After been in the making for three years, the world's largest cruise ship is finally read to welcome passengers. The Royal Caribbean's Wonder of the Seas measures a whopping 1,188 feet, and was delivered last month; it's due to begin its maiden voyage from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to the Caribbean on March 4.?
The 18-deck cruise ship was built at the Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France, and has capacity for 6,988 guests and 2,300 crew members.
"We're excited to introduce guests across the world to?Wonder of the Seas?and its world-class features after a six-year-long process," Mark Tamis, senior vice president of hotel operations at?Royal Caribbean International tells CNN Travel.?
"From planning to delivery, we've utilized our expertise across Royal Caribbean, as well as incorporating our guest's suggestions and travel partner feedback to create something truly awe-inspiring," he added.
The ship is all set to begin operating five-to seven-night cruises from?Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to the Caribbean in March before launching Western Mediterranean cruises from Barcelona and Rome in May.?
The magnificent cruise ship is made up of eight neighbourhoods, one of which contains more than 20,000 real plants, and its onboard features include the "tallest slide at sea" and a 10-deck-high zip line along with a huge poolside movie screen.?
"We've always prided ourselves on offering guests the best and most innovative ships to give them a truly extraordinary experience.?Wonder encompasses all of that," said Tamis.?
Originally, the ship was supposed to be ready for delivery in 2021 but due to the global pandemic, the date was pushed to March 2022. The COVID-19 pandemic impacted the cruise line industry drastically and it faced constant disruption over the course of the last two years.?
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cruise travel was considered the highest-risk level in late December. The CDC's statement said that the risk for Covid-19 was "very high" due to an increase in infections among cruise passengers and crew after the emergence of the Omicron variant.?
Following January 2022, the CDC's Covid guidelines became optional for a large number of cruise ships. This month, the risk is considered lowered from Level 4 to Level 3 - it means that its advice is now that passengers?should be fully up to date with their Covid.
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