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World’s Biggest Cruise Ship, Wonder of the Seas, Completes Sea Trials Ahead of 2022 Debut

After two very difficult years due to the international health crisis, the cruise industry is looking forward to the future once more. Royal Caribbean, for one, has just announced that its newest ship – and the world’s largest once completed – will debut in 2022.
Wonder of the Seas has completed sea trials, is on track for 2022 debut 9 photos
Photo: Royal Caribbean
Wonder of the Seas has completed sea trials, is on track for 2022 debutWonder of the Seas has completed sea trials, is on track for 2022 debutWonder of the Seas has completed sea trials, is on track for 2022 debutWonder of the Seas has completed sea trials, is on track for 2022 debutWonder of the Seas has completed sea trials, is on track for 2022 debutWonder of the Seas has completed sea trials, is on track for 2022 debutWonder of the Seas has completed sea trials, is on track for 2022 debutWonder of the Seas has completed sea trials, is on track for 2022 debut
The 2020 health crisis hit the cruise industry particularly hard. As of the time of press, there still are concerns over whether setting sail on board a giant vessel with hundreds, if not thousands, of strangers is a good idea. Royal Caribbean shrugs those off and announces that Wonder of the Sea will make its debut in the U.S. and Europe next year, instead of China.

Wonder of the Sea is the kind of cruise ship that makes you think, “we’re gonna need a bigger ocean.” Having just completed sea trials at the end of last month, it is now in for the final refits at a French shipyard, ahead of its early summer debut. It is 1,188 feet (362 meters) long, 210 feet (64 meters) wide, and has 18 decks in total. On 16 of those decks, it can accommodate 6,988 guests. A 2,300-strong crew will be on hand.

Wonder of the Seas is Oasis Class and, for the first time in the Royal Caribbean fleet, it features eight different neighborhoods. It’s basically an entire town, but it floats. Amenities include the tallest slide at sea (the Ultimate Abyss), a full-scale waterpark for kids and families, plunge pool, 24 elevators, and Central Park, an entire neighborhood lined with real plants and trees. And that’s just a handful of the countless amenities planned.

Once launched, Wonder of the Seas will cruise at 25 knots. For the sea trials, which covered a distance of 1,550 nautical miles, it was pushed to the maximum, reaching 24 knots. Over 40 sea acceptance tests were completed, and “plenty of inspections,” as the second video at the bottom of the page reveals.

The full schedule has not been announced yet, but Royal Caribbean says that Wonder of the Sea will set from Ford Lauderdale to the Caribbean, before heading to Barcelona and Rome to “kickstart the summer holidays in May.”

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 Download: Royal Caribbean announces 2022 debut for Wonder of the Seas (PDF)

About the author: Elena Gorgan
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Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends.
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