HAK1906

I first have to give a major shout out to lkg276.  As shown above he has a service out of Port Canaveral and he picked us up and get us to the airport in plenty of time and NO he was not speeding, he was driving the Florida speed limit of 75 😀.  Our flight out of MCO was at 9:35am on Southwest going back to Dallas and in the middle of the week I reached out to lkg276 for a ride to the airport for my family.  He responded quickly and we coordinated pick-up times accordingly.  There were four of us with six, yes six suitcases total and his automobile was plenty of room.  We self-disembarked and were off the ship by 6:55AM and in his Tahoe on the way to the airport by 7:01 and at the airport by 7:45. Disembarkation was the easiest and seamless in all my years of cruising.  An absolutely FANTASTIC experience partnering with lkg276.
 

I first have to give a major shout out to lkg276.  As shown above he has a service out of Port Canaveral and he picked us up and get us to the airport in plenty of time and NO he was not speeding, he was driving the Florida speed limit of 75 😀.  Our flight out of MCO was at 9:35am on Southwest going back to Dallas and in the middle of the week I reached out to lkg276 for a ride to the airport for my family.  He responded quickly and we coordinated pick-up times accordingly.  There were four of us with six, yes six suitcases total and his automobile was plenty of room.  We self-disembarked and were off the ship by 6:55AM and in his Tahoe on the way to the airport by 7:01 and at the airport by 7:45. Disembarkation was the easiest and seamless in all my years of cruising.  An absolutely FANTASTIC experience partnering with lkg276.
 

I first have to give a major shout out to lkg276.  As shown above he has a service out of Port Canaveral and he picked us up and get us to the airport in plenty of time and NO he was not speeding, he was driving the Florida speed limit of 75 😀.  Our flight out of MCO was at 9:35am on Southwest going back to Dallas and in the middle of the week I reached out to lkg276 for a ride to the airport for my family.  He responded quickly and we coordinated pick-up times accordingly.  There were four of us with six, yes six suitcases total and his automobile was plenty of room.  We self-disembarked and were off the ship by 6:55AM and in his Tahoe on the way to the airport by 7:01 and at the airport by 7:45. Disembarkation was the easiest and seamless in all my years of cruising.  An absolutely FANTASTIC experience partnering with lkg276.
 

I first have to give a major shout out to lkg276.  As shown above he has a service out of Port Canaveral and he picked us up and get us to the airport in plenty of time and NO he was not speeding, he was driving the Florida speed limit of 75 😀.  Our flight out of MCO was at 9:35am on Southwest going back to Dallas and in the middle of the week I reached out to lkg276 for a ride to the airport for my family.  He responded quickly and we coordinated pick-up times accordingly.  There were four of us with six, yes six suitcases total and his automobile was plenty of room.  We self-disembarked and were off the ship by 6:55AM and in his Tahoe on the way to the airport by 7:01 and at the airport by 7:45. Disembarkation was the easiest and seamless in all my years of cruising.  An absolutely FANTASTIC experience partnering with lkg276.
 

I first have to give a major shout out to lkg276.  As shown above he has a service out of Port Canaveral and he picked us up and get us to the airport in plenty of time and NO he was not speeding, he was driving the Florida speed limit of 75 😀.  Our flight out of MCO was at 9:35am on Southwest going back to Dallas and in the middle of the week I reached out to lkg276 for a ride to the airport for my family.  He responded quickly and we coordinated pick-up times accordingly.  There were four of us with six, yes six suitcases total and his automobile was plenty of room.  We self-disembarked and were off the ship by 6:55AM and in his Tahoe on the way to the airport by 7:01 and at the airport by 7:45. Disembarkation was the easiest and seamless in all my years of cruising.  An absolutely FANTASTIC experience partnering with lkg276.
 

