By: Staff Writer
March 10, 2022
The Royal Caribbean Cruise Line’s (RCCL) world largest ship took her maiden voyage from the Port of Nassau on Wednesday in a spectacular show of opulence and grandeur
Michal Bayley, chief executive officer of RCCL, told reporters that the Wonder of the Seas embarking on its maiden voyage is “important” for RCCL in many ways: “First of all, the world’s largest cruise ship, Wonder of the Seas, flies the Bahamian flag. It’s registered in the Bahamas along with 35 other Royal Caribbean ships. It’s meaningful because it’s a first port of call on what’s called a revenue cruise, where we’ve got our customers, our guests, on board.
He continued, “It’s symbolic because when RCCL was started as a company, as a cruise line, over 50 years ago our very first port was Nassau. So here we are, 50 years later, through everything we’ve all been through and Wonder of the seasons coming to Nassau. So it’s incredibly important.
“I think it’s also important because it yet again this kind of confirms our relationship with the Bahamas that we’ve had over many, many decades. Obviously, as a company, it’s our flagship, we’re incredibly proud of this ship. It’s also a ship that was literally born through the pandemic. It takes about two and a half years to build a ship such as this, this is the fifth ship in the Oasis class, all of the Oasis Class ships come to the Bahamas and this literally was built during the pandemic. So it came through extraordinary times. It’s an extraordinary ship. We’re incredibly proud of it and we’re very pleased and proud to bring it to the Bahamas.”
The ship can accommodate 7,000 guests and will be starting out on full Caribbean sailings this coming November. “So every month that would bring 28,000 Cruise tourists to the Bahamas and to every destination it goes to.
He continued, “So over a year, that’s going to be about 360,000 Cruise tourists coming to the Bahamas, this ship is here for a couple of months. Then it’s going to the Mediterranean for the summer season, then it’s coming back to home port in Port Canaveral and then it’ll stay in Port Canaveral and it’ll be coming down to the Bahamas and into the Caribbean on a weekly basis,” he said.
The Wonder of the Seas is a wonder to behold. Its grandeur is beyond measure for a cruise ship and its crew members go above and beyond the call of service.
The ship also features a Central Park neighborhood featuring of live plants, shopping, and restaurants, and more and a Coney Island-inspired Boardwalk neighborhood with a carousel and outdoor theater. It also has an Aqua Theatre headlined by the intense aquabatic troupe that should not be missed.