Changes on Wonder of the Seas compared to other Oasis ships

[TheHawk1]

Having just completed a cruise on WOTS, thought I would provide some observations about what's new and/or different on this particular ship.  While not an expert cruiser, I have been on all five Oasis ships, so feel able to comment on how the newest ship compares to the others:

 

• Larger public eating spaces.  The most noticeable improvement is the larger Windjammer, which has a horseshoe design with much more seating and window areas.  Other eating places like El Loco Fresh and Park Cafe also have larger seating spaces than previous ships (although Symphony did have a larger Park too)
• New bar areas.  The Vue bar has replaced one of the hot tubs, which is a much better use of space.  Cantina Fresca beside El Loco had the best (only?) frozen margaritas on board. The Mason Jar bar area is a nice evening cocktail place, with country music included.
• Stateroom improvements.  The bathroom doors are magnetic, so that they stay shut and the bathroom light has a nightlight feature (also on Symphony).  USB outlets are now included in the bedside light stands and there seem to be more outlets in general.  There are hooks for hanging things located under the TV, although I bring my own magnet hooks, but it was good to have extras.  And someone finally figured out how to keep the clothes hangars from banging together when the ship is moving (it's the little things that count).
• The former suite sundeck area is now open to everyone as the suites have moved to a different location.  Also, a number of lounge chairs in the Solarium and Main Pool Area have padded seats, which are big improvements over the standard deck loungers. But you have to be an early riser to snag one of them.
• The casino has a smoking and non-smoking side (as do other ships), but the non-smoking side had noticeably better air, so they've improved the ventilation somehow.  There are also sliding glass doors into the casino, which keep the smoke from wafting out into other public areas.
• The elevators use an LCD screen instead of buttons, which make it easier to select the right deck you are headed towards.

 

Some of the other changes that I didn't consider improvements:

 

• Wasn't a big fan of the enclosed solarium.  They say it's climate controlled, but it felt about ten degrees warmer on any given day compared to the outside main pool area.  It's like a big greenhouse.  There are windows which could have allowed in fresh air, but they were always kept closed on our cruise. I prefer the solarium design on Symphony.
• The main pools seem smaller, which they've reduced to allow additional shallow water areas surrounding the pool.  This is also where they have the curved lounge chairs that sit in the water, which are ridiculously uncomfortable.  I only saw people using them briefly to take a photo and then promptly sitting somewhere else. 
• The Aqua theatre has removed all of the deck chair seating and it's now completely bench style seating. I used to get to the show early to get a "good seat". Now that there aren't any, just resign yourself to sitting on a hard bench for an hour.
• The giant LCD screen at the pool area shines directly onto Central Park area, 24 hours a day.  Central Park is one of my favorite quiet areas of the ship, especially for evening drinks. The atmosphere is now kind of ruined by the Times Square billboard lights shining on it.

 

As this is presumably the last of the Oasis class ships, it's been interesting to see the incremental changes over the years.  All in all, had a great cruise as usual and still prefer Oasis class over any other Royal ships.

 

[sandebeach]

Thanks for your thoughts. 

[Tee & Chilli]

Another poster recently said the windjammer is smaller. Perhaps the lay out feels different.

[Ourusualbeach]

1 hour ago, TheHawk1 said:

As this is presumably the last of the Oasis class ships, it's been interesting to see the incremental changes over the years.

Utopia will be the 6th Oasis class ship.

[ATSEAMYLIFE]

Thanks we sail on her for Thanksgiving.  Did you have a chance to access the suite deck area?  

 

[texmex.ferr]

We sailed on Wonder for the TA back in April, and our cabin did not have the hooks under the tv, although it was an accessible Family Ocean View Balcony cabin on deck 11 port side (11158).   It also had very little storage space in the bathroom, compared to other cabins that we saw onboard.     

We liked the layout of the Windjammer, and it also helped when it came to change over of meal times, ie breakfast to lunch, because they would close one side (usually right hand side as you walk in), so it was easier to source the food from the side remaining open, and it has all the wash stations as you walk in.

