Wonder of the Seas

Wonder of the Seas is the fifth Oasis-class ship, entering service in March 2022. She carries about 5,700 guests at double occupancy and up to 6,988 when every berth is sold. She sailed the Caribbean from Port Canaveral and now runs shorter Bahamas itineraries from Miami. One design decision explains her. Royal Caribbean added an eighth neighbourhood, the Suite Neighborhood, on decks 17 and 18. Previous Oasis ships spread suite privileges around the vessel. Wonder gathers them into one gated quarter with its own sun deck, pool, Suite Lounge and a Coastal Kitchen serving all three meals. She is not simply a larger Oasis ship, but the first built around a formal upstairs and downstairs.
The rest works as the class always has. Central Park remains the best idea in the fleet, a planted open-air street that genuinely quietens the ship. The Boardwalk holds the carousel and the AquaTheater. Studio B keeps the ice rink. The redesigned pool deck adds the Vue bar and a second Lime and Coconut. Dining is deep rather than plentiful: Wonderland, Chops Grille, Giovanni's, and Mason Jar for Southern cooking and live country music.
The criticisms are consistent. Cruise Critic's editors rate her four out of five and note crowding at the lifts, the buffet and the Royal Promenade. The Points Guy found the pools packed on sea days and late-night food thin once the kids' clubs close. Royal Caribbean Blog calls the Bionic Bar wasted space and the pool-deck film screen audibly loud over Central Park. The suite quarter draws its own objection. It is among the most appealing outdoor space on board, and most guests cannot enter it. Seatrade quotes a Royal Caribbean executive describing it as a private space for those willing to pay a premium. That is honest. It is also the complaint.
She suits families with young children, groups who want everyone entertained separately, and first-time cruisers who value choice. She suits suite buyers very well indeed. She suits less well anyone wanting an unplanned quiet sea day, or passengers who dislike booking a fortnight ahead for a table and a show.
Cabin choice matters more here than on her sisters. Deck 17 and 18 suites now buy access as much as space, and the access is the real difference: sun deck, pool, lounge, restaurant. If you are not buying it, the top of the ship offers less than it did on earlier Oasis ships, and the calculation shifts downward. Central Park balconies remain the sheltered pick, with no ocean view and some evening noise from the bars below. Boardwalk balconies are the opposite, lively and exposed to AquaTheater shows that run past ten at night with a heavy score. Cabins directly below the pool deck get loungers dragged overhead at dawn. One caveat matters. We are still mapping her venues, and the Suite Neighborhood alters enough of the upper decks that we would rather publish nothing than a guess.
Until then, the deck plan is worth browsing slowly. On this ship, position and access are the same question.