

 

Here's my semi-live report for anyone interested...

 

 

[lattegirl10]

On 3/1/2023 at 9:41 AM, Travelw said:

We had three generations of family on the Wonder last year.  At busy times there are not enough elevators to handle the number of people.  Almost every evening when going to dinner the younger people would take the stairs while the elders waited for elevators.  The stairs always won the race.

Thank you for commenting. The cost increases are getting out of hand.  

[LuCruise]

Thanks for your review.  We'll be on Wonder in March and looking forward to it.

 

Wondering why you called out not to get the coffee card  We really enjoy it as an alternative to the drink packages, when they are too much for us (or don't want soda in case of refreshment).  

 

Too bad you didn't enjoy the shows, but can see them not being for everyone.  I really enjoy Royal's shows (but do wish they had a real Broadway show)

[OCSC Mike]

4 minutes ago, LuCruise said:

Too bad you didn't enjoy the shows, but can see them not being for everyone.  I really enjoy Royal's shows (but do wish they had a real Broadway show)

 

Shows are probably as subjective as food and Wonder's stage shows are pretty different from most older Oasis class shows so I agree they likely aren't for everyone. I'm not a Broadway guy and haven't seen a single one on any ship but I know many people love them (especially Cats, he says sarcastically based on comments I've read).

 

Voices and Tap Factory weren't really for me but in our family of 8, some enjoyed them. The ice show on Wonder was probably my favorite of any ice show I've seen. I also get why some people don't like the aqua show but I thought it was good, just different from the others. Different strokes...

[Tazzybear14]

On 4/4/2022 at 6:17 PM, sfjakey said:

Anyone else on this cruise?

 

On 2/28/2023 at 9:29 AM, lattegirl10 said:

Just got off the beautiful Wonder of the Seas February 5-12 and wanted to provide those guest who will be cruising in the near future some tips and thoughts about the cruise.  The perspective of this review is from an active late 40's couple who are newly empty nesters who love going to the casino.  We love to cruise the newer larger ships and have recently been on Celebrity Apex and Beyond, Virgin Scarlett Lady. We had an amazing cruise!

 

Pre-Cruise

 

Pre-Cruise Tip 1- Only on Wonder of the Seas-  Do not buy the coffee card.  Buy either the deluxe drink package or replenish package.  In Café Promenade, they have Starbucks coffee, ice coffee, frapaccinos etc. in Starbucks cups that’s included in the package.  Wait until 2 weeks before your trip to buy it because Royal always has 30% to 40% off or BOGO half off sales.

 

Pre-Cruise Tip 2-  Don’t eat breakfast before the cruise.  Drink water because you will do nothing but eat and drink all day.  So might as well pre-hydrate.

 

Pre-Cruise Tip 3- Download the RCCL app, check in, and do the safety briefing on the app.

 

Embarkation

Port Canaveral/Check-in- Very easy to park at the port, if you choose to go that route.  Best port to cruise from if you are parking at the port because the garage is attached to the terminal. Also, you pay either $145 or $165 for an 8 day cruise upfront.  Check in was super easy.  Just make sure you add your cruise pass to your apple wallet and have your passport ready and you will be on in less than 10 min.

 

Day 1 madness- Just know that as soon as you get on the ship everyone is on hyper-mode and full of excitement and anxiety.  Please pack your patience.  Rooms don’t open until 1pm so find a nice quiet place and relax.  Our room was midship on deck 9 and we discovered the Music Hall.  Best kept secret.... They have comfortable chairs and a view that looks over the boardwalk.  If you choose to get a drink first, you will not have your card so you will just have to provide your room number to get a drink, this is only for day 1.  For food, try Park Café (Complimentary), Johnny Rockets (they didn't charge us on day one) for your first onboard meal and not the buffet.

 

Room

Cabin 9606- This was a perfect cabin and perfect midship location.  The sofa was next to the balcony. The balcony was slightly larger because it was on the hump/angle of the ship.

 

TIP 4- .  There are no paper planners in your stateroom or available on day one.  Everything is on the app.  Just so you know! Also, they do not put the drink cups in the room anymore so you will have to go to the promenade to pick up the cups. 

   

Food

Main dining room- Our waiters Anil & Stephen were great, we had my time dining. Food was blah, and never hot.

