“Wonder of the Seas” (left) has 17 decks and a total capacity of more than 9,200 passengers and crew. The ship cost US $1.35 billion to build.
PHILIPSBURG--Wonder of the Seas Captain Rob Hempstead praised St. Maarten on Monday as a premier port destination. During an inaugural ceremony on the pier, the captain of the largest cruise ship in the world spoke highly of her reception in Port St. Maarten.
“Today we welcome the world’s largest Wonder, a wonder that was a dream and today it’s here as a reality,” said Port St. Maarten Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Alexander Gumbs, who awaited the arrival of the brand-new cruise ship on Monday morning together with Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication (TEATT) Roger Lawrence, key industry stakeholders and port stalwarts.
Lawrence said, “It is a pleasure to welcome the largest cruise ship in the world, the Oasis-class vessel Wonder of the Seas to our friendly island of St. Maarten.
Wonder of the Seas docked in Port St. Maarten with approximately 4,900 guests on board.
“It has been 13 years since St. Maarten welcomed the first Oasis-class vessel,” said Lawrence. “St. Maarten has continued to be a pioneer in that regard and has been a favorite destination to the cruise industry. This is a great indication of our leading role as a destination and together with Port St. Maarten we aim to expand on our partnership within the industry.”
Royal Caribbean’s newest cruise ship commenced its inaugural sailing out of Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on March 4, operating seven-night cruises.
Hempstead, the man at the helm, has been sailing with Royal Caribbean International since 1999 and has served as Master aboard six ships since 2005. He has been visiting the destination for a long time when he was captain of the sister ship Symphony of the Seas.
“St. Maarten is not by coincidence a port of call,” said Gumbs. “St. Maarten as the eastern Caribbean port of call is the only port that can factually accommodate two of the largest class ships in the world on a single day.”
Port St. Maarten has had and still gets weekly calls from sister ships. “Today I thank the leadership, vice presidents, directors, and management of Royal Caribbean Group for their continuous and unwavering support to St. Maarten,” Gumbs said. “Today is not only to celebrate cruise, but to also celebrate the holistic product we provide as a destination.”
He praised the hard work of crane operators and cargo stakeholders who provision the ships, the taxi drivers as destination ambassadors, tour operators and retailers. “We say thank you. Thank you in the sense that you make the product whole and assist with the ratings that we have today. Let St. Maarten not only be the destination that triggered an industry of innovation, but St. Maarten as the destination that will chart the way forward in terms of vacation experiences.”
Wonder of the Seas’ itineraries will continue run through April until the vessel heads to Europe in May for summer Mediterranean cruises. She will return to Florida in November for Caribbean cruises.
The ship is 1,188 feet long, 210 feet wide, has a gross tonnage of 236,857, and a passenger capacity of more than 6,000 guests at double occupancy.
Occupancy numbers through March averaged around 45-50 per cent. Gumbs said the port has noticed an uptick in that trend since the beginning of March. The crew onboard to serve the guests is 2,394, bringing the total capacity to more than 9,200.
Royal Caribbean’s sister ship Symphony of the Seas, built in 2018, held the top position until Wonder of the Seas was launched at the Chantiers de l’Atlantique (Saint-Nazaire, STX France) shipyard.
The vessel has 17 decks and cost US $1.35 billion to construct. Sister ships are Allure, Harmony, Oasis, and Symphony of the Seas.
