Just off Wonder - a few thoughts

[Cap_D]

For those recently in a Wonder of the Seas suite, we'd enjoy hearing more about the amenities like coastal kitchen and the sun deck, impact of full occupancy, weather this time of year, and whether the cost to experience was worth it.  Have only sailed Edge Class Celebrity Retreat, but variety of activities and Coco Cay is appealing.  Thanks in advance. 

 

Edited December 27, 2022 by Cap_D

[PhillyFan33579]

6 hours ago, little britain said:

Loved the simplicity and the pure talent of the sounds. 
Just proves you don’t have to screech and scream -  which most RCI “singers” do because they are under the impression that Louder is Better. 
Saw Voices twice because it was so good 

I have met several people on the ship who really liked Voices. But I didn’t enjoy it all although I sat thru the entire show. I just didn’t understand having some singers on stage while having other singers on video only. Maybe I missed something, but I didn’t see any point to the show and the singers were average at best in my book.  

 

But I know not everyone has the same tastes.  I loved The Book on Odyssey several months ago but a lot of people on the cruise didn’t like it. I guess the bottom line is there will never be any show on any ship that everyone will like. 
 

 

 

 

[PhillyFan33579]

3 hours ago, Cap_D said:

For those recently in a Wonder of the Seas suite, we'd enjoy hearing more about the amenities like coastal kitchen and the sun deck, impact of full occupancy, weather this time of year, and whether the cost to experience was worth it.  Have only sailed Edge Class Celebrity Retreat, but variety of activities and Coco Cay is appealing.  Thanks in advance. 

 

To get direct to the point, there is no comparison between Wonder suites and the Retreat on Edge class ships. I am on Wonder tight now and having a great time. But comparing suites on newer RCI ships don’t compare to the Retreat.  However, if you realize that going in I think you would have a great time on Wonder. This is an over simplification, but Celebrity is about being pampered, relaxing and eating great food. RCI is about staying busy and literally having so many activities and shows that you can’t come close to doing all of them (if you wanted to) on a 7 day cruise. 

[island lady]

5 hours ago, orville99 said:

How would you rate the food in CK on Wonder compared to other Oasis class ships? We were underwhelmed by the quality on both Harmony and Allure (other than breakfast, which was always good).

 

The Chef that used to be on Harmony (when CK had good food) is now on Wonder.   There were a few "fails" and some "eh"...but most of it was good.  We enjoyed dining there every night after the disappointment of trying out a of few of the other venues...including MDR.  But we did try.  😉 

[ATSEAMYLIFE]

6 hours ago, orville99 said:

How would you rate the food in CK on Wonder compared to other Oasis class ships? We were underwhelmed by the quality on both Harmony and Allure (other than breakfast, which was always good).

We now have four Oasis class sailings in OS under our belt.  My opinion is the food overall in CK has declined.  The first two sailings (Oasis & Allure) CK was very good.  The last two (Allure & Wonder) have just been mediocre.  We did 2-3 CK dinners on Wonder a few weeks ago and one breakfast, which breakfast was good.  Did room service breakfast a couple of times and it was fine, mostly because you can sit on your balcony and eat.  I'm glad I wasn't able to get into Hooked, based on the reviews.  We loved 150 CP and had a really good meal at Mason Jar.        

Edited December 27, 2022 by ATSEAMYLIFE

[ATSEAMYLIFE]

3 hours ago, Cap_D said:

For those recently in a Wonder of the Seas suite, we'd enjoy hearing more about the amenities like coastal kitchen and the sun deck, impact of full occupancy, weather this time of year, and whether the cost to experience was worth it.  

I can't speak to compare as have never done the retreat.  We just sailed in an OS for Thanksgiving on Wonder our fourth OS on an Oasis class.  While I like the new Suite Neighborhood layout for being just steps from all the suite amenities; we were not fans of the layout of the suite sun deck compared to the other Oasis ships we have been on.  The others have sun decks on either side facing the ocean.  Wonder has it all facing the stern and directly over the sports deck.  This gets you a lot of noise and competing music from what's being played on sun deck and on sports deck.  We were at full occupancy but never really felt crowded in the suite area or other locations.  Except for Playmakers when the World Cup was playing.  Weather for Thanksgiving week was perfect all week except for a couple quick rain showers.  

