Oasis 5 (Wonder of the seas) to Asia

[FLACRUISER99]

13 minutes ago, Tapi said:

Sailing on Wonder will definitely not be for the vast majority of American cruisers who, by choice or for personal reasons, cruise from nearby US ports of embarkation. For them, they already have plenty of choices.
 

But for those Americans who do want the “culturally enriching experience”, they’ll now have a new option. I agree with you though that there probably won’t be “many takers from the US”, but I do believe that Royal isn’t sending Wonder to Asia with Americans in mind. 

 

 

Maybe the American dollar though.

[CRUISEFAN0001]

5 hours ago, Biker19 said:

Easy perhaps, but between the expensive 16 hour flight and the "culturally enriching" sailings which Wonder will host, not sure there'll be many takers from the US, when you have 4 O class choices from Florida.

That's another good point.

 

The regular prices on our flight were more than the 10 day cruise for 2 people. Thankfully...based on FF program benefits...we got the cost way down on air travel. Retail was $3600 for 2 seats - no way would we have paid that otherwise.

[Fairsky84]

Here are changes I spotted with the design of Wonder of the Seas. I wonder (haha) which of these are specific for the Chinese market and how many we may see on Oasis 6, or even retrofitted to existing Oasis-class ships.

[Tall-Cruiser]

7 hours ago, Fairsky84 said:

Here are changes I spotted with the design of Wonder of the Seas. I wonder (haha) which of these are specific for the Chinese market and how many we may see on Oasis 6, or even retrofitted to existing Oasis-class ships.

 

 

I'm not sure that item 6 is an extra deck. I think that's still part of deck 15. The other interesting difference is how the area of the Crown Loft suites on Harmony looks vs on Wonder. On Wonder the forward section looks taller, perhaps 2 levels, then slops down toward the aft, single story perhaps.  Item 8, I agree, the Solarium also looks like one hard top on Wonder compared to Harmony. It may be an illusion, but there is an area between the tired deck and the mini gong that looks like an elevated walkway with white looking poles/frames below. Could be glassed-in also. Just a guess.

Below is one of the photos that was shared here that a think shows my last point. 

 

 

 

Edited October 12, 2019 by Tall-Cruiser

[Hop77]

On 10/11/2019 at 8:44 AM, Ethanol95 said:

It's not much different from the weather in Florida, both tropical, and they've sailed the previous 4 oasis class ships from there. I don't think weather is the deciding factor. 

 

I also hope so that they won’t take into account of the weather. 

[Hop77]

On 10/11/2019 at 9:48 AM, John&LaLa said:

 

Really 🤔 that's around 93 degrees. Beautiful weather

 

It is very humid in Singapore and having lived in such hot weather consistently every day where wet sweating body is the norm, most of us don’t really appreciate it. We love indoor air condition area to escape the heat. 🤪 But I can definitely live with an open promenade deck. 🤣

[John&LaLa]

4 minutes ago, Hop77 said:

 

It is very humid in Singapore and having lived in such hot weather consistently every day where wet sweating body is the norm, most of us don’t really appreciate it. We love indoor air condition area to escape the heat. 🤪 But I can definitely live with an open promenade deck. 🤣

 

Have you ever been to Florida 🤣

We definitely have oppressive humidity

[Ethanol95]

10 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

 

Have you ever been to Florida 🤣

We definitely have oppressive humidity

I can second that Singapore's humidity is the worst. 

[John&LaLa]

2 minutes ago, Ethanol95 said:

I can second that Singapore's humidity is the worst. 

