Wonder 21/08 sailing - the good and the bad

[stir1987]

 

Hello everyone!

 

From a long-time lurker too shy to put myself out there I have finally decided to give it a go and post a little review of our recent Med cruise onboard Wonder of the Seas (my 12th RCCL cruise - for those who are interested I have sailed on Mariner, Freedom, Navigator, Explorer, Harmony, Independence, Anthem, Jewel, Rhapsody, Brilliance, Symphony and now Wonder).  

 

Rather than go on and on I thought it would be easier to break our experience down to the positives and negatives (but happy to chat and go into more detail or answer questions if anyone wants!)

 

Positives

 

• This was our first post-Covid cruise and so we were a little apprehensive, but that wasn’t necessary.  The check in and the pier was probably one of the best we have encountered.  No exaggeration, it wasn’t even 20 minutes from being dropped off at the entrance to the terminal until we were stepping foot on board Wonder.  This included a very thorough check of all our documents (including a supervised Covid test the day before departure) and a brief chat on what to expect on board - sanitiser, temperature checks etc.  It was a similar, very slick disembarkation process as well at the end of our voyage.

 

• The specialty dining is something we try to experience at least once per voyage however this cruise we opted for the 3 night package.  All three were excellent but having experienced two on previous ships (Chops Grille 5 previous ships and Wonderland 3 previous ships) we agreed Chops Grille and Wonderland were by far the best we had experienced.  We only really tried Wonderland as one of our party hadn’t been before and we were so pleased we did.  Chops Grille is always a favourite but the food and service this time especially was incredible.

 

• The shows and onboard entertainment were excellent as you would expect but two shows really stood out for us.  We experienced inTENse! in the Aqua Theatre which was hands down the best show on board.  We had been to the Aqua Theatre on other Oasis ships but the all female cast on Wonder took stunts and their performance to another level.  We also enjoyed The Effectors in the main theatre (I think it was in previews while we were on board) which, although incredibly cheesy with a predictable storyline, was made up for by the special effects and technology used throughout the show - if we hadn’t left it until the last day we would definitely have gone to experience it again!

 

• The overall look to the ship felt very modern (as you would expect) and the colour schemes used throughout the staterooms and public areas felt very cohesive.  On paper, dark navy, creams and browns doesn’t sound all that great but it certainly worked onboard.  I love all the different statement artwork located throughout RC ships and Wonder didn’t disappoint - especially on each of the stairwells!  Even on our last day we came across pieces we hadn’t noticed before.  

 

Negatives

 

• Too Busy.  Having experienced Harmony and Symphony previously, I thought I had a pretty good idea of what to expect with Wonder however I was wrong.  Every day seemed to be so busy on board whether it was a port or sea day.  Trying to find a sun lounger was a difficult task (despite witnessing the pool staff removing unattended towels etc on several occasions).  I’m not sure if it was the layout of the pool decks or not but I felt there were a lot less loungers and a lot more chairs than other Oasis class ships.  Similarly, it was difficult to get a table in the Windjammer (and one occasion in Park Cafe too) and even moving around the ship (and Windjammer in particular) often felt like an obstacle course.  I guess what i’m trying to say is that on other Oasis class ships it was always possible to find a quiet corner somewhere whenever you wanted but that didn’t seem possible on Wonder.

 

• Volume.  It seemed that everywhere you went on board had the volume cranked up to an unusually high level.  Obviously you expect it to be loud in the main theatre for a show or by the pool for a fitness class however it seemed to go far beyond that - the entrance to the Windjammer having a bluetooth speaker plugged in on the floor and playing music from staff members phone at or the pianist in the Schooner Bar being unusually loud that we left and went to the Cask & Clipper where we could still hear him!  As i said of course you expect it to be loud during performances or parades but it seemed to be constant and again, not sure if it is the layout or design of Wonder that perhaps made it feel like this.

 

• Repairs.  Being around 5 months old I was still expecting the new-ship feeling however certain areas seemed to already be neglected.  The mini golf course was where we first noticed it, the flooring had been completely discoloured (possibly by the sun) and in several areas had been ripped/torn - the worst part was by the first hole which had a whole strip stapled back together.  Admittedly, this made us look elsewhere and noticed the carpet becoming frayed and pulling away from the edges on the stairwells and in the Windjammer especially.  Clearly none of these things would ruin the vacation but for the newest ship in the world, you wouldn’t expect to see these sorts of things.

