Wonder of the Seas

Wonder’s pool deck has four pool areas, all fresh water, and the main pools have a shallow shelf so you can sit in a lounger right in the water. Splashaway Bay gives kids slides, a splash pad and dump buckets, and Danny calls it his daughter’s happy place. A giant screen plays movies and games, private casitas can be reserved for the day (extra cost), and the Lime & Coconut keeps the drinks coming.

Unlike the open Solarium on her Oasis Class sisters, Wonder’s is fully enclosed and climate controlled. It’s a 16-and-up retreat with day beds, loungers facing the bow, a shallow pool with in-water loungers, and hot tubs cantilevered over the sides with TVs above. The Solarium Bistro serves complimentary breakfast and lunch, then a Mediterranean menu at dinner. Next door, the Vue Bar puts you out over the edge of the ship.

The top deck is where the adrenaline lives. The FlowRider surf simulator is complimentary, with a bumper so two people can ride at once. The Ultimate Abyss dry slide drops all the way to the Boardwalk on deck 6. There’s a zip line ten stories above the Boardwalk, two rock climbing walls, a full sports court, glass-enclosed ping pong, and an ocean-themed mini golf course. The Wonder Playscape gives younger kids a spot of their own.

Adventure Ocean is the biggest kids club Danny has seen. It’s split into AO Babies for 6 to 36 months, AO Juniors for ages 3 to 5, and AO Kids for older children, with science experiments, crafts, a sports arena, video games and its own theater. Teens 13 to 17 get Social 100 and its outdoor patio. The whole family can share the arcade (extra cost), the escape room, laser tag in Studio B and the Boardwalk carousel.

Central Park is an open-air garden in the middle of the ship, a feature found only on the Oasis Class. Nearly 20,000 plants and a living wall three tiers tall make it easy to forget you’re at sea. It’s home to Chops Grille, 150 Central Park, Giovanni’s Italian Kitchen and its wine bar, Park Café with the classic kummelweck sandwich, and the Trellis Bar. The Rising Tide bar moves slowly between the Promenade and the park.

The Royal Promenade is the ship’s indoor main street, lit by a skylight from Central Park above. It hosts parades, a real Starbucks (extra cost), Café Promenade around the clock, Sorrento’s pizza, the Cask & Clipper pub, Boleros for Latin music and dancing, Spotlight Karaoke, and robot bartenders at the Bionic Bar. Up a level, the Schooner Bar is a classic piano bar, and Danny says it isn’t a Royal cruise without a night or two there.

The Boardwalk is an open-air seaside pier with a complimentary carousel, the Boardwalk Dog House, Sugar Beach for sweets (extra cost), Johnny Rockets, and Playmakers Sports Bar & Arcade along one side. At the far end, the AquaTheater stage turns into a pool 14 feet deep for high dives and acrobatics. inTENse, with its all-female cast, still plays here, and the two giant screens make it a great place to watch a game.

Wonder has a deep bench of specialty restaurants. Izumi pairs three teppanyaki tables with an upstairs sushi bar and ramen. At Wonderland, you paint your menu with water to reveal whimsical dishes. Hooked Seafood serves chowders, oysters and lobster above the Solarium Bistro, and Chops Grille and 150 Central Park anchor the park. Most carry an extra cost unless you have a dining package or Star Class, and Danny suggests reserving early.