An American cancer survivor was selected to name the new RCI-Royal Caribbean ship Wonder of the Seas after a TikTok contest.
The daughter of Marie McCrea, from Pennsylvania, nominated her mother to bless the latest Oasis-class cruise ship at an official ceremony in Port Canaveral (Orlando, Florida) on December 9, 2022.
The TikTok search for “the ultimate wonder mom” attracted 16,000+ videos as part of 10.6 billion #SeachforWonderMom hashtag views, the cruise company revealed.
McCrea, who is expected to sail on the naming ceremony voyage, was chosen by a Royal Caribbean panel that considered the top submissions.
In a statement, Royal Caribbean said:
“A devoted mom, wife and cancer survivor, Marie overcame adversity with incredible strength, and at the centre of her story are the memories she inspired and made with her family through it all.”
Other finalists were invited to sail on the liner with their families.
Wonder of the Seas is the 3rd RCI "Oasis-Plus" class liner, with sisterships Harmony OTS (2016), Symphony OTS (2018), and Utopia OTS (2024). Wonder OTS just slightly exceeds in size of the original Oasis-class vessels Oasis OTS (2009) and Allure OTS (2010). The vessel has a building cost of USD 1,35 billion (2019 shiporder rates).
Wonder OTS is also the 14th vessel delivered to Royal Caribbean by the French shipbuilding company Chantiers de l'Atlantique (St Nazaire, France), and RCI fleet's 28th liner.