I first have to give a major shout out to lkg276.  As shown above he has a service out of Port Canaveral and he picked us up and get us to the airport in plenty of time and NO he was not speeding, he was driving the Florida speed limit of 75 😀.  Our flight out of MCO was at 9:35am on Southwest going back to Dallas and in the middle of the week I reached out to lkg276 for a ride to the airport for my family.  He responded quickly and we coordinated pick-up times accordingly.  There were four of us with six, yes six suitcases total and his automobile was plenty of room.  We self-disembarked and were off the ship by 6:55AM and in his Tahoe on the way to the airport by 7:01 and at the airport by 7:45. Disembarkation was the easiest and seamless in all my years of cruising.  An absolutely FANTASTIC experience partnering with lkg276.
 

A few additional notes:
 
- overflow for Windjammer during at stop at St.Thomas today. The overflow is Mason Jar, never knew that was the overflow space for the expanded Windjammer
- the current best show so far on the show has been the Intense Aqua Theatre show. It was fantastic.   
- the Caribbean might good may have been the best MDR meal I have ever had. From the Coconut Shrimp, to the rice and beans, plantains, JERK PORK CHOP and the deserts. Fantastic.  

A few additional observations.
-  Went to Chops on the last night and it was great as always.  Ordered the filet and Salmon and made my own surf/turf.  The chocolate lava cake is amazing as well as the red velvet.  We had the mac/cheese, fries and creamed spinach and they were all spot on.
- the HDMI1 port was available on the back of the tv's and via the remote you can access with channel 0, which leads me to believe you can hook up a console or other HDMI compatible devices.
- Mason Jar is as good as advertised.  The food was really good and the bread and butter they provide prior to the meal is only rivaled by the break at 150 park.  The chicken and greens were fantastic, and the gumbo was good, wish it was roux based versus tomato based but still good flavor.  Even came with two crawfish in the gumbo.  The chocolate pecan pie and bourbon ice cream were great and just an overall great experience.  The bar has very unique drink options and the smokey old fashioned was on point.  Only bad thing was even with a reservation we still waited an additional 30-40 minutes to be seated. 
- As on most cruises the casino was packed every night, I played blackjack the majority of my time while there.

I first have to give a major shout out to lkg276.  As shown above he has a service out of Port Canaveral and he picked us up and get us to the airport in plenty of time and NO he was not speeding, he was driving the Florida speed limit of 75 😀.  Our flight out of MCO was at 9:35am on Southwest going back to Dallas and in the middle of the week I reached out to lkg276 for a ride to the airport for my family.  He responded quickly and we coordinated pick-up times accordingly.  There were four of us with six, yes six suitcases total and his automobile was plenty of room.  We self-disembarked and were off the ship by 6:55AM and in his Tahoe on the way to the airport by 7:01 and at the airport by 7:45. Disembarkation was the easiest and seamless in all my years of cruising.  An absolutely FANTASTIC experience partnering with lkg276.
 

I first have to give a major shout out to lkg276.  As shown above he has a service out of Port Canaveral and he picked us up and get us to the airport in plenty of time and NO he was not speeding, he was driving the Florida speed limit of 75 😀.  Our flight out of MCO was at 9:35am on Southwest going back to Dallas and in the middle of the week I reached out to lkg276 for a ride to the airport for my family.  He responded quickly and we coordinated pick-up times accordingly.  There were four of us with six, yes six suitcases total and his automobile was plenty of room.  We self-disembarked and were off the ship by 6:55AM and in his Tahoe on the way to the airport by 7:01 and at the airport by 7:45. Disembarkation was the easiest and seamless in all my years of cruising.  An absolutely FANTASTIC experience partnering with lkg276.
 

I first have to give a major shout out to lkg276.  As shown above he has a service out of Port Canaveral and he picked us up and get us to the airport in plenty of time and NO he was not speeding, he was driving the Florida speed limit of 75 😀.  Our flight out of MCO was at 9:35am on Southwest going back to Dallas and in the middle of the week I reached out to lkg276 for a ride to the airport for my family.  He responded quickly and we coordinated pick-up times accordingly.  There were four of us with six, yes six suitcases total and his automobile was plenty of room.  We self-disembarked and were off the ship by 6:55AM and in his Tahoe on the way to the airport by 7:01 and at the airport by 7:45. Disembarkation was the easiest and seamless in all my years of cruising.  An absolutely FANTASTIC experience partnering with lkg276.
 

