Finally, the world’s largest cruise ship is ready to set sail! The Royal Caribbean's Wonder of the Seas arrived in Florida over the weekend and is geared up to welcome passengers to its first sail to the Caribbean on March 4.
The Astonishing Cruise
The amazing 18-decks tall Wonder cruise has replaced its sister ship Symphony of the Seas. It was a long journey to get the cruise ready for its debut; it was ordered in 2016 with a deadline of 2021 but it got delayed due to the pandemic. The ship is 1,188 feet and can accommodate 7,000 guests and 2,300 crew members. There are 2,867 staterooms, 16 guest decks, and 24 guest elevators for the guests to move around. It’s partitioned into eight separate neighbourhoods, including a “Central Park” featuring over 20,000 plants. A giant play area for kids and a cantilevered pool bar “the Vue” are also major attractions of the cruise. Other features include a water park with the tallest slide at sea, a 10-deck long zipline, and a huge poolside movie theatre. The ship will provide its first 5 to 7-night cruise in March from Florida to the Caribbean and Western Mediterranean whereas the cruise from Barcelona and Rome will start in May this year.
Cruise Industry in Trouble
The cruise industry faced the hardest blow and suspension of services due to the pandemic; over the past two years when the restrictions eased the cruise ships served as sites of super events spreaders. A ban on the Canadian waters was lifted late last year by the Canadian government but at present, the cruises are permitted to travel within the country. Penner, a legal advisor to Cruise Lines International Association, said that he is optimistic about the industry’s future especially because the Canadian government relaxed the requirements to get tests done and to quarantine after travelling internationally by the end of this month.
He’s hoping for things to change and get better! Until then, passengers must travel only if they have double-vaccination shots and a negative covid test result to ensure safety.
