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Wonder of the Seas vs Islander
The Royal Caribbean Wonder of the Seas was built in 2022. The Wonder of the Seas has quite a few upgrades from its Oasis-class siblings such as a new suite neighborhood, a fully enclosed Solarium, an outdoor bar called The Vue, and an outdoor kid's play area. It's 22 years newer than the Islander, which was built in 2000 and renovated in 2024. The Islander formerly sailed as the Costa Atlantica before it was brought to the Margaritaville fleet.
Comparison Overview
- Ship Size
- Number of Passengers
- Food and Restaurants
- Bars and Drinks
- Pools and Hot Tubs
- Ship Features and Activities
- Cruise Costs
- Onboard Costs
Ship Size
The Wonder of the Seas is considered an extra large size ship. Coming in at 1,188 feet long and 210 feet wide, it's roughly the length of 3.3 football fields, as wide as 4 tractor-trailers and the same height as a 16-story building. Compared to the Margaritaville at Sea Islander, the Wonder of the Seas is 177% larger in terms of overall tons.
Number of Passengers
The Royal Caribbean Wonder of the Seas holds more than double the amount of people as the Islander based on double occupancy (two people per room). When you look at the "Space Ratio," or the total tonnage of a ship compared to the number of passengers, the Wonder of the Seas has less space per person compared to the Islander.
The Wonder of the Seas uses a neighborhood layout to break up large crowds across the ship, often making it feel less crowded.
| Royal Caribbean Wonder of the Seas | Margaritaville at Sea Islander | |
|---|---|---|
| Class | Oasis | MAS Spirit |
| Gross Tonnage | 236,857 | 85,619 |
| Length | 1,188 | 960 |
| Beam/Width | 210 | 127 |
| Passenger Decks | 16 | 11 |
| Passengers (double occupancy) | 5,734 | 2,114 |
| Crew | 2,300 | 920 |
| Passenger to Crew Ratio | 2.5 | 2.3 |
| Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger) | 39 | 40 |
Food and Restaurants
Food is a big part of any cruise, and the ship you choose can make a huge difference in your food experience.
The Wonder of the Seas has twenty-eight different dining options like El Loco Fresh, Solarium Bistro, and Giovanni's Italian Kitchen & Wine Bar. Of those options, fourteen are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other fourteen options have an additional fee.
The Islander has sixteen fewer dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Far Side Sushi, Cheeseburger in Paradise Burger Bar, and JWB Prime Steakhouse. six of these restaurants are complementary and the other six have an additional fee.
If you like having a variety of places to eat, the Wonder of the Seas might be a better choice. It has more than double the amount of dining options than the Islander.
Both ships have a similar number of paid versus included dining options.
| Royal Caribbean Wonder of the Seas | Margaritaville at Sea Islander | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Dining Options | 28 | 12 |
| Complimentary Dining Options: | 14 | 6 |
| Additional Fee Dining Options: | 14 | 6 |
| % of Included Options | 50% | 50% |
| See the options | See the options |
Bars and Drinks
The Royal Caribbean Wonder of the Seas has 8 more bars than the Margaritaville at Sea Islander. The Wonder of the Seas has 20 bars like Bionic Bar, Suite Lounge and The Lime & Coconut. On Wonder of the Seas, you can grab a drink at 12 different bars such as Coral Reef Lounge, The Far Side Lounge and The Tiki Bar.
| Royal Caribbean Wonder of the Seas | Margaritaville at Sea Islander |
|---|---|
| •Bionic Bar • Boleros • Cantina Fresca • Casino Bar • English Pub • Giovanni's Wine Bar • Music Hall • Playmakers • Rising Tide Bar • Schooner Bar • Solarium Bar • Spotlight Karaoke • Suite Lounge • The Attic • The Lime & Coconut • The Mason Jar • The Vue Bar • Trellis Bar • Wipeout Bar • Wonderland | •5 o'Clock Somewhere Bar • Bubbles Up Lounge and Champagne Bar • Coral Reef Lounge • Flip Flop Atrium Bar • Havana Daydreamin' Sports Bar and Lounge • Hemisphere Dancer Craft Spirits • Hot, Hot, Hot Night Club • JWB Prime Lounge • LandShark Bar and Lookout • Love and Luck Casino Bar • The Far Side Lounge • The Tiki Bar |
In terms of drinks and cocktails, you have a variety of choices. Both ships serve the Coca-cola family of products. That means Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite and Barqs Root Beer, although the selection can vary by ship. Most Royal Caribbean ships also have Coke Freestyle machines where you can make 100 different flavor combinations.
You can check out recent the bar menus for the Wonder of the Seas and the Islander below.
