Captain Explains How He Docks the World’s Biggest Cruise Ship | WSJ Booked

Royal Caribbean’s Wonder of the Seas is the largest cruise ship in the world, coming in five times larger than the Titanic. Every time it docks at Florida’s Port Canaveral, weather conditions, vessel traffic and water depth make this process complicated. So how does a cruise ship captain navigate docking such a large vessel?

WSJ spoke with a Royal Caribbean captain who explained how he docks this 1,188-foot cruise ship and how environmental conditions pose the biggest challenge.

0:00 Largest cruise ship in the world
0:32 Docking at Port Canaveral
2:21 Variables that affect docking

Booked
Your trip may be booked, but there are hundreds of people and processes that help you travel to where you need to go. From airport logistics to cruise ship procedures, WSJ’s Booked peels back the curtain on the travel industry, guiding viewers behind-the-scenes through the lens of industry experts.

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[koshisunuwarrai]

Hats off to the captain. This is a very highly skilled job.

[coppersnare]

This captain exudes competency and confidence 👍

[ggme]

This captain seems to be one of the best. I love him and if I were to ever go on a cruise, I want him as my pilot!

[TRIBSSTUDIOS]

He just make me feel so safe . I will definitely take a trip knowing he is the captain in charge.

[KevinGonzalez-vzrz]

Legendary Captain Rob!! I’ve cruised and personally met Him on two RCCL sailings (Symphony of the Seas 2020 and Wonder of the Seas 2023). He is from Seattle and one of the Best Captains at Sea.

[rickintexas]

The entire cruise ship industry is both fascinating and amazing.

[Firestorm]

I have traveled on several cruise lines. Amazing how these ships maneuver. Winds and currents really make for expertise

[jrfreeagent]

I have been on a couple of RCCL cruise ships. As a person always interested in how things work, I would get up early enough before docking just like the crew and go to a viewing area that the ships have that is behind the main cabin. You can sit and watch them do their magic as a spectator. All of those instruments, screens and the like. I was a kid in the candy store. Seeing professionals at work makes my day. On my first ever cruise, I was looking for the tugs and asked a crew member where were they. He playfully replied, 'tugs, we don't need no stinking tugs'. He then explained briefly how it works and I was hooked. Good video. Thanks.

[today]

My husband and I were lucky to met Captain Rob at Royal Caribbean this summer. He such a wonderful person with kind eyes and voice. He saw my cat on my phone screen and told us that he have a cat too. So nice to see his interview!

[berdugosocials]

By just the way he communicates, this is a top tier captain

[benz]

Had the pleasure of meeting him back in 2018 during his stint on the Oasis of the Seas, best captain out of the whole fleet in my opinion.

[willcookmakeup]

I couldn't even imagine. I grew up on the ocean sailing and driving our larger outboard. The sailboat was a Tartan 37 and that was hard to dock. This is hundreds of tomes larger. What a skill to have, and one you MUST have when passengers are involved

[simplygwen]

Another Captain
You and Your Team are ABSOLUTELY EXCEPTIONAL!
Thank You WSJ for Recognizing Excellence.

[TopangoSpez]

Such a fascinating video, thanks WSJ! Cant wait to go on a cruise now!

[TNG]

Amazing, so skillful, i always pay huge respect for those captains, specifically when they dock

[TheDevilishHusky]

this video popped up at the right time. I'm going on Wonder in about 3 weeks!😊

[Kyuuwai]

Drivers: " I drifted a truck "

Captain Rob: *_"Check this out"_*

[MrColeBeans]

Very cool. love to see a captain with professionalism thank you for the research you put in & for taking us behind the scenes. Awesome work

[Brandonmaritimespotting]

I’m from St Thomas and it’s always amazing to see the docking procedure each time an oasis class ships comes

[charlycomments]

Awesome insights about docking these ships, so cool!