While press releases will always highlight the most eye-catching features of a new ship, there are a few interesting anecdotes and changes that Royal Caribbean has made with Wonder of the Seas.

While these may not be “I can’t believe they did that” changes, I thought they were interesting enough to share with anyone who is planning a trip to the Wonder of the Seas in the near future.

Largest Windjammer at sea

Many families rely on the Windjammer for quick meals, and Royal Caribbean designed the Windjammer to be the largest ship in the fleet.

Linken D’Souza, Royal Caribbean Vice President Food & Beverage, stated that the Windjammer on Wonder has 1048 seats, 300 more than any other Windjammer.

They also added a “kidjammer” station at the appropriate height for children to grab their own food.

This is significant not just because it’s a very large Windjammer, but because traditionally the Windjammer on Oasis Class ships were not always that large.

In an effort to keep passengers separated and not too close in one area, the original Oasis Class ships purposefully not a massive Windjammer to promote the idea of going to alternative quick service food choices, such as Park Cafe, Mini Bites and others.

Cruise fans know what they want, and Royal Caribbean dedicated the most space yet to the Windjammer on Wonder of the Seas.

At the start of the planning process for “InTENse,” Royal Caribbean Senior Vice President of Entertainment, Nick Weir, stated that they were simply looking for the most adventurous and thrill-seeking performers they could find.

Mr. Weir’s staff noticed that all of the people auditioning were female as the auditions began. They then decided to capitalise on this fact by making it an all-female show.

If you order a latte or macchiato at Cafe Promenade on Wonder of the Seas, you will receive a Starbucks beverage, and all of the Cafe Promenades in the fleet will soon follow suit.

Mr. D’Souza stated that Royal Caribbean’s licencing agreement with their supplier allows them to offer Starbucks branded drinks at Cafe Promenade while also continuing to offer Starbucks drinks at the kiosk.

While Starbucks beverages at the kiosks are not included in any drink package, Starbucks beverages at Cafe Promenade are included in a Royal Caribbean drink package.

Genies are the only crew members without name tags

So this isn’t a feature exclusive to the Wonders of the Seas, but I forgot about it and wanted to share it with you.

The Royal Genies are an exclusive perk for Wonder of the Seas’ top suite guests. Genies are a cross between a butler and a wish maker, and they are shared by only a few cabins.

On the Wonder of the Seas, there are three genies spread across eight Star Class suites.

While in public areas of the ship, genies do not wear a nametag because the cruise line does not want other guests asking them questions or otherwise taking time away from the families to which the genies are assigned.

Wonder is first ship to bring back events cancelled due to Covid

For the first time since Covid-19, two major onboard events are returning to Wonder of the Seas.

On the Wonder of the Seas, laser tag is already operational, and the Royal Promenade parade should be ready by the second voyage.

The street parade has 98 participants. The plan is to gradually restore parades to other ships.

Both of these events have been postponed until now due to Covid-19 social distancing concerns.

First ship to have a country band onboard

Wonder of the Seas is for you if you prefer Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryant, or Garth Brooks.

The Mason Jar restaurant has a bar area where a country music band trio performs most nights.

While Royal Caribbean has always been a big fan of live music on its ships, country music wasn’t usually on the menu.

Wonder of the Seas has its first VIP high roller casino area

To appeal to the Asian cruise market, the Wonder of the Seas was designed with a high roller casino area rather than a jazz club. When Royal Caribbean decided to keep Wonder of the Seas in the US, they decided to keep the VIP room.

Cruise line executives I spoke with admitted that they weren’t sure if the concept would be popular with Americans, but it seemed worth a shot.

If you’re worried about missing out on jazz music, Royal Caribbean still has it in both Central Park and the Music Hall.