Royal Caribbean's Wonder of the seas - Part 2
We ate in the main dining room this evening. I was not hungry after a rather large, late lunch in the Windjammer! But I forced myself to eat a 3 course meal in here purely for research purposes ??
It did not disappoint. I had the French Onion soup for starter, which was one of the nicest I have ever had, with so much flavour and of course the delicious cheesy topped crouton on the top! For main I had salmon which was a very large fillet, served with snow peas and mash. So tasty. For dessert I had the carrot cake, which was recommended to me by the waiter. It was all delicious, and quick.
We visited the Schooner bar later on for another cocktail and to listen to the piano and vocal entertainer, who was great. There was so much entertainment to choose from – we could have gone to the Mason Jar to listen to country music. Or there was Latin music in Boleros. There was a guitarist and singer in the Cask and Clipper pub, plus they had a band on the Royal Promenade as well. Plenty to keep you entertained. There was too much to do, we never experienced the silent disco, or the karaoke bar, or the Tap Factory – a production put on in the Royal Theatre, or the concert in the music hall, or the comedian in The Attic!
Needless to say, we slept well that night!
Day 2 – for breakfast we went to the Main dining room. You can't beat a cup of tea from a teapot! We probably ate less because it was all served to us, rather than if we'd gone back to the Windjammer we would have wanted to eat everything we saw! I had chocolate chip pancakes, which were fantastic, with fruit and maple syrup. They also brought us a selection of sweet pastries, and freshly squeezed orange juice.
After breakfast there was a parade aimed at children on the Promenade – with pirates and floats, and plenty of music and swashbuckling! My kids would have loved it.
Because we were onboard as agents, they did open up a selection of cabins for us to view. So we spent a couple of hours going around and viewing the cabins. We viewed a couple of inside cabins, which can be interconnecting if you like, if there are more of you or if you are holidaying with multi-generational families. We viewed an accessible Boardwalk view balcony cabin, which generally gives you more space, but also has automatic doors, and a ramp out on to the balcony. We viewed a Central Park balcony cabin, an ultra-spacious family cabin, which is perfect for a family of up to 6, with the main large double bed, a sofa bed, and also a set of bunk beds. It offers plenty of space inside as well and doesn’t feel like you would be squashed.
Moving on we saw a Junior Suite, which sleeps 2, but offers more space and luxury. We then saw the Grand Suite, which sleeps up to 4 and offers a much more luxurious stateroom with his and her sinks, a bath, and a larger balcony. After that we saw the Owner’s Suite. This sleeps up to 4 as well and has a separate bedroom, bath and shower, his and her sinks, sofa that converts into a bed, and a proper lounge area and balcony. Sadly we were not able to view the Ultimate Family Suite because it was occupied by guests! But we saw the entrance (see picture) and it looked fun. I know that in here you have a fun slide and plenty of gizmos for kids. We did see the Royal Loft Suite which sleeps up to 6, which has 2 levels. There is a king bed in the master bedroom upstairs, with a bathroom, and then a twin room downstairs also with it’s own bathroom. There is also a piano in here! And a very large balcony with hot tub, bar area, and dining area. We saw a Crown Loft Suite, which is also on 2 levels and sleeps up to 4. There is a bathroom on both levels with a hot tub in the master bedroom.
If you are staying in a Suite you have a special restaurant specifically for Suite guests, called Coastal Kitchen. We did have a look in here and it looked lovely with a great selection of food all day long.
One of the area’s (or neighbourhoods, as they are called on Royal Caribbean) we explored is Central Park. This is a beautiful area filled with live plants and greenery. As you wind along the pathways you will see a great selection of speciality restaurants. These are the ones that you have to pay a surcharge for. Chops Grille is one of them, the on board steak house. Giovanni’s Table is another option, where you can enjoy authentic Italian food. There is also Park Café, which is a complimentary food and drink place where you can sit and enjoy a coffee and a sandwich, or cake. It’s one of my favourite places. The Rising Tide bar (which starts on the Royal Promenade and rises ever so slowly up through the decks until you get to Central Park) also stops here. Occasionally there will be live music, a guitarist, say, which you can listen to whilst enjoying a drink at Trellis Bar.
The Boardwalk is a fun ‘neighbourhood’ containing a carousel, Playmakers sports bar, the Aqua Theatre, Rock Climbing walls, and Sugar Beach, where I would advise you to try and avoid if you have children! Once they see it, they will want to go in there and empty your bank account by purchasing a ridiculous amount of sweets! There are a few arcade games here too.
Speaking of arcade games, we did visit the games arcade up on the pool deck. In here you can play the usual racing car games, air hockey, basketball, ski-ball, and various other arcade games that I am not familiar with! It’s not massive, given the size of the ship, but I guess with the excellent kids clubs available, a bigger arcade is probably not required.
We ate our lunch today at El Loco Fresh, Mexican food that was freshly made in front of you. Even the tortillas were made there. You choose whether you want a burrito, or a wrap, or a quesadilla, and you help yourself to tortilla chips, dips, and a salad bar. It was delicious.
We still popped into the Windjammer for an extra pudding…
And then went and sat out by the pool where I then had an ice cream…
And then a strawberry daiquiri…
All in the name of research you understand!
After heading back to the cabin to shower and change for the evening, we went to the Royal Theatre to watch an A Capella group which was incredible. I could have sworn there were drums and symbols, but no, it was all done by the performers. They were amazing. The quality of the singing was fantastic.
And I can't fit anymore in here so you'll have to read part 3 for the final instalment on this trip.