Wonder of the Seas vs Coral Princess

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 19 years newer than the Coral Princess, which was built in 2003 and renovated in 2024.

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 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 Princess Cruises Coral Princess, the Wonder of the Seas is 159% larger in terms of overall tons.

Number of Passengers

The Royal Caribbean Wonder of the Seas holds more than double the number of people as the Coral Princess based on double occupancy (two people per room). At full capacity, the Royal Caribbean Wonder of the Seas holds more than double the number of people as the Coral Princess.

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 Coral Princess.

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	Princess Cruises Coral Princess
Class	Oasis	Coral
Gross Tonnage	236,857	91,627
Length	1,188	965
Beam/Width	210	122
Passenger Decks	16	16
Passengers (double occupancy)	5,734	2,000
Passengers (maximum occupancy)	6,988	2,400
Crew	2,300	895
Passenger to Crew Ratio	3.0	2.7
Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger)	34	38

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-two different dining options like Wonderland, Playmakers, and El Loco Fresh. Of those options, fourteen are complimentary, or included with your cruise fare. The other fourteen options have an additional fee.

The Coral Princess has twelve fewer dining venues. Some of its popular venues are International Cafe, Sabatini's, and Main Dining Room. Twelve of these restaurants are complimentary and the other three 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 twice as many dining options as the Coral Princess.

If you're looking to avoid extra money while on board, the Coral Princess might be a better choice than the Wonder of the Seas. More of the dining options are included in the base cruise fare, potentially saving you money.

	Royal Caribbean Wonder of the Seas	Princess Cruises Coral Princess
Total Dining Options	22	10
Complimentary Dining Options:	14	12
Additional Fee Dining Options:	14	3
% of Included Options	36%	70%
	See the options	See the options

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 Barq's 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.

There are also plenty of bars available on these ships. You can check out the recent bar menus for the Wonder of the Seas and the Coral Princess below.

Pools and Hot Tubs

	Wonder of the Seas	Coral Princess
General-access pools	3	2
Adults-only pools	1	1
Exclusive pools	1
General-access hot tubs	2	5
Adults-only hot tubs	1
Exclusive hot tubs	1

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.

Princess Cruises Coral Princess has fewer pools than the Wonder of the Seas and more hot tubs. There are fewer exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Coral Princess. 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.

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. Both ships have about the same share of included activities: 78%

	Royal Caribbean Wonder of the Seas	Princess Cruises Coral Princess
Adult Only Relaxation Area	✓	✗
Afternoon Tea	✗	✓
Aquatheater	✓	✗
Arcade	✓	✗
Art Auctions	✗	✓
Basketball	✓	✗
Bionic Bar	✓	✗
Carousel	✓	✗
Casino	✓	✓
Climbing Wall	✓	✗
Comedy Club	✓	✗
Escape Room	✓	✗
Fitness Center	✓	✓
FlowRider	✓	✗
Ice Skating	✓	✗
Laser Tag	✓	✗
Mini golf	✓	✗
Pool-side Movies	✓	✓
Putting green	✗	✓
Shows - musical review	✓	✓
Spa	✓	✓
Splash park	✓	✗
Sports Court	✗	✓
Thrill Slide	✓	✗
Water slides	✓	✗
Zip Line	✓	✗
	Learn more	Learn more

Cruise Costs

Royal Caribbean is a mainstream cruise line. 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.

Princess Cruises is a premium cruise line. Premium cruise lines typically offer upscale food, accommodations, and service. These typically cost about $150 - $400 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. To get a good idea of how the pricing compares, visit the cruise line's website to price out the separate cruises or consult a travel professional.

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 may 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	Princess Cruises Coral Princess
Base Daily Gratuities* (Per Person Per Day)	$18.50	$17.00
Tip added to drinks & services	18%	20%
Soda Price	$3.50	$3.00
Domestic Beer Price	$7.49 See drink menus	$8.00 See drink menus
Drink Package Price	$77 - $118 Learn more	$77 -$100
Internet Plan	$19 to $30 per device per day	$24.99 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.

Princess Cruises offers two packages to bundle onboard expenses. The Princess Plus package includes daily gratuities, the basic beverage package, 2 fitness classes, 2 casual dining meals, and internet for $60 per day per guest. The Princess Premier package upgrades to the premiere beverage package, wifi for up to 4 devices per guest, two specialty dining meals, unlimited casual dining meals, unlimited fitness classes, and a photo package for $80 per guest per day.

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