Beautiful ship geared mostly to families with younger children

Wonder of the Seas Cruise Review to Caribbean - Eastern

Cruises: 7+ cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 25

Overall rating:

4 out of 5
Verified Review
Wonder of the Seas

7 Night Eastern Caribbean & Perfect Day (Port Canaveral Roundtrip)

Sail date: April 30, 2023

Ship: Wonder of the Seas

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 7594

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 1 year ago

Review summary

The goal for this cruise was pure stress relief and it did that. Staff was amazing - so nice and friendly. However, we skipped Coco Cay due to high seas and there was not a lot to do on the ship that day - it also put us at sea for 3 days, which got a bit boring and there was no compensation for the skipped port. Again, lots of kids and parents with strollers so trying to manovre around them was challenging at times - especially when trying to get into elevators. It is a beautiful ship with lots of different venues so do your research before you go to ensure you get the most out of what the ship has to offer. Book shows and specialty restaurants early and request your main dining room seating early as well.

Embarkation

5 out of 5
Very well organized

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5
Food overall was pretty bland in the main dining room and Hooked specialty restaurant. Wonderland was fun and food was great! If you have ‘My Time ‘ dining, be sure to go directly to the restaurant and make reservations for the nights and times you want to eat there. We somehow ended up with that and had an 8:30 seating - which was too late. We didn’t know that we couldn’t just show up for dinner and be seated as other cruise lines we sail have ‘Anytime Dining’.

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5
Outdoor pools were crazy with kids, strollers and smokers! Thank goodness for the Solarium but no real pool there, just hot tub and wading pool. Surprisingly few shipboard activities with exception of things they wanted you to pay for.

Entertainment

5 out of 5
Entertainment was all top notch! Surprised that all shows required reservations. RCL booking ap was not working so reservations were not shown on daily calendar. Had to actually go to the Activites desk on deck 4 to book everything and by the time we found that, there was limited availability. Definitely do this first thing if you want to see the shows.

Children's Programs

No kids

Service and Staff

3 out of 5
Overall, we cannot say enough about how nice everyone was! Probably the nicest staff on any ship we have been on!

Ship Quality

5 out of 5
Layout was good and very well maintained.

Cabin / Stateroom

4 out of 5
Cabin was very roomy but bathroom was teeny tiny with the smallest sink I have ever seen. Shower was OK for me (5’4) but was very narrow so could be difficult for someone of any size. Bring shampoo and conditioner, as the only thing provided was a single, multi-use gel (not good for hair). We also had to remake our bed every night, as the sheets were not tucked in and the overhang was always way larger on one side and a few inches on the other. Also asked for and received additional towels on Day 1, which then reduced by 1 each day until I had to ask for more again. Also ice was not replaced unless we asked every night.

Ship tip

Be prepared for tons of kids and to spend additional $$ on specialty restaurants if you want a more flavorful meal.

Ports of call

Port Canaveral, Florida

5 out of 5

Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas

5 out of 5

Philipsburg, St. Maarten

3 out of 5
Not a lot to do there but shop and eat if you do not do an excursion

Disembarkation

5 out of 5
Great and smooth
Was this review helpful? 25

9 Comments

AuntPinkie    1 year ago

Appreciate your detailed review. Glad you enjoyed your were able to relax as planned.

mgoblue44    1 year ago

Hopefully by the July and Aug dates I’m going, there are much fewer kids and strollers. Or I may just have to be as obnoxious as they are. 😜

cruising2004    1 year ago

Thank you for sharing your cruising experience.

Greengator    1 year ago

Thanks for sharing at least you had some bright spots

kef2016    1 year ago

Thanks for sharing your cruise experience and ship tip. Looks like you enjoyed most of your cruise.

Ship2Shora    1 year ago

Thanks for the detes 😎

javawoody    1 year ago

Thanks for sharing

Gwbigdog    1 year ago

Thanks for sharing your cruise

mims56    1 year ago

Was on same sailing. Was also disappointed about cococay but they did credit around 50 for i port fees . The entertainment was open about 50 days ahead so i booked prior to sail date which helps alot. Yes, I've never seen so many babies and toddlers on a cruise ship

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