Port Canaveral Celebrates Newest Homeported Ship, Wonder of the Seas

Port Canaveral is celebrating its enviable position as the new homeport for Royal Caribbean’s Wonder of the Seas, the world’s largest cruise ship, which began operating from Florida’s Space Coast port earlier this month.

On Sunday, Nov. 20, the port gave the ship a special send-off as she began a 7-night Western Caribbean sailing.

Wonder to Sail Eastern, Western Caribbean

As Wonder of the Seas began its winter season in the Caribbean, Port Canaveral commemorated the ship as it left port on rainy Nov. 20.

In a social media posting, the port said, “Many folks braved the pouring rain to welcome Royal Caribbean International’s Wonder of the Seas home to Port Canaveral as our newest homeported ship. Water from the sky and from our tugs and Fireboat2 gave the magnificent Wonder a water salute as she set sail from Port Canaveral.”

Wonder of the Seas, which sailed its first cruise from Port Canaveral on Nov. 13, will operate 6- and 7-night Western Caribbean cruises, and 7- and 8-night Eastern Caribbean itineraries. All of the cruises will call at Royal Caribbean’s private island, CocoCay.

The cruise line refers to port calls there as Perfect Day at CocoCay, where guests can enjoy a wide range of activities, several beaches, and luxury amenities such as floating cabanas and an infinity pool. The island’s Thrill Waterpark has 13 waterslides, flume rides and tube slides, among other adventures.

Six-night Western Caribbean cruises also call at Puerto Costa Maya and Cozumel, Mexico, while 7-night sailings add a call at Roatan, Honduras.

In addition to CocoCay, 7-night Eastern Caribbean cruises call at Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, and Philipsburg, St. Maarten, while 8-night sailings call at San Juan, Puerto Rico, Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, and Labadee, Haiti. The ship will sail one three-night Bahamas cruise, departing Dec. 4, calling at Nassau and CocoCay.

Wonder of the Seas, the fifth ship in Royal Caribbean’s Oasis Class, entered service in March 2022 with a spring series of cruises from Fort Lauderdale.

In May she repositioned to Europe and began cruising the Western Med between Barcelona and Rome, offering 7-night sailings that called at Florence, Naples and Capri, Italy; Provence, France; and Malaga, Spain.

New Neighborhood Debuts on Wonder of the Seas, with a capacity of 5,734 guests, brings several new enhancements to Royal Caribbean’s Oasis Class vessels, including the Suite Neighborhood, featuring a private Suite Sun Deck with plunge pool and bar, the exclusive restaurant Coastal Kitchen, and an Ultimate Family Suite that accommodates up to 10 guests.

Also, new onboard Wonder of the Seas is the Mason Jar Southern Restaurant and Bar, a farmhouse-style eatery serving southern comfort food, and Wonder Playscape, an outdoor adventure space for families with young children. New entertainment options include The Effectors II: Crash ‘n’ Burn, a high-tech superhero battle for the planet.

Naming Ceremony Set for Dec. 9

Royal Caribbean also has announced who the ship’s “Wonder Mom” will be following a six-month search on the popular social media platform TikTok, where users nominated candidates to preside over the ship’s naming ceremony at Port Canaveral on Dec. 9.

The winner, chosen by a Royal Caribbean panel, was revealed to be Pennsylvania resident Marie McCrea, who was nominated by her daughter, Allie.McCrea and her family will cruise as guests of Royal Caribbean on Wonder’s Dec. 11 Eastern Caribbean cruise.