 

Have you been to Florida 🤔

I've been to Singapore in either May or late April. Nothing out of the ordinary 

[Ethanol95]

2 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

 

Have you been to Florida 🤔

I've been to Singapore in either May or late April. Nothing out of the ordinary 

I've been to the caribbean is that good enough? Singapore in April and May are the driest seasons. Highest humidity is during June-August when it rains a ton

[Hop77]

26 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

 

Have you ever been to Florida 🤣

We definitely have oppressive humidity

 

I have never been that far away from Asia. 🤭 If so, then there is a high possibility we get to see the ship set sail sometime in the future from Sgp. Sorry that you guys are disappointed but I am overjoyed. 🤭🤭 I always wanted to experience those mega ship but those long long flights are terrible for me 

Edited October 12, 2019 by Hop77

[John&LaLa]

6 minutes ago, Hop77 said:

 

I have never been that far away from Asia. 🤭 If so, then there is a high possibility we get to see the ship set sail sometime in the future from Sgp. Sorry that you guys are disappointed but I am overjoyed. 🤭🤭 I always wanted to experience those mega ship but those long long flights are terrible for me 

 

I'm not dissapointed.  We'll be in Singapore spring 2021 on Ovation from Sydney. 

 

Cant wait to book MBS again

[skatepunk]

Personally I am quite happy about this being in Asia, The Caribbean/most Europe itineraries  do not interest me or my wife so I am looking forward to the ports/itineraries for this ship. We see cruising as a way to experience a number of countries in one trip and then re-visit in a more immersive trip on our own later(Non-cruise).  I have spent significant amount of time in Europe so we can do on our own. excited to possible try an oasis ship as the current ones do not interest us in anyway. Most Americans limit themselves  to what they are "Comfortable with" or flying is "too long" which is honestly very limited but hey to each their own. 

 

We like royal however there are much better Asia itineraries so hopefully this will help address so we are not using other cruise lines. 

[mugtech]

9 hours ago, Hop77 said:

 

It is very humid in Singapore and having lived in such hot weather consistently every day where wet sweating body is the norm, most of us don’t really appreciate it. We love indoor air condition area to escape the heat. 🤪 But I can definitely live with an open promenade deck. 🤣

We love Singapore, always go in January to March time frame, would never get near any place in southeast Asia during rainy season, prefer USA May to September.

[orlandok]

11 hours ago, Tall-Cruiser said:

 

I'm not sure that item 6 is an extra deck. I think that's still part of deck 15. The other interesting difference is how the area of the Crown Loft suites on Harmony looks vs on Wonder. On Wonder the forward section looks taller, perhaps 2 levels, then slops down toward the aft, single story perhaps.  Item 8, I agree, the Solarium also looks like one hard top on Wonder compared to Harmony. It may be an illusion, but there is an area between the tired deck and the mini gong that looks like an elevated walkway with white looking poles/frames below. Could be glassed-in also. Just a guess.

Below is one of the photos that was shared here that a think shows my last point. 

 

 

 

 

There is an extra deck of cabins between the crown lofts and Deck 16 (Windjammer on the older ships). 

[ssb]

11 hours ago, Ethanol95 said:

I can second that Singapore's humidity is the worst. 

On Galveston Island just off the Coast of State of Texas , we call humidity

“free facials”. 

Edited October 12, 2019 by ssb

[FLACRUISER99]

[LXA350]

On 10/11/2019 at 5:08 PM, Tapi said:

Sailing on Wonder will definitely not be for the vast majority of American cruisers who, by choice or for personal reasons, cruise from nearby US ports of embarkation. For them, they already have plenty of choices.
 

But for those Americans who do want the “culturally enriching experience”, they’ll now have a new option. I agree with you though that there probably won’t be “many takers from the US”, but I do believe that Royal isn’t sending Wonder to Asia with Americans in mind. 

