Cruisin for a Bruisin
This past weekend, my mom and I anniversaried a trip to Florida with something super unpredictable and out of the box…another trip to Florida! This time, we headed to Miami to experience Royal Caribbean’s Wonder of the Seas, one of its largest cruise vessels (and one of the worlds largest too, while we’re talking about it). I’ve now been on a couple of cruises and thought I’d provide a review for those of y’all considering a cruise adventure in the near future. I loved that this one was three nights, a perfect weekend getaway, especially for the Florida crowd (which unsurprisingly ended up making up 80% of our cruise). I was doubtful at how much you could truly fit in to a three day cruise, but I’m leaving surprisingly well rested and with some strong vacation fuel that will last me at least until this Friday. The cruise docked in Coco Cay, RC’s private island, and Nassau, Bahamas, which made for a pretty thrilling couple of port days. And the cruise itself was packed with activities, beautiful scenery, good music, and fun memories. So all in all, I’d recommend! Here were my weekend roses and thorns along with a rating for Activities, Staterooms, Ports, Amenities, Food & Drink, Vacation Vibe, Value for Money, and Overall Experience.
Activities - 9
The shining star on Wonder is the sheer amount of activities they pack into a three day weekend. From the sailaway parties to the shows, everything is done exceptionally well. Everything is available in the RC app so you can reserve shows in advance of your cruise and then add smaller activities to your daily planner so you don’t miss out.
A few of my favorite activities around the ship were live piano bar music at Schooner’s bar, musical trivia at Spotlight Karaoke, the decades night party on night one, and the Crazy Quest - which is basically this hilarious game show where they have groups race against each other to find the strangest things and people (I literally did not stop laughing the entire hour). And who could talk about activities without talking about the shows? I have to shout out the ice skating show and above all, the water show, Intense. The latter was up there, Las Vegas style, with some of the best I’ve ever seen.
Staterooms - 7
I mean, it’s a cruise stateroom, so not a ton to talk about here (and likewise, never enough space) but I did really enjoy the comfort of the beds and the overall layout of the room. We had a room on deck 9, which was perfect to be close enough to the action without it keeping us up at night. The housekeeping was super orderly and everything was super comfortable for the cruise. Docking a few points because the staterooms can be quite difficult to find (the layout of the ship itself is a tad confusing, which I’ll get to later) and the TV was limited only to On Demand movies and casting (which only worked with the internet package). Overall though, pretty pleasant when comparing to my cruises thus far!
Ports & Excursions - 7
Like I’ve mentioned, we stopped at Coco Cay and Nassau. Coco Cay offers a RC exclusive beach club, a nice pool, and some beautiful beaches, in addition to their thrill waterpark and other excursions. We chose not to do an excursion for this one and to hit the beach instead. It was a beautiful beach and bonus points to RC for how thought out the island is- there are trams around the island to shuttle you around and stateroom cards can be used for all purchases on the island. For a full day at port, I thought there could be a little something added in; I did get a bit bored by the end. It was a beautiful day, but I definitely think you can sleep in for this port day. Nassau was another gorgeous weather day (maybe even a little too gorgeous, if my burn lines have anything to say about that). We did do an excursion for this one, taking a ferry to the beautiful Blue Lagoon Island for the Dolphins Encounter there. I LOVED this. I may be a bit biased since it was my first time with dolphins (and being kissed by a dolphin is pretty high on my 2026 list so far) but I thought it was super well put together. We also got to enjoy the beautiful crystal clear water out there for a couple of hours before heading back to explore some of the downtown Nassau area. While the embarkation and disembarkation process at each port was well organized, there was a mixup with our return ferry to Nassau that left us out in the sun for a bit too long, so docking a point there. Overall, I had a lot of fun for both port experiences.