We arrived at our WOS earlier than our 12:30Pm check-in time and had zero issues going out of Port Canaveral.  It was kind of a mad house getting into the drop off area since it was a full cruise and we arrived via an Uber.  We of course were in a Junior Suite and we were shown right in and had zero waiting.  We were on the ship within 15 minutes of arriving at the terminal and entering.  I was told since it was a full cruise that they relaxed the check in times, not sure if it was true, but 15 minutes and through security, checked in and on the ship you can't beat that.  Now this is all predicated on doing all of our pre-check in paperwork prior to including entering our photos, passports, etc... before the cruise, saves a ton of time.

A few additional observations.
-  Went to Chops on the last night and it was great as always.  Ordered the filet and Salmon and made my own surf/turf.  The chocolate lava cake is amazing as well as the red velvet.  We had the mac/cheese, fries and creamed spinach and they were all spot on.
- the HDMI1 port was available on the back of the tv's and via the remote you can access with channel 0, which leads me to believe you can hook up a console or other HDMI compatible devices.
- Mason Jar is as good as advertised.  The food was really good and the bread and butter they provide prior to the meal is only rivaled by the break at 150 park.  The chicken and greens were fantastic, and the gumbo was good, wish it was roux based versus tomato based but still good flavor.  Even came with two crawfish in the gumbo.  The chocolate pecan pie and bourbon ice cream were great and just an overall great experience.  The bar has very unique drink options and the smokey old fashioned was on point.  Only bad thing was even with a reservation we still waited an additional 30-40 minutes to be seated. 
- As on most cruises the casino was packed every night, I played blackjack the majority of my time while there.

We just came back on Wonder of the Seas and as a suite guest (Junior Suite), we went directly through, seamless.  We went to the Suite Lounge and they did not look at our check in as we arrived early.

Great to meet @HAK1906!

A few minor differences from when I cruised on Symphony in March ‘20 to this cruise:
- Breakfast is an option at El Loco Fresh
- No made-to-order egg station at Solarium Bistro (still the best place for breakfast and often crowded)
- more options at playmakers (ping-pong, pool, old arcade games)
- No Jazz on 4, now the Gold Room, I preferred the live Jazz
- A Bar in the casino (Symphony may have had this but I did not notice)
- wow Bands everywhere
- the myth is true, if you want to run into Matt H. On a cruise, go to the Pub mid-evening  😂👍🏽
 

Pub is pretty hopping tonight!

Wi-Fi speeds by the vue bar during sailaway. 

I had been wondering why my calendar had not updated on the app with the things I had added as well as my check in information I did the website.  I did a common thing called “sign-out and sign back in” and all my information including the daily calendar details of ship activities, etc.. were loaded. Who knew that simple trick would load all the things that were missing. This is your FYI moment of the day. 😂😂😂👍🏽👍🏽😎😎🫢🫢🤩🤩🥹🥹🥹🙃🙃🤪. DUH!!!😂😂

I’m on Odyssey right now. When I boarded my pass showed “Sea” for my JS. I went straight for the suite line an hour before my scheduled board time and has zero issues. 

Cruise summary:
Summary:  We sailed the week of 15 Jan 23 from Port Canaveral with about 6200 fellow passengers.  Wonder of the Seas lives up to its name.  Port visits included:  St. Maarten, St. Thomas and Coco Cay.  And it was a perfect day at Coco Cay - weather conditions allowed for the balloon ride.  Impressed with the updates from other Oasis class ships like the suite neighborhood,  kids dessert counter in the WJ, Mason Jar (needs to be bigger), and high energy entertainment.
 