 

 

 

The cruises out of Shanghai and Tianjin / the experience on board is fully aimed at the Chinese cruisers. Also the itinararies meet the local needs which sees rather short cruises with mainly sea days in order to maximize the time for shopping and Casino. It's not worth it for a European or North American to travel half around the globe for that. If you want to cruise in Asia and experience port intensive families you will need to choose Celebrity (If you want to stay eithin the family 😉 )

 

 

Same as with Spectrum the ship was designed to meet the needs for the Chinese market. The outdoor spaces see to be getting reduced, Deck 15 seems to be hacing a large indoor area and the open deck pool area i smaller with a fully closed solarium. The Suite area which will be a seperate enclosed area, probably as on Quantum Ultra accessible through seperate elevators will be fully seperated and the Deck 16 /17 area seeems to be wider taking up more area towards the front of the ship / more suites. Possibly there will be now suites facing the front o the ship to comensate the new space found now towards the back.

 

The ship still has a lot of open space, hence if it will be year round based in Shanghai is questionable, I will not be suprised to have she ship based in Singapore to replace Quantum. I have a feeling that we will see Quantum at least seasonably to be moved to Australia to either replace Voyager or be brought as a additional ship.

[Tall-Cruiser]

26 minutes ago, LXA350 said:

 

The cruises out of Shanghai and Tianjin / the experience on board is fully aimed at the Chinese cruisers. Also the itinararies meet the local needs which sees rather short cruises with mainly sea days in order to maximize the time for shopping and Casino. It's not worth it for a European or North American to travel half around the globe for that. If you want to cruise in Asia and experience port intensive families you will need to choose Celebrity (If you want to stay eithin the family 😉 )

 

 

Same as with Spectrum the ship was designed to meet the needs for the Chinese market. The outdoor spaces see to be getting reduced, Deck 15 seems to be hacing a large indoor area and the open deck pool area i smaller with a fully closed solarium. The Suite area which will be a seperate enclosed area, probably as on Quantum Ultra accessible through seperate elevators will be fully seperated and the Deck 16 /17 area seeems to be wider taking up more area towards the front of the ship / more suites. Possibly there will be now suites facing the front o the ship to comensate the new space found now towards the back.

 

The ship still has a lot of open space, hence if it will be year round based in Shanghai is questionable, I will not be suprised to have she ship based in Singapore to replace Quantum. I have a feeling that we will see Quantum at least seasonably to be moved to Australia to either replace Voyager or be brought as a additional ship.

 

Indeed the ship does still have a lot of open space. That thing label #7 Large RCI Canopy is interesting, with placement and size. It looks like those high paying Loft Suites may have an obstructed view due to that thing. 

 

[LXA350]

7 minutes ago, Tall-Cruiser said:

 

Indeed the ship does still have a lot of open space. That thing label #7 Large RCI Canopy is interesting, with placement and size. It looks like those high paying Loft Suites may have an obstructed view due to that thing. 

 

 

It's not clear on this picture, but I assume it goes through just slightly above, otherwise it would block the view

[Tall-Cruiser]

3 minutes ago, LXA350 said:

 

It's not clear on this picture, but I assume it goes through just slightly above, otherwise it would block the view

 

Hopefully better renderings and deck plans will be out soon. Otherwise we will have to get help from Lloyd on the Oasis 5 Blocks are in the House thread.  

[eroller]

Some really interesting changes.  This ship will stand out on a dark sea for certain, with the crystal sculpture wall behind the Aqua Theater and the massive logo midship.  I'm sure that is the point.  I think the Chinese gravitate to big and flashy, so it should fit in well.  

 

Personally I love the new funnel design.  It looks much more sleek. 

 

I'm anxious to get more details, even though I'm certain I'll never sail on this ship so long as it's in China.  

[Tapi]

4 hours ago, LXA350 said:

The cruises out of Shanghai and Tianjin / the experience on board is fully aimed at the Chinese cruisers.

 

It's not worth it for a European or North American to travel half around the globe for that.

 

If you want to cruise in Asia and experience port intensive families you will need to choose Celebrity (If you want to stay within the family 😉 )

Remember, one size does not fit all. For someone looking for a more comprehensive and in depth Asia experience, sailing on this ship and itinerary may not be the answer, and your suggestion to try a different cruise line may be the way to go. But for someone like me, the Wonder may just be the answer. 