Pools and Hot Tubs
Nothing beats relaxing by a pool with a nice drink in hand as you feel the fresh sea breeze pass by you. The Royal Caribbean Wonder of the Seas has a total of 5 pools and 4 hot tubs. 1 of the pools and 1 of the hot tubs are exclusive access, which means there's either an extra charge to access them or you need to book a certain class of cabin to have access to them.
Margaritaville at Sea Islander has fewer pools than the Wonder of the Seas and fewer hot tubs. There are fewer exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Islander. If you like ships without extra charges or exclusive areas, this might be a better choice since everyone will have access to these areas.
Tired of loud kids and splashing? One of the pools and one of the hot tubs are adults only on Wonder of the Seas.| Royal Caribbean Wonder of the Seas | Margaritaville at Sea Islander | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Pools | 5 | 3 |
| Pools - General Access | 3 | 2 |
| Pools - Adults Only | 1 | 1 |
| Pools - Exclusive | 1 | |
| Total Hot Tubs | 4 | 3 |
| Hot Tubs - General Access | 2 | 2 |
| Hot Tubs - Adults Only | 1 | 1 |
| Hot Tubs - Exclusive | 1 |
Ship Features and Activities
Both ships have lots of activities to keep you busy throughout your cruise. Below you'll see a list of some of the major features on these ships. On the Wonder of the Seas, 78% of the activities below are included in the cruise fare. On the Islander, only 69% of the activities are included, meaning you might spend more money while on board.
| Royal Caribbean Wonder of the Seas | Margaritaville at Sea Islander | |
|---|---|---|
| Adult Only Relaxation Area | ✓ | ✓ |
| Aquatheater | ✓ | ✗ |
| Arcade | ✓ | ✓ |
| Basketball | ✓ | ✗ |
| Bionic Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Carousel | ✓ | ✗ |
| Casino | ✓ | ✓ |
| Climbing Wall | ✓ | ✗ |
| Comedy Club | ✓ | ✗ |
| Comedy Show | ✗ | ✓ |
| Dry kid's play area | ✗ | ✓ |
| Escape Room | ✓ | ✗ |
| Fitness Center | ✓ | ✓ |
| FlowRider | ✓ | ✗ |
| Ice Skating | ✓ | ✗ |
| Laser Tag | ✓ | ✗ |
| Mini golf | ✓ | ✓ |
| Pickleball | ✗ | ✓ |
| Pool-side Movies | ✓ | ✓ |
| Shows - musical review | ✓ | ✓ |
| Spa | ✓ | ✓ |
| Splash park | ✓ | ✓ |
| Thrill Slide | ✓ | ✗ |
| Water slides | ✓ | ✗ |
| Waterslide | ✗ | ✓ |
| Zip Line | ✓ | ✗ |
| Learn more | Learn more |
Cruise Costs
Royal Caribbean and Margaritaville at Sea are both considered "Mainstream" cruise lines. Mainstream cruise lines cater to a variety of guests, hoping to provide something for everyone. These typically cost about $100 - $350 per person per day.
Cruise pricing is dynamic and varies for each specific sailing based on factors such as departure point, ports of call, and time of year. Typically newer ships cost more, so a cruise on Royal Caribbean Wonder of the Seas will likely be more expensive than on Margaritaville at Sea Islander.
Onboard Costs
Another way to gauge the cost of a cruise is to consider how much you'll spend on board. Even though a lot is included in the base cruise fare, you may still spend money on things like spa treatments, specialty dining, drinks, and excursions. In addition, guests can also have to pay for things like gratuities and tips.
Typically guests can expect to spend about 25 - 40% of the cost of the cruise on onboard expenses. In other words, if the cruise fare is $1,000 per person, you might spend between $250 and $400 on extra expenses.
The table below will help you compare onboard prices to see if you might spend more on a specific ship.
| Royal Caribbean Wonder of the Seas | Margaritaville at Sea Islander | |
|---|---|---|
| Base Daily Gratuities* (Per Person Per Day) | $18.50 | $18.00 |
| Tip added to drinks & services | 18% | 18% |
| Soda Price | $3.50 | $2.95 |
| Domestic Beer Price | $8.25 See drink menus | $8.50 See drink menus |
| Drink Package Price | $77 - $118 Learn more | 64.99 |
| Internet Plan | $19 to $30 per device per day | $17.99 per device per day |
| *Daily gratuities for a standard cabin. Suites or specialty rooms may have higher rates. | ||
Royal Caribbean uses dynamic pricing, which means the pricing for many things will vary per sailing. The daily gratuities and tip are consistent across the fleet, but the pricing for the drink package, internet, and excursions will change. The only way to know your price is to consult the Royal Caribbean cruise planner once you're booked.
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