You can’t walk far without tripping over a bar either. Let’s just say, going hungry is not one of the options. All that’s before you even get to the main dining rooms, burger bars, grab-and-go Mexican tacos, Playmakers’ pub grub, various cafés and more. Mason Jar Restaurant and Bar is new and adds a touch of southern comfort with its cosy porch, swing and dishes such as green fried tomatoes, cinnamon rolls, crab beignets, shrimp and grits, while those with a taste for the fanciful can go down the rabbit hole in Wonderland and dine on liquid lobster, baby vegetables in ‘soil’ and snap, crackle and pork. Steaks in Chops Grille, fish in Hooked, Italian in Giovannis, fine dining in posh 150 Central Park. With a ship this size comes plenty of choice. It’s set over two storeys and holds up to 10 people. The Royal Loft Suite is the best address in the house for families and multi-generational gatherings, check out the Ultimate Family Suite. Suites are attended by Royal Genies, aka butlers, and gathered together in a new gated residence (Royal Caribbean calls it a neighborhood) that has a sundeck with a plunge pool and bar, and private lounge and restaurant, Coastal Kitchen, where diners can come and go as they wish. If a balcony appeals, take your pick from a view of the sea, Central Park or the Boardwalk. It has all the above, but inside cabins also come with a virtual balcony or a view over the Royal Promenade, a parade of shops, bars and cafés that runs through the centre of the ship. Most ships have simple choices when it comes to cabins, with rooms inside (with no window), outside (with a fixed window) or with a balcony. If you do lose your cabin among the almost 3,000 on board, touchscreen deck plans by the lifts show the way. Take your bearings from the Coney Island-inspired Boardwalk at the back, leafy Central Park with its real plants and shrubs in the middle and the spa forward and you’ll never get lost. There is a gym on board but frankly you get lots of exercise just getting from A to B on this behemoth (especially if A is your cabin way up front and B is the dining room at the back). There won’t be so many places to eat or things to do, but you’ll see more and won’t feel so anonymous. If meeting people and discovering new destinations appeals, choose something smaller. It’s so big that you rarely see the same people twice and anyway most folk are on for a fun holiday with friends or family and are not too bothered about going off the beaten track when the ship gets to port. Ironically, given there are so many passengers, this isn’t a great choice for those hoping to make new friends. That’s several thousand more than many a UK village. Wonder clocks in at 236,857 GT and up to 6,988 passengers. Its immediate predecessor, Symphony of the Seas, is a mere 228,081 GT (gross tonnage) and can host up to 6,680 passengers. It’s not the first time Royal Caribbean has amazed us with the world’s biggest ship – Wonder is the fifth in a series – but because the line likes to outdo itself, each is bigger than the last. But who can blame them given the vessel in question, Wonder of the Seas, is, well, wondrous, a floating pleasure dome with more places to eat, sleep and play than many a land-based resort. As the cruise line prepares to launch the world’s biggest ship, the superlatives are out in force. Several words clearly never made it into Royal Caribbean International’s lexicon.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |