Wonder of the Seas Vs Symphony Of The Seas

Two of the biggest cruise ships in the world are Wonder of the Seas and Symphony of the Seas, and they’re also two of the newest. Both are Oasis-class ships for Royal Caribbean, and each is packed with incredible features to entertain you during your cruise.

But despite being sister ships, they are not identical twins. There are slight differences between the two ships, some of which are relatively minor and others that may sway your decision on which one you would prefer to cruise on.

So let’s dive into it. It’s Symphony of the Seas vs Wonder of the Seas, how do they stack up?

Ship Background

Let’s start with some quick background on the ships. Symphony of the Seas launched in 2018 as the fourth ship in the Oasis Class, and while she was the largest ship in the fleet at the time by gross tonnage, she actually had a slightly reduced maximum capacity compared to Oasis, Allure and Harmony of the Seas.

Symphony of the Seas held the title of the ‘largest cruise ship in the world’ until Wonder of the Seas became the fifth Oasis-class ship to launch in 2022. 

By gross tonnage and maximum passenger capacity, Wonder of the Seas became the largest ship, able to carry just shy of 7,000 passengers at total capacity. A crew of 2,300 makes Wonder of the Seas able to carry almost 10,000 people at once. 

Accommodation

One of the biggest differences between Wonder of the Seas and Symphony of the Seas is in the accommodation choices available – specifically, which suites are included on board.

With standard staterooms, the options are pretty similar between both ships – you can book an Interior, an Ocean View, a Balcony or a Virtual Balcony, which is an inside stateroom that has a floor-to-ceiling digital display projecting live from outside the ship.

But there are more suites on Symphony of the Seas, and a wider choice of suites too. In total, Symphony of the Seas has 188 suites with 11 different categories, while Wonder of the Seas only has 174 suites, with 8 categories to choose from.

Suite Type	Wonder of the Seas	Symphony of the Seas
Royal Loft Suite	YES	YES
Villa Suite	No	YES
Ultimate Family Suite	YES	YES
Star Loft Suite	No	YES
Crown Loft Suite	YES	YES
AquaTheater Suite – 1 Bed	YES	YES
AquaTheater Suite – 2 Bed	YES	YES
Owner’s Suite	YES	YES
Grand Suite – 1 Bed	YES	YES
Grand Suite – 2 Bed	No	YES
Junior Suite	YES	YES

Winner – Symphony of the Seas

It’s an easy choice to pick a winner here, since Symphony of the Seas has all the suite categories that Wonder does, but with the addition of the massive Villa Suite, the Star Loft Suite and 2-bedroom Grand Suites.

Dining

There are only very minor differences between the dining options of Wonder of the Seas and Symphony of the Seas. In terms of the complimentary dining venues, both ships are identical. 

You can enjoy each of these restaurants when you cruise on either ship:

• Main Dining Room
• Windjammer Cafe (buffet)
• Solarium Bistro (breakfast and lunch)
• Coastal Kitchen
• Park Cafe
• Cafe Promenade
• Sorrento’s Pizzeria
• Dog House food truck at sea
• El Loco Fresh
• Vitality Cafe
• Room service

When it comes to speciality dining restaurants, there are an equal number available on Wonder of the Seas and Symphony of the Seas, but the options aren’t exactly the same. 

Restaurant	Wonder of the Seas	Symphony of the Seas
Chops Grille	YES	YES
Jamie’s Italian	NO	YES
Wonderland	YES	YES
Izumi	YES	YES
Hooked Seafood	YES	YES
150 Central Park	YES	YES
Vintages Wine Bar	NO	YES
Solarium Bistro (dinner)	NO	YES
Playmakers	YES	YES
Johnny Rockets	YES	YES
Starbucks	YES	YES
Chef’s Table	YES	NO
Giovanni’s Italian Kitchen & Wine Bar	YES	NO
The Mason Jar	YES	NO

Wonder of the Seas’ restaurants that you won’t find on Symphony include:

• Chef’s Table – a private dining experience with a five-course wine pairing menu
• Giovanni’s Italian – a family-style Italian restaurant with delightful Tuscany flavours
• The Mason Jar – a Southern restaurant serving up Bayou staples

The restaurants you’ll find on Symphony of the Seas, but not Wonder, include:

• Jamie’s Italian – brought to you by celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, with rustic Italian dishes served
• Vintages Wine Bar – offering a selection of fine wines and small bites
• Solarium Bistro dinner service – with a fine dining menu inspired by healthy eating

Winner – Tie

It’s hard to separate the ships here since they have the same number of venues – it’s just down to which speciality restaurants you would prefer.

Entertainment

Both Wonder of the Seas and Symphony of the Seas offer world-class entertainment on board. To list everything that both ships feature would take forever – there are at least 70 things to do on each ship, so even if you did ten of them a day you would struggle to manage everything in a week.

