World's largest cruise ship, Wonder of the Seas, sets sail to Caribbean

Wonder of the Seas took three years and more than $1.92 billion to build. Photo / Supplied

When the RMS Titanic set sail in 1912, it wasn't just the largest passenger ship in the world, but the largest ship ever built.

Now, a cruise ship five times that size has set sail for the first time.

Weighing 236,857 tonnes, Wonder of the Seas features, 20 restaurants, 19 swimming pools, 11 bars, a Central Park, ice rink and casino reported The Sun.

The liner departed from Fort Lauderdale, Florida to the Caribbean on Friday and it's maiden voyage will last seven days.

At 362 meters long, the Royal Caribbean liner can carry 6988 passengers, 2300 crew and enough beer to fill all 19 swimming pools…twice.

"It's hard to believe you are even on a ship. It's a city on the water. There is everything you could ever want. There's no reason to ever get off," one passenger said.
"We're going to need a bigger ocean," another joked.

Of the 18 decks, 16 are for passengers.

Despite its size, Wonder of the Seas' three 20,000 kilowatt diesel-electric thrusters under the stern and four bow thrusters allow it to move up to 22 knots.

The liner was built in Saint-Nazaire, France, and took three years and more than $1.92 billion.

Her initial launch was planned to take place in China last year but was postponed due to the pandemic.

Passengers are unlikely to get bored while aboard, with the ship featuring a Coney Island-themed boardwalk, Las Vegas-style casino and a Central Park, filled with 20,000 plants and trees.

Foodies can enjoy cuisine from around the world from American and Italian to French and German.

For the tech-lovers, the Bionic Bar is worth a visit, where cocktails are made by robots.

As for activities and entertainment, guests can catch a showing of the musical Chicago by Broadway performers, see high-divers leap from 18 metre-high boards into swimmings pools at the AquaTheatre or enjoy an "icetravanganzas" in the indoor ice rink.

Feeling adventurous? Catch a 3.5 metre-high generated wave at the surf pool, fly along a 25-metre zip line or zoom down the Ultimate Abyss; a 30-metre slide that goes from Deck 16 to Deck 6 in 13 seconds.

That's before you even check out the Laser Tag game area, outdoor movie theatre, mini-golf course, video game arcade or luxury spa.

These can all be enjoyed even if you have kids in tow, who can spend their days in a range of clubs or activities.

If you're a VIP, you'll have a "royal genie" butler, on-call while the Ultimate Family Suite holts 10 people and features a two-story slide between the bedroom and lounge.

Given the impressive offerings, it's no surprise Royal Caribbean claim bookings have returned to pre-pandemic levels.

"We are eager to move forward this year. We expect 2022 will be a strong year as we bring the rest of our fleet into operations and approach historical occupancy levels," said chief executive Jason Liberty.