Royal Caribbean's brand-new vessel, Wonder of the Seas, made its debut on March 4, as it set sail on its first weeklong Caribbean cruise and officially took its place as the world's largest cruise ship.
But-even at 1,188 feet long, 236,857 gross tons and a 6,988-passenger capacity-the cruise line's fifth Oasis Class vessel may not hold onto that title for too long. So far, each of the Oasis Class ships Royal Caribbean has rolled out has been slightly larger than the last, sequentially snatching the title of "world largest cruise ship from its predecessor.
According to CruiseFever, the company already placed an order in 2019 for construction of another, sixth Oasis Class ship, which (if history is any indication) might be assumed to be even more massive than Wonder of the Seas.
While aboard Wonder's first sailing earlier this month, Mark Tamis, Royal Caribbean's Senior Vice President of Hotel Operations, confirmed to members of the media that the as-yet-unnamed, sixth Oasis Class vessel- which the cruise line plans to debut in two years' time- would, indeed, be even larger.
That revelation naturally led to the question of whether a seventh Oasis Class ship is also planned, but Royal Caribbean executives said that there's currently no such vessel in the works. That statement, however, doesn't negate the possibility that there may be one in the future.
The Royal Caribbean execs didn't specify that the number-six ship, slated for 2024, would be the final release in the line's Oasis Class, as cruise lines typically do, if a vessel is set to be the final build in its class.
Execs speaking at the onboard press conference also discussed the possibility of introducing an Oasis Class ship in Asia, since Wonder of the Seas was originally intended for the Asian market. Last autumn, the cruise line opted to move her operations to the U.S. and Europe instead, but the ship retains some slight modifications made for sailing in the Asia region.
For instance, unlike her sister ships, Wonder's Solarium is enclosed, with climate-control heating and air conditioning, so that guests can always enjoy the space, whatever the weather. Royal Caribbean did say that the forthcoming number-six Oasis Class ship will likewise feature an enclosed Solarium.
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