Cruise Amenities - 6.5
The Wonder of the Seas is a giant ship, making up 18 decks of amenities. One of my favorite parts was the way you barely notice you’re even on a ship- the restaurants, bars, shops, pools, spa, theaters, Solarium, Karaoke, teens and children clubs, and so much more - leave you feeling like you’re truly experiencing the all-inclusive resort lifestyle. The ship has everything from Mini Golf to Ice Skating to Zip Lining. There’s also unique “neighborhoods” on the ship, including a Central Park area for listening to Jazz music while taking in some nature (on a boat!), the exhilarating Boardwalk (complete with a carousel, arcade, and even a outdoor track from which you can watch the open water while sailing), and a Royal Promenade with shops, galleries, and plenty of live music. You really can’t go wrong!
Food & Drink - 7.5
There are a breadth of options available when it comes to food, some tastier than others, but all definitely serving their purpose on the ship. There’s the Windjammer and Solarium Bistro, for buffet style, quick service dining and a range of food options. There’s Johnny Rockets, Sorrento’s Pizza, Loco Fresh, Sprinkles Ice Ceeam, and a hot dog stand I can’t quite remember the name of. Sorrento’s is delicious and let’s be honest: there’s no world where complimentary pizza open until 1am wasn’t going to be a success. There’s even a Starbucks! Finally, there’s the main dining room serving up delicious food in a sit down style. If none of those tickle your taste buds, there’s even specialty resteraunts onboard like Hibachi, a steakhouse, a seafood spot, and an Italian place. I thought most of the food, especially out of the main dining hall, was great. My favorite main dining dishes were the jumbo coconut shrimp, lasagna al forno, Caesar salad, arancini, escargot, and key lime pie, so definitely don’t miss those. They also have some nice bars serving elegant cocktails, like the Music Hall on deck 8 and Schooner’s bar on deck 6.
Vacation Vibes - 6
Ah, vacation vibes, in other words how well rested I felt after the trip was over. Let’s start with the pros. I do think you leave the ship more relaxed than you get on it. There’s some great things to do, but there’s also quieter moments lounging in either the solarium or pool deck to get away. The hot tubs are a super nice touch, the service from the wait staff is extremely attentive, and the other passengers and crew are a good group to travel with. That being said, on a ship like Wonder, there’s a LOT of them. Which equates to a lot of screaming children running around the pool and interrupting the shows, a lot of waiting for elevators (especially on the first and last day), a lot of crowded areas all over the ship. The layout isn’t my favorite either, especially when it comes to finding your stateroom or navigating blocked off areas that are only accessible by stairs that only exist on certain decks. Give me another week and I’m sure I’d be a pro, but three days wasn’t nearly enough to get acquainted with the ship’s layout. So I’m gonna settle on a six. You shouldn’t pick a family-friendly cruise if you’re opting for utter relaxation, but if you do pick Wonder, it does a good enough job overall to keep you feeling at ease.
Value for Money - 7.5
Finally, value for money - or whether the cost justifies the experiences Royal provides for the cruise. I’m a bit torn on this one. On one hand, I think if you opt for a non-balcony room and book early, you can find very affordable options for certain times of the year that make the trip as a whole super worth it. On the other hand, Wonder is definitely an example of how charges can get you. Take the drink package, which can go from $65 / person / day before sailing to $130 / person / day during the cruise. My mom and I didn’t wind up booking it because we did the math and we don’t drink nearly enough to justify the high price tag. For the ship’s heavy drinkers (not judging) the drink package definitely was worth it. That being said, if you wait till the cruise to buy it, you’ll easily end up almost doubling the cost of your weekend away. Internet is also super expensive, photos are super expensive, and all of the deals you hear about for shops on the ship.. are …. slightly exaggerated, as everything is pretty expensive there too. Specialty restaurants are another expensive add on, and don’t forget about the VAT and onboard gratuities thrown into the mix as well. So I think I’m landing on the fact that yes, the cruise is worth it but with some watch-outs.
Overall Experience - 7
It was a beautiful cruise and there was a ton to see and do! I would definitely recommend RC overall and hope to try out one of their other vessels soon. If only to go back to Schooner’s bar and hear piano man one additional time - there’s really never enough.
Anyway, thought I’d share this quick update with y’all so you know I haven’t dropped off the face of the earth. Things have been busy, but the “Chicago like a local” blog is coming to you next, I promise:)
Sincerely,
Sharon