Five times larger than the Titanic, Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas is the world’s largest passenger vessel ever built. Oasis left her shipyard in Finland on Friday (Oct. 30, 2009) and is set to arrive at her home, Port Everglades, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on November 20th. With her Maiden voyage set for December 5th, let’s take a closer look at this $1.5 billion behemoth of the seas.

HISTORY

The vessel was ordered in February 2006 and designed under the name “Project Genesis”. Its keel was laid down on November 12th, 2007 at STX Europe in Turku, Finland. The company announced that full funding for Oasis of the Seas was secured on April 15th, 2009. The name, Oasis of the Seas resulted from a ship-naming competition in May of 2008.

MEET THE SEVEN NEIGHBOURHOODS

The Oasis of the Seas will include a new concept in cruise ship design—one that bears resemblance to theme park planning. She will have seven ‘neighbourhoods’ on board, each with its own distinct characteristics.

Boardwalk

The Royal Promenade

Central Park

The Vitality at Sea Spa and Fitness Center

The Pool and Sports Zone

The Entertainment Place

The Youth Zone

*Is it just me or do the last four areas not really have a ‘neighbourhood’ feel with their namesake?

NOTABLE HIGHLIGHTS

– The AquaTheater is an outdoor venue at the stern of Oasis of the Seas with a backdrop of the ocean across the horizon. The AquaTheater Pool will be the largest and deepest freshwater pool at sea at 21.9 feet (6.6 meters) by 51.6 feet wide (15.7 meters), with a depth of 17.9 feet (5.4 meters)

– Fitted with three stage machinery devices, the pool’s depth will rise or fall to meet the needs of each performance and for its various functions throughout the day. Three custom lifts built into the pool will allow for intricate and multilevel performances, and underwater cameras will film performers and project images onto two giant LED screens that will flank the stage

– A first-ever and one-of-a-kind sea carousel will be the centerpiece of the Boardwalk. The full-sized, traditional carousel will feature 21 figures suspended from stainless steel poles

– A zip line, suspended nine decks above Boardwalk. Adventurers will take in a birds-eye view of the action below, as the rider speeds diagonally across the open air atrium – a distance of more than 82 feet (25 meters)

– Central Park will be located on Deck 8 (of 16) of the ship, with dimensions of 62 feet (19 meters) wide and 328 feet (100 meters) long. The Central Park Neighborhood will be the first ever living park at sea, with 12,175 plants, 62

vine plants, 56 trees and bamboo, some over 24 feet (7.3 meters) in length

– The Oasis of the Seas will feature 4 pools and 10 whirlpools, there are also several vantage points of Central Park from the pool areas. The Beach Pool is intended to have a beach theme, the typical H2O Zone, a giant octopus and other water features. There is also a main pool, surrounded by 3 bars in the pool area

– The sports deck will feature: basketball courts, two flowriders (wave pools), two rock walls, and mini-golf

– The Entertainment Place will feature an ice skating rink, a large casino, the Opal Theater (main theater), and some other theaters that will include dance lessons and competitions

– The 28 contemporary two-level loft suites will feature spectacular views of the ocean with floor-to-ceiling, double-height windows to ensure the view will be enjoyed from each and every vantage point

– Each loft will measure 545 square feet (51 square meters) or larger (over 1,600 sq ft) and will be fitted with a Caribbean influence. The design will include an upper-level bedroom that overlooks the living area below and extended ocean views

CONSTRUCTION FACTS

– 181 grand blocks were used to construct Oasis of the Seas, each block weighed appx. 1,200,00 lbs.(600 metric tons)

– 150 miles (241 km) of piping throughout

– 3,300 miles (5310 km) of electrical cables throughout

– 158,503 gallons (600,000 litres) of paint were used

– Oasis was constructed out of 500,000 individual steel parts

– It took approximately 8,000 work years of labour to build Oasis of the Seas

– There were more than 3,200 workers at any given time helping build Oasis of the Seas

SPECS AND RANDOM FACTS

– 225,282 GRT (Gross registered tonnage), 1,187 feet (360 meters) long, 208 feet (65 meters) wide, and approximately 20 storeys high

– Cruising speed of 22.6 knots

– 16 passenger decks, 24 passenger elevators, and 4 bow thrusters with 7,500 horse power each

– 5,400 guests (double occupancy), 6,296 guests (total), and 2,165 crew members (from over 65 countries)

– 7,000 works of specially commissioned art

– 5,070,632 lbs. (2,300 tonnes) of water in the 21 swimming pools and jacuzzis

– 110,231 lbs. (50 tonnes) of ice cubes made every day

– 4,700,000 lbs. (2,350 metric tons) of fresh water consumption per 24 hours

– Diameters of the propellers are 20 feet (6.1. meters)

All information courtesy of: www.oasisoftheseas.com

For more information, videos, and images, as well as the latest updates, please visit their official site

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