 

We are a young family with 7-9 year old children, but we enjoy traveling well beyond where many families in our age bracket normally travel. But in order to make it enticing for our kids to take some of these vacations, I need to combine the culturally enriching part with elements that they will enjoy. I have to create a balance. For example, if we decide to sail on Wonder of the Seas, we would combine the cruise with a pre-cruise stay in Shanghai where we would spend a few days exploring and touring, but then we may reserve one day to visit Shanghai Disneyland. Everybody is happy. 

 

We’ve tried this approach before of combining more adult activities with kid friendly ones, and it has worked wonderfully. For example, last year, we chose to sail aboard the brand new (at the time) MSC Meraviglia in the Mediterranean. The ship catered heavily to Europeans, an we were one of a small handful of families from the USA onboard (we literally met 2), and we loved that fact. We’d spend the days ashore, perusing the ports of call, and then the ship provided a wonderful playground for the kids to come back to after a full day of exploration. We’d spend the morning at La Sagrada Familia or at The Vatican, and the afternoons at the Polar Aqua Park, the Doremi Kids Club, or watching a Cirque du Soleil at Sea performance aboard the Ship. 

 

Even though several people on Cruise Critic discouraged us to take that cruise, and commented that MSC catered heavily to Europeans and not to Americans, and that this 7 night itinerary would be a waste of time and not worth it for us to travel 5,000 miles from the USA to sail on, we had one of the absolute best cruises that we’ve ever taken. It was absolutely fantastic, and it fit the needs of our family. 

 

Based on what I’m reading about Wonder of the Seas, and assuming that it will offer itineraries similar to what Spectrum is currently offering, I believe that this ship may offer a product that my family will be very interested in. It may not be what someone else interested in a more comprehensive and in-depth Asia experience may be looking for, but for us it may just fit the bill. 

Edited October 13, 2019 by Tapi

[Ethanol95]

Not sure how fast China's market is booming, but to bring it to scale, If only counting Local resident's from Singapore, approximately slightly more than 1/3 of the ENTIRE Singapore population cruising in just 2017 alone. This 1/3 makes up for nearly half of the total that sail in China (assuming that their definition of 'Asian' in this context includes their mainland Chinese market). That definitely says something in terms of the commitment that Royal should have towards the SEA cruise market. Possibly Royal could move Wonder to Singapore year-round after her inaugural China season given these stats, with already Spectrum serving China, and now Singapore Shipless after 2021. 

 

"Asia is the industry’s third largest market after North America and Europe, with 4.24 million cruise passengers last year, up 4.6 per cent from the previous year, according to Cruise Line International Association.

And figures from the Singapore Tourism Board showed that 1.87 million in Singapore went on a cruise holiday last year, up 35 per cent from 2017."

Read more at https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/cruise-upgrades-tourism-millenials-asia-11969842

[LXA350]

13 hours ago, Tapi said:

Even though several people on Cruise Critic discouraged us to take that cruise, and commented that MSC catered heavily to Europeans and not to Americans, and that this 7 night itinerary would be a waste of time and not worth it for us to travel 5,000 miles from the USA to sail on, we had one of the absolute best cruises that we’ve ever taken. It was absolutely fantastic, and it fit the needs of our family. 

 

 

For sure, in your situation you will need the right balance and a long port intensive itinarary would also not be the ideal. Just keep in mind at the end of the day Europeans and Americans are culturally very similar and all of us could find our way around comfortably with each other. The Chinese culture is completely different and when you have a ship catered to only that population it can be quite disturbing, especially since their manners are anything but acceptable, especially when it comes to dining and being with them in the Retaurant is not the most inviting without being rude or insulting. If you are aware of it before the cruise and you can live with it there is no reason not to book a cruise out of China with RCCL and it might bring you some advantages such as empty outdoor decks 😄 

 

Out of Singapore the population is more diverse and I wouldn't worry to much taking  a RCCL cruise from there (Not talking about repositioning cruises)