[Cruising89143]

Thanks for your comments. Our opinion……….We were on the Symphony last month. This was our seventh cruise on an Oasis class and our last. It was crowded at every turn. While embarkation was great, debarkation was not. Too many felt that they did not have to queue. Crew was no help. One hour and twenty minutes from our stateroom to a taxi. Entertainment was a five out of ten. Coastal Kitchen was good but I grew tired of the daily reminders about the survey. Happened at CP150 and Izumi also. That needs to stop. 
 

Was on the Freedom the cruise prior. Just marginally better. Still enjoy RCI but the two cruises out of “Miami” left a lot to be desired and I will leave it at that. 

[Norwich Cruiser]

17 hours ago, Cap_D said:

For those recently in a Wonder of the Seas suite, we'd enjoy hearing more about the amenities like coastal kitchen and the sun deck, impact of full occupancy, weather this time of year, and whether the cost to experience was worth it.  Have only sailed Edge Class Celebrity Retreat, but variety of activities and Coco Cay is appealing.  Thanks in advance. 

 

Retreat in our opinion is far better than the Wonder suites.

 

 

 

 

[Cruising89143]

6 hours ago, Norwich Cruiser said:

Retreat in our opinion is far better than the Wonder suites.

 

 

 

 

Just off of the Solstice with no dedicated retreat since the ship has not been revolutionized and while CK on the Symphony was very good, Luminae was much better in overall quality and service. I do think that the suite lounge on the SYM was better than Michael’s Club which is not an issue on the new Edge class. I just think that X does the suites area better. 

[island lady]

How much pricier is Retreat than suites on Wonder (or her four sisters).   

[alistairg]

I put up a dining review after being on Wonder in October.

 

I will also add that Hooked was very poor particularly the desserts which were awful.

 

Only had breakfast in CK which was fine.

 

Mason Jar was a good addition, we enjoyed brunch and dinner.

[Cap_D]

Thanks to all for this discussion.

 

With regard to pricing, Retreat in a Sky Suite or Celebrity Suite (wall and door around bed - nice for when parents want to stay up late) comes out the same or cheaper than an Oasis class suite.  Retreat includes butler/genie equivalent for all rooms, gratuities, deluxe drink packge, highest speed wifi, and enough OBC to cover a trip to speciality dining (kids are not full price) and excursions that have height and age restrictions.  Plus Luminae was good to serviceable, with some exception for the well known mushy shrimp cocktail (inexplicable).  Best we can tell, it's only the junior suites on Oasis class that come in cheaper, but as we know they have no perks.

 

Our dilemma is we have a 5 year old who would definitely enjoy the Oasis class activities, but parents and he enjoyed the calm and service on the E-Class Edge in Retreat.  And, Retreat would be ideal if X had a decent beach port of call and/or one splash area or anything on the resort deck.   (2 ping pong tables, a giant connect four, and one cornhole toss are it).  Our son isn't old enough for the zip line, wave rider, climbing wall, etc., and great with adults, e.g., no commotion at meals or on sundeck.  And we all want a dedicated decent place to eat meals, and lounge outside without competing with the full ship. 

 

Only looking at rooms that equate to less than 3k/per day or less for 3 people, as otherwise prices on both X or Royal climb to 20k or more.  That seems high for sailing to places like Nassau regardless of the square feet of the room, a genie /butler being able to find us seats in the theater, meals that don't often compare to cheaper land experiences for freshly prepared food, unlimted glasses of wine from mass retail bottles of wine, etc.

 

20k a week could get a suite or private house on some of the nicest beaches (not Costa Maya), and cover food, in the Bahamas during holiday weeks. 

