Wonder of the Seas is filled with impressive new features and amenities, but Royal Caribbean also included a few things that are slightly different or even unique to this ship.
While the press releases will always highlight the big headline-grabbing features of a new ship, there are a few interesting anecdotes and tweaks Royal Caribbean has made with Wonder of the Seas.
While these may not be the "I can't believe they did that" type of changes, I thought these were interesting enough to share for someone that goes on Wonder of the Seas soon to know about.
Largest Windjammer at sea
The Windjammer is the epicenter of quick meals for many families, and Royal Caribbean designed the Windjammer to be the largest in the fleet.
Royal Caribbean Vice President Food & Beverage, Linken D'Souza, said the Windjammer on Wonder has 1048 seats, 300 bigger than any other Windjammer.
They also added a "kidjammer" station at right height for kids so they can grab their own food.
This is significant not just because it's a very large Windjammer, but because traditionally the Windjammer on Oasis Class ships were not always that large.
In an effort to keep passengers separated and not too close in one area, the original Oasis Class ships purposefully not a massive Windjammer to promote the idea of going to alternative quick service food choices, such as Park Cafe, Mini Bites and others.
Cruise fans know what they want, and Royal Caribbean dedicated the most space yet to the Windjammer on Wonder of the Seas.
The female-only aqua show wasn't intentional
Royal Caribbean touts the fact its all-female AquaTheater show on Wonder of the Seas is a first, but this wasn't the plan from the start.
Royal Caribbean Senior Vice President of Entertainment, Nick Weir, shared at the start of the planning process for "InTENse", they simply were looking to find the most adventurous and thrill-seeking performers they could find.
As the auditions began, Mr. Weir's staff noticed all the people auditioning were female. They then had the idea to embrace that fact and make it an all-female show.
Cafe Promenade serves Starbucks drinks, and soon the entire fleet will too
If you order a latte or macchiato at Cafe Promenade on Wonder of the Seas, you will get a Starbucks beverage and soon all the Cafe Promenade's in the fleet will too.
Mr. D'Souza said the licensing agreement with their supplier allows Royal Caribbean to offer Starbucks branded drinks at Cafe Promenade, but also continue offering Starbucks drinks at the kiosk.
While the Starbucks kiosk beverages are not included with any drink package, the Starbucks drinks at Cafe Promenade are included with a Royal Caribbean drink package.
Genies are the only crew members without name tags
So this is not a Wonder of the Seas-only feature, but I forgot about this fact and wanted to share it with you.
The Royal Genies are the exclusive perk for the top suite guests onboard Wonder of the Seas. Genies are kind of like a cross between a butler and wish maker, and they are shared between just a few cabins.
On Wonder of the Seas, there are 3 genies across 8 Star Class suites.
Genies don't wear a nametag while in public areas of the ship, because the cruise line doesn't want other guests asking them questions or otherwise taking time away from the families the genies are assigned to.
Wonder is first ship to bring back events cancelled due to Covid
Two major onboard events are coming back to Wonder of the Seas for the first time since Covid-19.
Laser tag is already up and running on Wonder of the Seas, and the Royal Promenade parade should ready by the second voyage.
The street parade has 98 people in cast. The plan is to bring back parades to other ships systematically.
Both of these events were suspended due to Covid-19 social distancing concerns up until now.
First ship to have a country band onboard
If you prefer Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryant, or Garth Brooks, Wonder of the Seas is for you.
At the Mason Jar restaurant, there is a bar area that features a country music band trio that performs most nights.
While Royal Caribbean has always been a major proponent of live music on its ships, country music was usually not in the repertoire.
Wonder of the Seas has its first VIP high roller casino area
Wonder of the Seas was designed with a high roller casino area in lieu of a jazz club to appeal to the Asian cruise market. When Royal Caribbean changed plans to keep Wonder of the Seas in the United States, they decided to keep the VIP room.
Cruise line executives I spoke with admitted they weren't sure whether or not the concept will be a hit with Americans, but it seemed worth a try.
If you are worried about missing out on jazz music, Royal Caribbean still offers live jazz music in both Central Park and the Music Hall.
