The largest cruise ship in the world has arrived in Barcelona ahead of its inaugural European sailings.
Royal Caribbean's Wonder of the Seas will commence seven-night cruises from the Catalonian capital and Rome starting Sunday.
The mega-ship will call at several popular destinations in the Mediterranean, including Italy’s Florence, Naples and Capri, Provence in France and Malaga in Spain.
At more than 18 decks high, the Oasis Class ship is 362-metres long and weighs more than 237,000 gross tonnes. It has capacity for 6,988 guests and 2,300 crew members.
Having taken more than three years to build, the colossal cruise liner has eight on-board neighbourhoods, including Central Park, where travellers will find more than 20,000 real trees and plants stretching from one end of the deck to the other.
Families seeking an extravagant European cruise experience can book the Ultimate Family Suite, which sleeps up to 10 people and has an in-suite slide, cinema and karaoke area, table tennis and more, split across two levels.
The Boardwalk has seaside charm and family activities, including taking a ride on a hand-carved carousel, while guests can also enjoy dining and drinking at more than 40 restaurants, bars and lounges on board.
Travellers can also enjoy some Royal Caribbean favourites found across several of its cruise ships including a FlowRider surf simulator, a 10-storey high zip-line and the tallest water slide at sea.
Summer entertainment across Wonder’s four stages will see more than 100 performers and technicians bring full-scale productions to life including inTENse, which features the first all-female cast of aerialists, high divers and slackliners at sea.
Having made its maiden voyage in March, cruising from Florida to the Caribbean, Wonder of the Seas will sail in Europe until October.
In November it will once again sail in the US to what will be her new year-round home in Florida. From there, the ship will set off on sailings that explore the Caribbean and The Bahamas.
Including Wonder of the Seas, Royal Caribbean now operates the world’s five biggest cruise vessels, as well as nine of the world’s 20 largest cruise vessels.