 

One observation re food and not to take away for the praise for Mason Jar (we see it thoughout CC and YouTube), we rather not have an extra charge bbq restaurant be the highlight of dining (especially after paying 1.5-3k a day) to escape CK.

 

[Norwich Cruiser]

2 hours ago, Cap_D said:

Thanks to all for this discussion.

 

With regard to pricing, Retreat in a Sky Suite or Celebrity Suite (wall and door around bed - nice for when parents want to stay up late) comes out the same or cheaper than an Oasis class suite.  Retreat includes butler/genie equivalent for all rooms, gratuities, deluxe drink packge, highest speed wifi, and enough OBC to cover a trip to speciality dining (kids are not full price) and excursions that have height and age restrictions.  Plus Luminae was good to serviceable, with some exception for the well known mushy shrimp cocktail (inexplicable).  Best we can tell, it's only the junior suites on Oasis class that come in cheaper, but as we know they have no perks.

 

Our dilemma is we have a 5 year old who would definitely enjoy the Oasis class activities, but parents and he enjoyed the calm and service on the E-Class Edge in Retreat.  And, Retreat would be ideal if X had a decent beach port of call and/or one splash area or anything on the resort deck.   (2 ping pong tables, a giant connect four, and one cornhole toss are it).  Our son isn't old enough for the zip line, wave rider, climbing wall, etc., and great with adults, e.g., no commotion at meals or on sundeck.  And we all want a dedicated decent place to eat meals, and lounge outside without competing with the full ship. 

 

Only looking at rooms that equate to less than 3k/per day or less for 3 people, as otherwise prices on both X or Royal climb to 20k or more.  That seems high for sailing to places like Nassau regardless of the square feet of the room, a genie /butler being able to find us seats in the theater, meals that don't often compare to cheaper land experiences for freshly prepared food, unlimted glasses of wine from mass retail bottles of wine, etc.

 

20k a week could get a suite or private house on some of the nicest beaches (not Costa Maya), and cover food, in the Bahamas during holiday weeks. 

 

One observation re food and not to take away for the praise for Mason Jar (we see it thoughout CC and YouTube), we rather not have an extra charge bbq restaurant be the highlight of dining (especially after paying 1.5-3k a day) to escape CK.

 

Oasis class is definitely a better choice with children.

[Cruising89143]

4 hours ago, island lady said:

How much pricier is Retreat than suites on Wonder (or her four sisters).   

Eight nights on the Solstice in a Celebrity suite was $600.00 less than seven nights in a GS on the Symphony taken four weeks apart. In addition to Luminae and Michael’s Club the CS on X also included gratuities, Starlink, $600.00 OBC and the (PDP) Premium Drink Package included in the price. When we price out both, Celebrity is always very close or better than RCI price wise. 

[island lady]

16 hours ago, cruisingator2 said:

Eight nights on the Solstice in a Celebrity suite was $600.00 less than seven nights in a GS on the Symphony taken four weeks apart. In addition to Luminae and Michael’s Club the CS on X also included gratuities, Starlink, $600.00 OBC and the (PDP) Premium Drink Package included in the price. When we price out both, Celebrity is always very close or better than RCI price wise. 

 

Thanks...that's good to know...and actually quite surprising!  🙂   

 

Unfortunately, Celebrity ports are not convenient to us for a Florida port.  Not worth it to fly to for us,  but too far to deal with traffic on I-95 (scary highway drivers) for these old bones to deal with.  Even had a really close call with an aggressive driver on I-4 recently.  He spun 3 times right in front of us trying to cut off a small car in front of him.  What is wrong with these drivers these days??  I am sure you see much  worse.   😮  

 

Still hoping someday Celebrity will have a ship here at PC...will keep dreaming!  

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 29, 2022 by island lady

[Teeara]

On 12/27/2022 at 6:59 AM, island lady said:

 

OMG yes...same thing at Hooked.  My food was decent, Bucky's..."meh"....but the service was sooo bad I thought we were on hidden camera to see how long we would sit there without screaming!  And we were the 2nd people in there for lunch that day.  No excuse.  Everywhere was decent service.  

