For the first time, the world’s largest cruise ship, which is five times the size of the Titanic, has set sail.
The 236,857-ton Wonder of the Seas features 19 swimming pools, 20 restaurants, 11 bars, an ice rink, casino, and even its own Central Park.
The Royal Caribbean ship set off for the Caribbean on her inaugural seven-day cruise from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Friday.
It’s 362 metres (1,188 feet) long, can carry 6,988 guests and 2,300 staff members, and can contain enough beer to fill all of the ship’s swimming pools twice over.
One female holidaymaker said: “It’s hard to believe you are even on a ship. It’s a city on the water. There is everything you could ever want. There’s no reason to ever get off.”
Another joked: “We’re going to need a bigger ocean.”
Here are a few pictures of the mighty ship:
There’s also lots of activities and entertainment on board including the musical Chicago, performed by a Broadway cast, an AquaTheatre where high-divers plunge from 60ft boards into a swimming pool and nightly “icetravanganzas” in the indoor ice rink.
Thrill-seeking passengers can enjoy the surf pool which generates waves 12 ft high, a 25m-long, (82 ft) ten-deck-high zip line and two rock climbing walls.
There’s also a mini golf course, Laser Tag game area, video game arcade, outdoor movie theatre, luxury spa and state-of-the-art gym.
Royal Caribbean claims bookings are back to pre-pandemic levels.
Chief executive Jason Liberty said: “We are eager to move forward this year. We expect 2022 will be a strong year as we bring the rest of our fleet into operations and approach historical occupancy levels.”