In terms of waterparks and slides, the ships are essentially identical. Both have Splashaway Bay as a splash park for younger kids, as well as the same water slides – Typhoon, Cyclone, The Perfect Storm and Supercell, as well as the dry slide The Ultimate Abyss.

The ships have different live entertainment options, but these can change, so it’s best to check what’s being presented on each ship before you make a booking, if the live shows are important to your choice of cruise. Both have the AquaTheater which offers incredible diving shows too.

Unique to Wonder of the Seas, you can enjoy:

• Music Hall – a dedicated venue for look-a-like live acts, where you can enjoy cover bands playing all your favourites
• Wonder Playscape – an underwater-themed play area for all ages, packed with climbing walls, games, puzzles and an interactive sea creature mural

Symphony of the Seas doesn’t have many unique entertainment features beyond the different live shows. One thing that it does have, which is apt considering the name, is a live orchestra in the main theatre. Every show is accompanied by a live performance, meaning no recorded tracks.

Winner – Wonder of the Seas

It’s very close, but Wonder of the Seas has a couple of additional features that Symphony does not, although it’s worth checking the live shows as you may prefer what Symphony has to offer.

Bars & Lounges

Similar to the restaurants, many of the bars and lounges on Wonder and Symphony of the Seas are the same. There are just a handful that are different.

Each ship has 14 bars or lounges in total, of which 13 are accessible to all guests. The Suite Lounge is exclusively for the use of guests in a suite, as the name would imply.

Here’s the full list of bars and lounges:

Bar/Lounge	Wonder of the Seas	Symphony of the Seas
Schooners Bar	YES	YES
Trellis Bar	YES	YES
Playmakers Bar & Arcade	YES	YES
The Lime and Coconut	YES	NO
Boleros	YES	YES
Diamond Club	YES	YES
Rising Tide Bar	YES	YES
Solarium Bar	YES	YES
Suite Lounge	YES	YES
Bionic Bar	YES	YES
English Pub	YES	YES
Vue Bar	YES	NO
Wipe Out Bar	YES	YES
Cantina Fresca	YES	NO
Vintages	NO	YES
Dazzles	NO	YES
Pool Bar & Sand Bar	NO	YES

The bars that you’ll find on Wonder of the Seas, but not on Symphony, include:

• The Lime and Coconut – a Caribbean-inspired bar with live music and DJs, a party atmosphere and some of the best cocktails on the ship, including the signature Lime & Coconut
• Vue Bar – this casual bar is situated near the top of the ship and offers incredible panoramic views. At night, the mosaic canopy becomes a vibrant web of colours.
• Cantina Fresca – a bar situated alongside El Loco Fresh, this offers bold Mexican cocktails including some amazing margaritas.

And the bars that are on Symphony of the Seas but not on Wonder are:

• Pool Bar & Sand Bar – twin bars serving the pool deck, with roving attendants serving you while you relax on your lounger.
• Vintages – serving up a fantastic range of reds and whites from some of the world’s top winemakers, with expert bartenders on hand to make recommendations.
• Dazzles – a multi-level music venue with amazing views over the promenade, where you’ll find classical cocktails, swing bags, rock cover musicians and more.

Winner – Tie

Again, you can’t separate the ships here – both have an incredible range of places you can unwind with a drink, so it just comes down to personal preference between the venues on each ship.

Destinations

You can’t really separate the ships on their destinations either, as both the Wonder of the Seas and Symphony of the Seas offer very similar itineraries. There is one slight difference though – while Wonder of the Seas sails exclusively in the Caribbean, Symphony of the Seas does have some Bahamas cruises alongside its Caribbean sailings.

Both ships offer itineraries calling at the private resorts owned by Royal Caribbean, at Labadee and CocoCay.

The other main difference is the home port. Symphony of the Seas cruises from Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Cape Liberty, while Wonder of the Seas sails out of Orlando.

Winner – Tie

Once again, there’s no ship that’s clearly better here. The Bahamas and Caribbean are quite similar in terms of the experience offered, so really it’s more down to the specific ports you want to see and where you want to sail from.

The Verdict

Despite Wonder of the Seas being the slightly larger ship, in reality, there is very little to separate these sisters. Wonder does have slightly more to do on board but Symphony of the Seas still has an incredible amount of attractions.

And Symphony has slightly more choice when it comes to suite accommodation, but if you’re not booking a suite then this won’t make a difference to you anyway.

These sisters offer an exceptional cruise experience, and there really is very little to choose between them – you’ll have an epic cruise no matter which you settle on.

Related Posts:

• Symphony of the Seas Suites Guide
• Wonder of the Seas Suites Guide
• Wonder of the Seas Vs Titanic