We are looking forward to getting back on Wonder for the TA in October.   It's a great ship.

[deliver42]

I loved the enclosed solarium.

[TheHawk1]

1 hour ago, Ourusualbeach said:

Utopia will be the 6th Oasis class ship.

At the Captain's talk onboard, they mostly talked about the upcoming Icon of the Seas and how different it will be from Oasis class.  They said they couldn't think of any more improvements to make in this class beyond Wonder.  I assumed that meant this was the last in this series.

[TheHawk1]

2 hours ago, Tee & Chilli said:

Another poster recently said the windjammer is smaller. Perhaps the lay out feels different.

Maybe square footage is smaller?  But it certainly feels larger since you can walk around the two sides of the deck as well as the back for seating space.

[TheHawk1]

1 hour ago, ATSEAMYLIFE said:

Thanks we sail on her for Thanksgiving.  Did you have a chance to access the suite deck area?  

 

No, but I could see it 😀. It's hard to miss right in the middle of the ship now.

[Host Jacquelyn]

2 hours ago, Tee & Chilli said:

Another poster recently said the windjammer is smaller. Perhaps the lay out feels different.

I thought it was bigger than Oasis and Harmony as well. Better layout, for sure.

 

Here is a timelapse tour of Wonder, you can see all the areas directly

 

 

[CanHardlyWait4NextYear]

It's wild how many people think it's smaller when it's technically bigger. Maybe those folks didn't walk all the way around the back and down the sides?

[Tee & Chilli]

Here’s that other thread. We plan to enjoy Wonder and all it has to offer.

Thanks for sharing your experience.

 

Edited September 26, 2022 by Tee & Chilli

[BirdTravels]

3 hours ago, Tee & Chilli said:

Another poster recently said the windjammer is smaller. Perhaps the lay out feels different.

 

1 hour ago, TheHawk1 said:

Maybe square footage is smaller?  But it certainly feels larger since you can walk around the two sides of the deck as well as the back for seating space.

 

Even if it is bigger, you still have the very very annoying announcements "If you're done eating, get out, because our design does not have enough seats for everyone". 

[BirdTravels]

5 hours ago, TheHawk1 said:

• Wasn't a big fan of the enclosed solarium.  They say it's climate controlled, but it felt about ten degrees warmer on any given day compared to the outside main pool area.  It's like a big greenhouse.   
• The Aqua theatre has removed all of the deck chair seating and it's now completely bench style seating. I used to get to the show early to get a "good seat". Now that there aren't any, just resign yourself to sitting on a hard bench for an hour.

The Solarium and Aqua theater now use the air-filled plastic bubbles to totally enclose the solarium and the back of the aqua theater stage. 

 

I agree that the solarium was just hot. I guess some happy that in pouring rain, they could still sit and read a book. And I didn't care for the hot tub/pool arrangement. Maybe it looks nice, but not practical to get in and out of.

 

And the enclosures in the aqua theater probably makes it safer for the divers, but also cuts off he breeze in the aqua theater. We had some rough seas during one of the shows and the water from the pool kept flooding the first three rows of the theater (not good drainage - I didn't quite understand how the design would allow for the accumulation of several inches of water with people holding their feet up). They did a little mini-show because of the sea conditions. We went back later for a full show. 

[Brandis]

I think, originally Oasis class was only planned to be used in the Caribbean. Wonder was supposed to go to Asia initially, so she shares some similiarities with Quantum-class ships, like the renaming of Dazzles into Music Hall and the additional casino in place of the Disco. In Oct. 2019, we were on Spectrum of the Seas out of Shanghai to Japan and certainly appreciated the fully enclosed Solarium. As an added perk, on Quantum-class ships doing Asian routes, the Solarium is part of the Suites area, so it was never crowded.

 

Windjammer is definetly bigger, it was moved down one floor compared to the other Oasis class ships which allowed them to do a circular design, opening up room for additional seating.