Buffet- super blah

Mason jar- blah- over rated- 

TIP 5-  If you have the Mason Jar for Brunch, do not eat breakfast.  You will want to try all the everything on the menu so bring your appetite or you will be wasting your money.  Also, don't buy the Brunch and expect to order something from the dinner menu.  They will not do it.  We went for brunch because dinner was sold out online and I really wanted the Shrimp and Grits.  

 

Johnny Rockets- was good and fresh (Best hot meal I had onboard)

Park Cafe- blah no longer serve chips with the sandwiches, However, try the tuna melt and the roast beef sandwich they never miss.

 

Drinks

Drink package- Replenish was enough.  Im Prime in the Casino, so had all of my alcohol there.  The replenish includes milkshakes, sodas, specialty Starbucks coffee in Cafe Promenade, smoothies, and healthy drinks at the vitality spa and non alcoholic drinks.  

 

Casino

 I love slots and they were paying out.  Soooo many handpays and big wins.  I wasn’t lucky but everybody else was, everyday.  This is the cruise to spend that extra dollar in the casino. They had lots of new slots and I saw a lot of big returns. The bartenders were unfriendly and acted like they didn’t know what some drinks were but, hey I prime, Im on a cruise for 7 days so keep making it until you get it right…

 

The Golden Room-

This non-smoking area was never busy but had a few good slots that were always winning.  The poker tables were barely used and the staff there looked unhappy.  

Tip 6-  Play the Wonder 4 games, Medusa and Triple Sparkle they were paying the most.  Also, when you get out of your late night comedy show or 365 walk in the back to sample the late night buffet.  They have appetizers and chocolate covered strawberries.    

 

Entertainment - Tap Factory, Intense. Voices, comedians and 365

 Worse main stage entertainment I’ve seen on any cruise ship.  Voices was descent, comedians were funny, and 365 was good.  Intense was amazing but it was rescheduled several times due to the weather. Tap Factory was horrible.  Saw Wakanda Forever as one of the Movies in theatre and two other movies where they have the water shows.   Attended the silent disco and had alot of fun.  The DJ's are smart enough to play music according to the crowds.  

 

Cruise next

Don’t do cruise next until the 2^nd to the last day of the cruise unless you have a casino offer. Then wait for the offer.  

 

Random Tips-

If you are prime, don’t get deluxe drink package.

Ship temperature was cool, so pack a light jacket.

Try the Solarium Bistro for dinner, it’s free and is a relaxed Buffet setting.

Go to Vitality spa for your smoothie in the morning. 

 

I have more tips and secret areas, so just let me know if you have any questions........

We are going on the Wonder in October and we are curios about Coco Cay.  My husband and I are not water park or thrill ride people like we used to be..That being said is there any reason to purchase  the package or can we have fun doing other things without the package?

[OCSC Mike]

3 minutes ago, Tazzybear14 said:

 

We are going on the Wonder in October and we are curios about Coco Cay.  My husband and I are not water park or thrill ride people like we used to be..That being said is there any reason to purchase  the package or can we have fun doing other things without the package?

 

No reason to spend a penny at CocoCay unless you want to (aside from drinks if you don't have the package or vouchers).

 

Biggest pool in the Caribbean & several beach areas all with with free loungers and umbrellas, snorkeling, and my personal favorite... tons of yummy included food.

[nanseev]

Following this as I’m on Wonder in March.  
 

Interesting opinion on refreshment package/coffee card - I’m actually the complete opposite.  All of the blended drinks are too much sugar and bloat, and we get free drinks in the casino.  We use the coffee card for our daily morning coffee (don’t love the free coffee) and bring on a case of soda if I want something sweet when casino is closed.  We 100% get the value from our coffee card.

 

I will definitely take advantage of Johnny Rockets breakfast!

[OCSC Mike]

9 minutes ago, nanseev said:

don’t love the free coffee

 

You can speak freely... it's awful!

 

The Walmart brand I've made at home in my Mr. Coffee tastes better.

[lattegirl10]

Cafe Promonade serves Starbucks Coffee in starbucks cups, which is included in the replenish package.  But, this is just an FYI...... I can't function without a cup of joe, so I was happy to report this.  LOL!

[george35]

We will be on the WONDER Nov.5 & will be bringing 15 DUCKS to hide also on the Wonder Nov. 12th will also bring 15 ducks.

 

george35