Pat I agree with you.  Hooked was our least favorite meal onboard Wonder during the TA.  Everything was way too salty and "meh".  We were less than impressed.  Service was practically nonexistent and like you, we were the first to be seated for dinner.  We were dreading our future meals since we did Hooked on night 2 of the sailing.  Thankfully the rest of our specialty dining was much better. 

 

150CP was the best meal AND service was phenomenal.  Had great table participation on the last night at Izumi.  The table behind us was a very quiet group but we were all participating and had a blast.  The food was fantastic and I waddled out of there.  Only bad thing was Pam was sick with migraine and a cold (which eventually turned out to be Covid after we got home like so many others did on the ship) so she didn't get to enjoy it like I did.  Not super impressed with the Mason Jar for breakfast although there weren't a lot of people there.  Service was adequate.  Really enjoyed Giovanni's.  Would've liked to have sat outside but it was pouring at the time so we sat next to the chef and watched him make lots of yummy looking dinners.  Playmakers had good food, service was great, but the Aquatheater show was TOO LOUD!  Sheesh!  I would hate to be in Boardwalk balcony cabin during any of those shows.  Our table in Playmakers was vibrating from the music.

[JeffT237]

On 12/25/2022 at 1:32 PM, IHateSnow! said:

I wasn’t a fan of the entertainment options outside of the ice show which I couldn’t get reservation for. I did catch a little bit of the aqua show, and the talent amazes me, but it wasn’t my cup of tea (it wasn’t bad, just not for me). 

Were you able to get entertainment reservations pre-cruise or did you have to wait until you were onboard?  Some have reported that on their recent Wonder sailings pre-cruise reservations opened up on their cruise planners about a month prior, was that option available to you?  Thanks!

[Ourusualbeach]

Just now, JeffT237 said:

Were you able to get entertainment reservations pre-cruise or did you have to wait until you were onboard?  Some have reported that on their recent Wonder sailings pre-cruise reservations opened up on their cruise planners about a month prior, was that option available to you?  Thanks!

Yes,   Entertainment reservations can be made through the cruise plsnner.  They opened for sailings starting in December and will open 30 to 60 days in advance. 

[IHateSnow!]

8 minutes ago, JeffT237 said:

Were you able to get entertainment reservations pre-cruise or did you have to wait until you were onboard?  Some have reported that on their recent Wonder sailings pre-cruise reservations opened up on their cruise planners about a month prior, was that option available to you?  Thanks!

Neither!   Reservations were open, but both pre-cruise and on-board it kept telling me nothing was available for my party size.  The only show I was able to get reservations for our entire party for was intense.  Everything else was a hope and pray.  

Edited December 30, 2022 by IHateSnow!

[ATG]

On 12/28/2022 at 3:55 PM, cruisingator2 said:

Eight nights on the Solstice in a Celebrity suite was $600.00 less than seven nights in a GS on the Symphony taken four weeks apart. In addition to Luminae and Michael’s Club the CS on X also included gratuities, Starlink, $600.00 OBC and the (PDP) Premium Drink Package included in the price. When we price out both, Celebrity is always very close or better than RCI price wise. 

We sailed Reflection in a Celebrity suite and really loved it.  The bedroom was separated by a door which made it much nicer when one of us got up early.  The living room had a sectional sofa that was actually comfortable.  I did think that storage was somewhat lacking.

[island lady]

2 hours ago, Teeara said:

Pat I agree with you.  Hooked was our least favorite meal onboard Wonder during the TA.  Everything was way too salty and "meh".  We were less than impressed.  Service was practically nonexistent and like you, we were the first to be seated for dinner.  We were dreading our future meals since we did Hooked on night 2 of the sailing.  Thankfully the rest of our specialty dining was much better. 