 

However, I'll certainly miss the lounge chairs in the Aqua Theatre, not sure why they got rid of them. My guess would be capacity, on a bench of the same lenght you probably get almost double as many people compared to a row of lounge chairs.

 

Another thing which is different on Wonder compared to the other Oasis-class ships is the shows. Would have loved to see another musical onboard. But with the initially planned deployment of Wonder in Asia, I think they were trying to put in shows which don't depend too much on dialog.

 

 

[island lady]

Do you recall if Wonder has bottled water...or those awful cans?   Thanks in advance.  🙂 

[TheHawk1]

3 hours ago, Brandis said:

Another thing which is different on Wonder compared to the other Oasis-class ships is the shows. Would have loved to see another musical onboard. But with the initially planned deployment of Wonder in Asia, I think they were trying to put in shows which don't depend too much on dialog.

I was thinking the same thing. The most popular shows, ice skating and aqua theatre, don't require any speaking parts.  This works well for the European cruise I was on, since a percentage of the passengers probably didn't speak English.

 

I believe Royal saves money by not having to pay royalties on Broadway musicals if they create their own shows instead.  Case in point, the Effectors II, which was the most juvenile thing I have ever seen on a cruise ship... no amount of special effects was going to save that hot mess.

[bilyclub]

Think they started the bathroom nightlight with Harmony.

[bilyclub]

On 9/25/2022 at 9:52 PM, Host Jacquelyn said:

I thought it was bigger than Oasis and Harmony as well. Better layout, for sure.

 

Here is a timelapse tour of Wonder, you can see all the areas directly

 

 

 

I'd have to be on speed to get any sense out of that video.

[nferr]

On 9/25/2022 at 11:42 PM, BirdTravels said:

The Solarium and Aqua theater now use the air-filled plastic bubbles to totally enclose the solarium and the back of the aqua theater stage. 

 

I agree that the solarium was just hot. I guess some happy that in pouring rain, they could still sit and read a book. And I didn't care for the hot tub/pool arrangement. Maybe it looks nice, but not practical to get in and out of.

 

And the enclosures in the aqua theater probably makes it safer for the divers, but also cuts off he breeze in the aqua theater. We had some rough seas during one of the shows and the water from the pool kept flooding the first three rows of the theater (not good drainage - I didn't quite understand how the design would allow for the accumulation of several inches of water with people holding their feet up). They did a little mini-show because of the sea conditions. We went back later for a full show. 

 I hated the enclosed solarium on the Anthem. Just feels like you're sitting in a humid glasshouse. Spent maybe 15 minutes in there my entire 11 night cruise. A lot of people seemed to love it though.

[Longhorn Cruiser]

One big difference is that there are far less Crown Loft Suites that have been replaced by Grand Suites in the suite area.  Not near as nice but selling for the same price.

[island lady]

1 hour ago, bilyclub said:

Think they started the bathroom nightlight with Harmony.

 

Just off Harmony last week.  Loved the "night light".  🙂 

[island lady]

21 minutes ago, Longhorn Cruiser said:

One big difference is that there are far less Crown Loft Suites that have been replaced by Grand Suites in the suite area.  Not near as nice but selling for the same price.

 

Love deck 17...GS cabins.  Always loved the location near CK and the SL...but not a fan of the two level CLS cabins on that deck. 

 

Now....our favorite GS cabins occupy that whole floor.  Win...win for us. 

Deck 18 has the higher end suites...yes, not so many CLS cabins...but works for me on 17.  

[DeputyDawg46]

Been on the WoS three time to include a TA.  One thing I did not like was the bathroom entry door has magnetic closure thus making a sound when closing and it sort of grabs the door to shut it.  Could wake anyone else in the cabin at night with the popping sound. Frist cruise I fixed it by taping soft ear plugs to it.  By the next cruise I went and bought those small felt pads with peel off sticky backs.  Handed them out to the crew who could not thank me enough since they have roommates that may work opposite hours and the noise shutting the bathroom door was annoying.