World's Largest Cruise Ship Sets Sail

Environmentally Friendly 1,200-Foot "Oasis of the Seas" Features Theater, Ice Rink and Bar which Moves Up and Down 3 Decks

(AP)  The world's largest cruise liner on Friday began its maiden voyage to Florida, gliding out from a shipyard in Finland with an amphitheater, basketball courts and an ice rink on board.

The 16-deck Oasis of the Seas spans 1,200 feet (360 meters) from bow to stern. Its 2,700 cabins can accommodate 6,300 passengers and 2,100 crew.

Commissioned by Royal Caribbean International, the ship cost euro1 billion ($1.5 billion) and took two and a half years to build at the STX Finland Oy shipyard in Turku, southwestern Finland.

The liner has four swimming pools, volleyball and basketball courts, and a youth zone with theme parks and nurseries for children. There is also an ice rink that seats 780 spectators and a small-scale golf course.

It features various "neighborhoods" - parks, squares and arenas with special themes. One of them will be a tropical environment, including palm trees and vines among the total 12,000 plants on board. They will be planted after the ship arrives in Fort Lauderdale.

In the stern, a 750-seat outdoor theater - modeled on an ancient Greek amphitheater - doubles as a swimming pool by day and an ocean front theater by night. The pool has a diving tower with spring boards and two 33-feet (10-meter) high dive platforms. An indoor theater seats 1,300 guests.

Accommodation includes loft cabins measuring 545 square feet (51 square meters) with floor-to-ceiling windows. There are also 1,600-square-feet (150 square meter) luxury suites with balconies overlooking the sea or promenades.

One of the "neighborhoods," named Central Park, features a square with boutiques, restaurants and bars, including the "Rising Tide" bar, which the shipping line describes as "the first moving bar at sea."

It moves up and down three decks, allowing customers to get on and off at different level promenades.

Engineers at shipbuilder STX Finland said environmental considerations played an important part when planning the vessel, which dumps no sewage into the sea, reuses its waste water and consumes 25 percent less power than similar, but smaller, cruise liners.

"I would say this is the most environmentally friendly cruise ship to date," said Mikko Ilus, project engineer at the Turku yard. "It is much more efficient than other similar ships."

The liner was due to make its U.S. debut on Nov. 20 at its home port, Port Everglades in Florida and will be officially named on Nov. 30.

It will embark on its first cruise - a four-day trip to the port of Labadee in Haiti - on Dec. 1.

The Oasis of the Seas was due to call in at the English port of Southampton before continuing its voyage across the Atlantic.

STX Finland is building a sister ship - Allure of the Seas - for Royal Caribbean which is due to be launched in 2011.

[Virgil-1]

Not even God can sink it!Foolish words of someone on the Titanic.
Oh yea!

[Ordflyer]

***!!!? Why wasn't it built in China, like everything else in the world?? Not even Hong Kong???

I don;t think it is legal for anything large and profitable to be built in Europe or the USA anymore....It's a New World Order!!!

[babooph]

H1 N1 cruise?

[ChrisCruises]

Can't wait to sail on this fabulous ship. Not sure what the problem is with the above negative-nellies but this one is going to be spectacular!

[1virtualone]

Change of subject: Want something to really worry over besides a ship? See what happened to John Lennon, then be careful of what you think, do or how you live??.
http://www .spiritlessons.com/ (remove extra spaces)
Revelations of
Heaven & Hell
by 7 Columbian Youths

[tiktin]

As an engineer I cannot help but be impressed by this vessel which is great engineering achievement. We hear much of the Titanic and the great liners of the thirties, but the ships they are building now are much bigger and more impressive. Of course many of the comments made by the nay-sayers are valid. No doubt this ship will spew tons of pollution into the atmosphere. No doubt the same amount of money could have been used to feed the hungry and heal the sick. But such comments can be made against any great engineering achievement, or any great work of art, for that matter. If we were to accept such criteria, mankind would accomplish little and the world would be a poorer place, in my opinion.

[AndyGra111]

As an auto mechanic, I cannot help but wonder what the possibility of capsizing is for a ship of these dimensions. Given the obvious mass above the waterline, even if it is mostly aluminum, the mass below the water must be greater to keep it upright in rough seas. So, what might its draught be? And what of active counter-roll mechanisms? They also must be really robust. And if a "rogue wave" is encountered, and they happen out there, are there enough lifeboats? Just musing on what visually is an out-of-proportion vessel. But, I don't like crowds.

