Royal Caribbean’s next big entry out of drydock
Royal Caribbean's Wonder of the Seas moved from drydock to the water over the weekend as construction progresses on the next sister ship of the largest cruise ships in the world.
While COVID-19 has delayed the fifth Oasis-class vessel until 2022, the ship that will be incrementally larger in terms of gross tons than its four previous sister ships was floated out and moved to a new dock at the Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard in SaintNazaire, France on Saturday.
Line President and CEO Michael Bayley has stated that the China-bound Wonder of the Seas will be set to inherit the title of world's largest cruise ship from the previous holder, Symphony of the Seas, which debuted in 2018.
That ship, which had been sailing from PortMiami before the coronavirus shutdown, comes in at 228,081 gross tons, is 1,188 feet long and has a maximum capacity of 6,680 guests with 2,200 crew. At double capacity, though, the guest count is 5,518 from 2,759 staterooms.
Symphony of the Seas took the title from 2016's Harmony of the Seas, which took it from 2009's Allure of the Seas, which took it from the original Oasis of the Seas that debuted in 2008. The actual increase in size though is negligible, so in reality, all five could be considered the world's largest cruise ships. The next biggest ship after the Oasis-class vessels is the Costa Smeralda, which debuted in 2019, and comes in at 185,010 gross tons.
Wonder of the Seas had its first steel cut in April 2019 with its keel-laying in October. It will be the first Oasis-class vessel to debut in the Asian market, a move that Royal Caribbean had done for several versions of its Quantum-class ships.
Wonder of the Seas will feature, just like the four other Oasis-class ships, a sevenneighborhood concept, but exact details on those neighborhoods or other ship features have not been revealed. All four existing ships have spaces like Central Park, the open-air green space in the middle of the ship. The latest two Oasis-class ships feature the 10-deck dry slide, The Ultimate Abyss, as well as the Perfect Storm water park while both Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas have also been retrofitted with those same features.
A previous press release said Wonder of the Seas will feature “a bold and unexpected lineup of thrilling experiences, imaginative dining, unparalleled entertainment and the latest technology.”
It's the third Oasis-class ship built at the shipyard, previously known as STX France. The first two ships were built at what was then STX Finland.
A sixth Oasis-class ship had previously been slated to be built by Chantiers de l'Atlantique.
The Oasis-class ships have a limited number of home ports, first using Port Everglades when Oasis of the Seas debuted, but now regularly sailing from PortMiami, Port Everglades and Port Canaveral as well as from Cape Liberty in Bayonne, New Jersey in 2020.