Royal Caribbean is sending its fifth Oasis-class ship to China. Royal Caribbean President and CEO Michael Bayley announced the new cruise ship’s homeport – Shanghai – and name – Wonder of the Seas – at an event in Shanghai. The ship will be the first Oasis-class vessel to sail in the Asia Pacific region, the cruise line said.
On the same day as the announcement event in Shanghai, the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France, also laid the keel for the new vessel, marking the start of the ship’s physical construction. During the keel-laying ceremony a 970-ton block, measuring 155 feet by 65 feet, was lifted onto the building dock with a 1,400-ton crane.
Wonder of the Seas will be part of Royal Caribbean’s Oasis class of ships, and the cruise line said that it will keep the classes’ signature seven-neighborhood design concept. More information on the new ship’s itineraries will be announced soon, Royal Caribbean said.
While information on the ship’s capacity has not yet been released, Royal Caribbean did describe it as the “world’s largest cruise ship.” That title is currently held by fellow Oasis-class vessel Symphony of the Seas, which launched last year and is currently sailing seven-night Eastern and Western Caribbean cruises out of Miami, with visits to the cruise line’s revamped private island destination in the Bahamas, Perfect Day at CocoCay.
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