MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Biggest cruise of the world expected to begin operations next March

Considered the biggest cruise vessel in the world, Wonder of the Seas takes the title from Symphony of the Seas.

The biggest cruise ship in the world, Wonder of the Seas is sailing to Marseille to complete finishing touches before she officially joins Royal Caribbean. The 236.857 gross tons vessel left from the Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard in Saint Nazaire, where her construction was started two and a half years ago

Considered the biggest cruise vessel in the world, Wonder of the Seas takes the title from Symphony of the Seas. She is 5% larger than her sister ship, Oasis of the Seas, which was the first Oasis-Class ship when she launched 12 years ago, in 2009.

After a short sailing, which will see the ship make her way along the French and Portuguese coastlines and past Gibraltar, she will arrive in Marseille to receive some final touches.

Construction for the world’s largest cruise ship started in 2019 when the first steel was cut in April of that year. The keel was laid in October 2019; she floated out in September 2020 and has already completed her sea trials. Construction cost is estimated at 1,2 billion Euros.

She is 362 meters long, 64 wide with a draft of 30 feet, has all the possible imagined amenities in her 18 decks with 2.867 staterooms for some 6.988 passengers, and is manned with a crew of 2,300.

General Manager Laurent Castaing, from Chantiers de l’Atlantique, said that “we are aware that we have designed and built one of the most remarkable ships in the history of the cruise industry. Wonder of the Seas represents a unique synthesis of innovation, cutting-edge technology, and know-how shared by thousands of workers, technicians, and engineers. This magnificent ship is also a symbol of the success of the loyal and fruitful partnership we established almost forty years ago with Royal Caribbean International”.

Once she does complete her final touch-up in the south of France, Wonder of the Seas will set a course towards the United States, where she is expected to start operations from March next year. The ship will sail from its homeport in Fort Lauderdale to the Caribbean on March 4, 2022, before making its way to Barcelona and Rome sailing summer vacations in May.

Scheduled to be delivered in 2024, a sixth Oasis-class ship is on the way, while the newest and first of the LNG-class of ships, Icon of the Seas, is scheduled to be delivered in the second half of 2023.