 

• One of my favourite places on Oasis class ships previously has been Central Park.  The calm and relaxing atmosphere and the sounds of the birds playing as you stroll through or sit and enjoy a drink as you people watch.  I felt this was completely lacking on board Wonder and it took a couple of days to realise why.  Presumably with a new layout for the pool deck, the installation of the giant poolside screen is directly above Central Park and along with it all the noise, poolside music and games travelling down and into Central Park.  The poolside competitions and music were great, just I feel if you want to experience them then the pool deck is the place to be, not Central Park.

 

• Although we enjoyed all of the shows and performances in the main theatre, we felt you really had to be on the main deck (Deck 3) as on the upper deck the sightlines and views to the stage seemed to be blocked by something wherever you sat - sometimes even by the seat in front of you!  I’m not sure if perhaps they were different seats than originally planned which affected the views but definitely a more enjoyable experience on Deck 3.

 

Thank you for reading and getting this far!  As I said, this is just a little collection of thoughts and experiences of our time on board Wonder OTS - if anyone wants to give feedback or has any questions then feel free 🙂

 

Chris

[molly361]

Thanks for the review 

[not-enough-cruising]

A big 1000% agreement on the video screen and the disruption of Central Park. What an absolutely asinine design plan. 

[stir1987]

23 minutes ago, not-enough-cruising said:

A big 1000% agreement on the video screen and the disruption of Central Park. What an absolutely asinine design plan. 

Absolutely! Don't know why it took me so long to realise what was ruining the atmosphere!

[CaptainBazz]

Great review...thanks for doing this. We were on the WOS in April. There were 5300 passengers on board...how many on your cruise? We never found it busy...specialty restaurants were max 60% full and we could always get a bed around the pool. We had a CP balcony suite and never had an issue with the movie screen or noise from the movies...maybe they cranked it up for the Med! CP was great for a drink with a small quartet playing most nights and sitting on our balcony with the lights and the music drifting around was great. 

Again, thanks for the review...always like to hear people's experiences on the ships we have sailed on.

[dhardawa]

Out of curiosity, how close to your cruise did excursions show up?  We’re cruising in March and, so far, the only things showing are cabanas and other RC owned things. 

[flamingos]

The volume thing was a problem on all the ships I’ve been on since the restart. I have no idea why they think it’s a good thing.

 

What was that about temperature checks onboard?

[CanHardlyWait4NextYear]

4 minutes ago, dhardawa said:

Out of curiosity, how close to your cruise did excursions show up?  We’re cruising in March and, so far, the only things showing are cabanas and other RC owned things. 

My Wonder is next May and lots of excursions are showing up. 2 sold out already. Just no Costa Maya. (But everyone has complained nothing showing for that location)

[stir1987]

18 hours ago, dhardawa said:

Out of curiosity, how close to your cruise did excursions show up?  We’re cruising in March and, so far, the only things showing are cabanas and other RC owned things. 

The excursions for the Med sailings were showing up pretty far out, this had been a lift & shift sailing for us from Covid so not sure if that affected them being available from more or less when we booked.  Cabanas were available to reserve as well but no shows or other entertainment, that was only available to book onboard which I would say was another negative!

[stir1987]

18 hours ago, flamingos said:

The volume thing was a problem on all the ships I’ve been on since the restart. I have no idea why they think it’s a good thing.

 

What was that about temperature checks onboard?

This was our first experience and it just seemed to be excessive!

 

When we boarded the ship in Barcelona we had our temperature checked (but those checking in next to us didn't - it seemed to just be random) and at two of the ports of call, we were checked before we went down the gangway by ship staff. 

[stir1987]

23 hours ago, CaptainBazz said:

Great review...thanks for doing this. We were on the WOS in April. There were 5300 passengers on board...how many on your cruise? We never found it busy...specialty restaurants were max 60% full and we could always get a bed around the pool. We had a CP balcony suite and never had an issue with the movie screen or noise from the movies...maybe they cranked it up for the Med! CP was great for a drink with a small quartet playing most nights and sitting on our balcony with the lights and the music drifting around was great. 

Again, thanks for the review...always like to hear people's experiences on the ships we have sailed on.

Appreciate it, especially for my first attempt!  I'm sure we were over the 6200 count when we were on board when I had euquired.  The speciality restaurants had plenty availability as was your experience, Chops was half empty but we did have an earlier dinner because of our evening plans that night.

There was a quartet playing in Central Park most evenings when we were on board too but early evening (pre-dinner drinks) we could still clearly hear the pool deck.  I had forgotten but we had a Central Park balcony on Symphony and thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere and experience then.  No problem, inspired to do more now 🙂