Royal Caribbean’s Wonder of the Seas, set to be the world’s largest cruise ship was floated out to sea for the first time early Saturday morning when it was released from its moorings and pulled a short distance by several tug boats to a new location at the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard in St. Nazaire, France, where work will commence on its interior.
The 18-deck high, 1187 foot long, 130,000 gross tonnage Wonder of the Seas, the fifth in Royal Caribbean’s Oasis Class series, will be the largest cruise ship ever to set sail.
The regional Ouest France newspaper said dozens of people had come to the docks to watch the maneuver with one onlooker saying it had seemed as if the colossal Wonder of the Seas was almost brushing against the St. Nazaire Bridge.
Work on the ship’s exterior has been undergoing at the St. Nazaire shipyard for over a year and was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic forcing Royal Caribbean to push back its delivery date.
>>Great Discounts and Cruise Deals on Cruise Direct
Wonder of the Seas first Oasis Class ship to sail the Asia-Pacific region
The Ship had been scheduled to sail from Shanghai, China in 2021, making it the first Oasis Class ship to sail the Asia-Pacific region.
Royal Caribbean did not announce a new date for the ship’s delivery and debut, saying only that: “We look forward to the arrival of Wonder of the Seas after the epidemic has been brought under control.”
“The coronavirus pandemic has caused an unprecedented impact on the global cruise ship industry and the construction of the new Wonder of the Seas was delayed due to the impact of it in shipyard operations,” Royal Caribbean Cruises Asia said in a statement in July when the delay was announced.
Wonder of the Seas just touched the water for the first time. pic.twitter.com/B5zvwg8KsP
— theworldofcruiseships (@theworldofcrui1) September 5, 2020
The Ship will overtake Royal Caribbean’s Symphony of the Seas as the world’s largest cruise ship and will be the first Oasis class ship to sail the Asia-Pacific market.
“Wonder of the Seas will redefine the ultimate vacation and be revolutionary in her own right, and she marks one of Royal Caribbean’s most exciting chapters to come,” the company said in a release when it named the Wonder of the Seas and announced Shanghai as its home port in late 2019.
>>Great Discounts and Cruise Deals on Cruise Direct