 

150CP was the best meal AND service was phenomenal.  Had great table participation on the last night at Izumi.  The table behind us was a very quiet group but we were all participating and had a blast.  The food was fantastic and I waddled out of there.  Only bad thing was Pam was sick with migraine and a cold (which eventually turned out to be Covid after we got home like so many others did on the ship) so she didn't get to enjoy it like I did.  Not super impressed with the Mason Jar for breakfast although there weren't a lot of people there.  Service was adequate.  Really enjoyed Giovanni's.  Would've liked to have sat outside but it was pouring at the time so we sat next to the chef and watched him make lots of yummy looking dinners.  Playmakers had good food, service was great, but the Aquatheater show was TOO LOUD!  Sheesh!  I would hate to be in Boardwalk balcony cabin during any of those shows.  Our table in Playmakers was vibrating from the music.

 

Yup, hit and miss.   After several "misses" we just stayed with CK for our meals.  Adored our waiters, as I know you did yours.  

 

Have Wonder booked again for 3 more cruises....one being a "freebie".  😄 

 

So sorry Pam caught Covid...I hope she has recovered by now. 

 

Happy New Year to you both!  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 30, 2022 by island lady

[Mikew0805]

On 12/27/2022 at 6:46 AM, little britain said:

Loved the simplicity and the pure talent of the sounds. 
Just proves you don’t have to screech and scream -  which most RCI “singers” do because they are under the impression that Louder is Better. 
Saw Voices twice because it was so good 

Loved it as well, and will see it each time I am onboard.

 

On 12/27/2022 at 12:47 PM, PhillyFan33579 said:

I have met several people on the ship who really liked Voices. But I didn’t enjoy it all although I sat thru the entire show. I just didn’t understand having some singers on stage while having other singers on video only. Maybe I missed something, but I didn’t see any point to the show and the singers were average at best in my book.  

 

But I know not everyone has the same tastes.  I loved The Book on Odyssey several months ago but a lot of people on the cruise didn’t like it. I guess the bottom line is there will never be any show on any ship that everyone will like. 
 

 

 

 

I really liked it a lot as well, but maybe I missed something. I thought those on the screens were the same performers as on the stage, and the video was pre-recorded to primarily show you what you could not see them doing on the stage. (the music and sounds coming from them vs. instruments.)

 

I could be way off, but that is just what I thought.

[ATSEAMYLIFE]

8 hours ago, island lady said:

After several "misses" we just stayed with CK for our meals.  Adored our waiters, as I know you did yours.  

Michael, our Wonder CK waiter, was fantastic.  Jean, Ass't Manager CK, was also outstanding and got us RSVP's at 150 CP when it was booked.  Listra, our cabin steward, went about/beyond and was super personable.  Michael, Jean, and Listra are three of the reasons I would go back to Wonder.  

[wreckem2013]

Just off Allure. I won’t be eating Italian on a Royal ship unless it’s Giovanni’s Kitchen and Wine Bar. We were on Odyessy for Thanksgiving and ate there three times(lunch on embarkation and two dinner). Giovanni’s Table on allure this past week was the worst food we ever had in speciality dining. First I thought it was embarkation day lunch that was the problem but then we had it for dinner on day six. Maybe it’s just an allure problem as I’ve heard a lot of complaints about dining on allure although there weren’t any problems and 150, Chops, Izumi Hibachi and Izumi Sushi were all as great as always.

 

Not taking into account any of the issues out of Royal control but I was less than impressed with Allure. Booked on Wonder B2B for Xmas and New years next year. Hopefully Wonder hits its groove by then.

 

As for entertainment Royal needs to go back  doing off Broadway productions of major shows. I find their track record on their original shows to be less than stellar.

Edited December 31, 2022 by wreckem2013

[island lady]

12 hours ago, wreckem2013 said:

 

As for entertainment Royal needs to go back  doing off Broadway productions of major shows. I find their track record on their original shows to be less than stellar.

 

Costs are much higher for the Broadway shows, which is why you are not seeing them on the newer ships.