Royal Caribbean International officially welcomed Wonder of the Seas—the world's largest cruise ship by gross tonnage—into its family with a naming ceremony held for the ship in Port Canaveral, Florida. The ship was named by its godmother and "Wonder Mom" Marie McCrea from Pennsylvania.
Royal Caribbean executives and teams, families, friends, travel advisors, the cruise line’s partners and more came together on board the cruise ship to celebrate the occasion in one of the brand’s entertainment venues, the AquaTheater. On stage with McCrea during the ceremony were Royal Caribbean Group President and CEO Jason Liberty, Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley, and McCrea's daughter, Allie, who nominated her mother for the role as part of a nationwide search started by Royal Caribbean on Mother’s Day.
Wonder has experiences across eight neighborhoods—a first in the Oasis Class. To find the godmother to match, Royal Caribbean took to TikTok and launched the #SearchforWonderMom contest, which saw 16,000 videos posted and 10.6 billion hashtag views. The search was complete when the cruise line heard McCrea’s story, one of a devoted mother, wife and cancer survivor whose spirit inspired her family and those around her to set out on adventures and enjoy every moment together despite the hardships they faced.
The latest in Royal Caribbean’s Oasis Class offers a lineup of new adventures as well as fan-favorite experiences. Highlights include the Suite Neighborhood, a new, eighth neighborhood that offers Royal Suite Class guests to an elevated Suite Sun Deck with a plunge pool and bar, "epic" Ultimate Family Suites and more; the new Mason Jar Southern Restaurant & Bar, serving up Southern staples and classics with a twist for brunch, dinner and late at night; and a new, underwater-themed play area for kids, Wonder Playscape, with slides, climbing walls, imaginative puzzles and more.
Beyond the 40-plus restaurants, bars and lounges on Wonder of the Seas, also in store for travelers is The Ultimate Abyss, the tallest slide at sea; the FlowRider surf simulator; rock climbing walls; The Perfect Storm racing water slides; newly designed areas for kids and teens; and original entertainment across four “stages:" Air, ice, theater and water.
The new ship is now sailing seven-night Eastern and Western Caribbean cruises from Port Canaveral to Caribbean locales, such as the cruise line’s private island destination, Perfect Day at CocoCay in The Bahamas; St. Thomas, St. Maarten; and Mexico.
For more details about Wonder of the Seas, visit www.royalcaribbean.com. To hear more about McCrea’s story, visit TikTok.
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