Pennsylvania mother and cancer survivor Marie McCrea, who was nominated by her daughter in the "wonder mom" contest, will oversee the breaking of a bottle of Champagne against the side of the vessel — the biggest cruise ship ever built — as it prepares to sail on a celebratory, two-night voyage from Florida's Port Canaveral.
The non-revenue sailing of the much-ballyhooed, 18-deck-high vessel, with Royal Caribbean executives, travel agents and other special guests on board, will mark the official start of the ship's first year-round schedule of sailings to the Caribbean.
The ship will make a single stop at Perfect Day at CocoCay, Royal Caribbean's private island in the Bahamas.
Wonder of the Seas initially debuted in March with a handful of Caribbean sailings out of Florida's Port Everglades before repositioning to the Mediterranean for the summer. However, it is only now settling into its first long-term home, Port Canaveral. It began sailing out of the Florida cruise hub on a year-round basis in mid-November.
A three-person TPG team reported live from Wonder of the Seas' maiden voyage in March, posting a long list of first-impression stories and guides to the vessel, including:
- First look at Royal Caribbean's Wonder of the Seas: What we like, don't like and can't find on the world's largest cruise ship
- Wonder of the Seas 3 ways: Inside, balcony and suite cruise experiences compared
- Why Wonder of the Seas is awesome for families
- How I had the busiest 2 days ever on Royal Caribbean's new Wonder of the Seas cruise ship
- The Mason Jar: A review of Royal Caribbean's new Southern comfort food restaurant
- Genies, freebies and VIP status: The perks of Royal Caribbean's Royal Suite class, explained
A new record holder
Built at the giant Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard in St. Nazaire, France, Wonder of the Seas measures 236,857 tons — about 4% bigger than the previous size leader in the cruise world, Royal Caribbean’s 4-year-old Symphony of the Seas.
Like Symphony, Wonder is part of Royal Caribbean’s groundbreaking, five-vessel Oasis class of ships, which began rolling out in 2009 and dominate the list of the world's largest cruise ships.
Wonder is similar to Symphony and three earlier Oasis-class vessels, with a few new twists that contributed to its bigger size, including a dedicated suite area with a private lounge, restaurant and sun deck. Like the four earlier Oasis-class ships, it is nearly 1,200 feet long — the equivalent of more than three football fields.
Notably, Wonder has room for up to 6,988 passengers with every berth filled — more than any other passenger ship in history. It sails with 2,300 crew members, also a record for a passenger ship. As a result, the total number of people on Wonder could approach 9,300 at times.
Related: The ultimate guide to Royal Caribbean cruise ships and itineraries
After launching the Oasis class in 2009, Royal Caribbean added three more Oasis-class vessels in 2010, 2016 and 2018 before unveiling Wonder of the Seas in March. Each of the ships has been a little bigger than the last.
Like the earlier Oasis-class ships, Wonder offers multiple main pool areas, a kiddie splash zone, surfing simulators, a miniature golf course, a basketball court and even a zip line. And that’s just on its top deck. Inside the vessel, you’ll find more lounges, bars, restaurants and shops than you can imagine, plus a huge casino, spas and theaters.
As with earlier Royal Caribbean ships, it even has an indoor ice skating rink.
The TikTok contest that found a godmother
Wonder of the Seas godmother Marie McCrea was named to the role in the wake of a TikTok contest that asked for nominations for the ultimate "wonder mom," to be submitted via the platform under the #SearchforWonderMom hashtag. More than 16,000 videos were submitted, and the promotion led to 10.6 billion views of the hashtag on TikTok.
McCrea was nominated in a video submitted by her daughter, Allie, and picked by a Royal Caribbean panel that considered the top submissions. Her nomination noted how she overcame adversity with strength.
McCrea and a list of other finalists in the TikTok contest will all sail on the ship for free.
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