Embarkation:  I find the Port Canaveral terminal is a bit dated for a very “up to date” Oasis class ship.  Its functional, but lacks comfort factor while waiting to board.   We faced a lot of car congestion as we approached the drop off point.  Signage for high tier and suite entry points weren’t obvious until we got pretty close.  An updated terminal  to match the updated ship would be appreciated.
 
Ship Experiences
Food & Dining:  Sky Suite so we used the Coastal Kitchen and specialty dining in lieu of the MDR.   We also grazed the WJ in between official meal stops.   The WJ has a very upgraded look.   There are even kid level dessert counters that allow the kids to better see and select their own treats.   The Falcon 9 launch on embarkation day was a treat.   Ship was in a great position to see the launch and the recovery of the boosters.
 
Chops
Coastal Kitchen  - Visited for breakfast and lunch.  Dining was fine except for 2 issues.   The Baja Eggs content/presentation was different from what I was used to on other ships.  When I attempted to explain to the waiter, he didn’t understand what I was trying to communicate (new guy with little English).  Second issue with a lunchtime Margarita Flatbread that had a blue food residue on the bottom.  Not knowing what this was (as it looked like mold), we informed the waiter resulting on a visit from the chef.  He apologized profusely, but admitted the blue material came from a placing the flatbread on a dirty tray  (that’s called cross contamination in a US restaurant kitchen).  We found out a few of the staff were on first contracts.  Which explained the low energy service and wait times.  Lunches could go 2 hours.
 
Suite Lounge :  Bright spot on the service.   Bar tenders were very enthusiastic and worked hard to take care of everyone.  Didn’t notice any backups on orders, just kept plugging away and keeping the energy high.  Happy hour hors d’oeveres were outstanding.   Nice selection and high quality.   There did seem to be a shortage of bottled water on several occasions.   We noticed  the bar only kept 1 case on hand. Many of the guests would request a bottle or 2 upon heading away from the bar and one of the bartenders would need to depart to restock.
 
150 Central Park :  Very enjoyable meal, service, and atmosphere.   Fully enjoyed the venison loin.  Perfectly cooked.  Pleasantly surprised because past experiences were not stellar, but it was on Wonder.
 
Giovannis:  Eh - not impressed.   Had a lunch and dinner at this venue.  Arrived for lunch at 11:30 on embarkation day.  Didn’t get out until after 1.  Server not engaged MIA.   We were seated with 2 other couples at the same time,  and none of us even got water in the first 20 minutes.  Once the dining are filled up, they started to attend to tables, but starting with the people that just arrived.    We went back the next night for dinner, and same thing happened.   On the bright side, we thought the filet was the best of the specialty restaurants.
 
Chops:  Ordered the bone-in-ribeye.   It wasn’t thick, but cooked properly.  Didn’t mind the size as I had filled up on appetizers and needed to still enjoy dessert.  Service was great.
 
Izumi : We visited just to round out our dining experiences with our UDP.    Food was fine, service very good and entertaining.  But its no different from any of the shore chain hibachi   restaurants.  IMO  - too much over seasoning with soy.  A restaurant you only need visit every couple of years.   (Enjoyed the sushi side more - they do a very nice job and prices are comparable to the on shore restaurants).
 
Hooked:   As we enjoy shell fish, we really enjoyed Hooked.  We are raw oyster fans and had our fill on a couple of nights.   Felt bad for the guy doing the shucking - we gave him  a work out.  Lobster was great as well as other dishes we sampled.
 
Wonderland:  Imaginative cuisine as advertised.  Dined twice to experience 2 different menus.  Its not for everyone, but we enjoyed it.  Thought the service to be very good (and entertaining).  DIdn’t mind the pace of the meal at all as it matched the complexity of the dishes.  They also offer a few unique drinks that venue that we really enjoyed.
 
Playmakers:  Best sports bar at sea (and better than a lot on land also).  Can’t stay away from the stack of onion rings and wings.  Great service also.
 
Johnny Rockets: Despite being just a burger joint,  the service staff was the most energetic and engaging.  Thoroughly enjoyed our lunch and dessert
Onboard Activities
Entertainment:   I really enjoyed Voices and Effectors 2.   I appreciate when Royal produces original entertainment.  Superb vocalist and dancers are the norm on these ships.  Aqua Theater High Intensity was also off the wall good.   The above stage acrobatics and choreography  is captivating.  The 365 show is a well scored and choreographed iceskating show that is definitely worth seeing.
(IMO - I enjoyed Effectors type show far more than the Broadway productions on other ships). I think it allows the cast to shine in original story lines.)   Also enjoyed the small ensembles around the ship, especially the Mason Jar.  Although tough to find seating - needs to be larger.
 
Service & Staff:  As on any ship.  Some very good, some not so.  It appeared there were a lot of “first contract” people in visible positions.  Waiters seemed like they’re on their own - no support from bussing staff.  So they cannot provide attention we normally experienced (saw this on Allure recently too).  But overall - it was very good.  
 
Ship Quality:   The newest and brightest in the Royal fleet.  Ship is fantastic and it seems they applied practical lessons learned from earlier Oasis class ships.   We were on deck 17 and enjoyed the new suite neighborhood set-up.    Two noticeable issues, hot water first thing in the morning took a while - needed to run water about 10 minutes to get it.  Also elevator situation needs some rethinking and probably re-engineering in the future renditions.  Did find out a neat trick which was verified by the concierge.  If you’re in suite class you can tap you sea pass card on the readers on deck 17/18 and 4/5/6  elevator key pads to call the aft elevator bank (6 of them).  Those are the only elevators to service decks 17 & 18.  Others just service up to 16.  If you have mobility issues you must use one of the 6 aft (glass door) elevators.  Wait times during dining rush hours was crazy - some people had to wait 20 minutes to get on an elevator.  A must if you have mobility challenges as well as strollers.
 
Cabin/Stateroom:  1764 Starboard GS.  Deck 17 & 18 comprise the suite neighborhood which include the CK/lounge on 17 with a sun/pool deck on 18.   Cabin has plenty of room and storage.  Nice sized balcony with both lounging and dining furniture.   Enough USB charging ports throughout the room and the second pull down television over the bed is a nice bonus (but interesting that it can be inadvertently turned on while in the stowed position by the living area TV remote).  Observed an issue with having hot water early in the morning.  After 2 mornings I  called maintenance, they said run the water for 3 minutes.   I found you need at least 10 minute then it warms up.  Thought the light in the room safe was a nice touch.  Room steward was on 1st contract, but did a good job.  Suite concierges (Jorge and Noorina)  are  top notch.  
 
Summary:  So much to do, and not enough time on a 7-day cruise.  Wonder is more than a ship, its a floating resort.

I feel like they were pretty strict. You definitely were not allowed in the terminal until your time and they checked your time on your sail pass.  It is definitely worth it though because it makes the whole process extremely smooth. We had a 1030 time and we were onboard by like 1045! My advice would be to not arrive until your time. 

Leeway for suites has been 1 hour on either side of your check-in time. In reality they aren't going to look at anything on the SeaPass other than verifying you are in a suite to send you through the suites check-in line.

Nope, no one checks or stops you. The times really are only for when they expect luggage to be available in the terminal. If you have no luggage to pick up then you aren't waiting on anything. They also have multiple times for self-disembark to encourage staggered elevator use, but again they don't look at numbers for anything other than luggage pickup.

No need to go to Guest Services at all.  Just keep you luggage inside the cabin on the last night (do not put it outside your cabin to be collected), get up early enough that you can be downstairs by 6:30/6:45 to start lining up for early walk-off (we get up at 6AM) with your luggage and be among the first to disembark.  Ignore the luggage tags that you get for disembarkation.  When you do self-embarkation you don’t need a “number “.