[Xenogogic]

Instead of Oasis of the Seas they should have named her Boondoggle of the Waters.

[BobDoisneau]

I'll be working on this ship from the 12th to the 19th of December this year. Hope it floats.

[jwesel1]

Do you know how to turn the Titanic?

[Ichabod09]

by jwesel1 October 31, 2009 8:26 AM EDT
Do you know how to turn the Titanic?

Put an iceberg in it's path?

[iwanttoworkoncruiseships]

I want to work on that cruise ship! Can you tell me how I can apply? help?
Thanks! [e-mail]

[apachekid]

by lileoj October 30, 2009 3:56 PM EDT
How much recycled metal was used. How much recycled plastic was used and better yet how much thought was used in making this beast 20% more efficiant than a ship 20% smaller than it? Look at things from all angles next time ;)


I must admit you are about half right ;). Was this waste of money & energy really necessary. Whether the foundries refined recycled metals and poisoned the atmosphere or use poisonous chemicals in processing recycled plastics or not it shows a blatant disregard for the laws of nature.

You seem to be impressed by so called estimate of 20%? savings of thought, manpower & size of this beast. Like taking Obamas word that the 800, make that 1 trillion dollars of taxpayers money to created, saved, restructured, revived, etc. 600, make that a million jobs. :-)

You seem to be an intelligent individual. Think about it? Do you know how they could have saved 100% on this nightmare? And at the same time saved all this contamination, waste of precious trees, resources, our animal friends & their habitat? And also the future trash & pollutants that will be tossed somewhere in the Ocean. Don't you??? I'm not a GW kook to know that sometimes the best deals are the ones you don't make; irregardless of how good the fundraisers & promoters of this project make it sound.

[dontknowitall]

Do you think they'll put chicken wire around the ship? That is to keep the rocks thrown by the Haitians from injuring the passangers? The Haitian national debt is about what this ship cost.

[bubbadubba]

Gives new meaning to the phrase "top heavy".
"There's got to be a morning after......" should be the theme song.

[DEBBS1]

How many hungry people could you feed? How many houses for the homeless could you build? How many sick people would have access to doctors? Until we learn what is TRULY important in life, then we will continue to put money towards frivolous monstrosities like this!

[picchip]

Shut Up!

[cidaia]

Actually I think this IS truly important. It's a step toward the eventual dream of living in space (which isn't going to happen until we've solved a lot of problems, several of which are problems relevant to a ship of this size).

Since nobody wants to volunteer to be the one to BE the population that is cut, the idea of opening up new frontiers is the ONLY way we will ever be able to survive. That's going to start with the sea, and eventually we will launch into space. When THAT happens, it will be like it was when Europe expanded into the new world: there will be opportunities, and there will be adventures and risk and great rewards and heroes and legends.

It is the nature of life to GROW.

[wdh3007]

Don't think their are to many Somali pirates in Florida to capture this one. I would be more concerned about it running aground and getting stuck hope they have plenty of tug boats and some hurricane insurance.

[mnelsonix]

"Huge dirty beard and a missile" *** I can't picture this, lol.

[jwesel1]

huge dirty beard and a missile,
===============================
Rabbi??

[bann65]

Who has the money for this, since the democrat politicians ruined our stock market and our economy! Maybe the Chinese will use it? Ya think!

[USA_is_back]

The eternal optimist aren't you?

[bobnjersey]

[Who has the money for this, since the democrat politicians ruined our stock market and our economy! Maybe the Chinese will use it? Ya think!]

ruined the stock market ... and the democrats did this? where's your reference to support this claim.

here's mine to show that you know absolutely nothing of which you speak. Q3 2009 alone has a 35% return ... this is for one quarter.

http://www.cohenandsteers.com/opmc_perfomance.asp?cusip=12

nearly every banking stock is up 100% since the end of 2008 ... many are up 200% or more. the dow is up nearly 50% in less than one year.

how ignorant can you be? i know you can show me simply by responding with more of your nonsense.

[jasarack1]

It's interesting that someone would blame the economic and foreign policy disasters of the Bush administration on the Democrats.

[parisdakar]

Cruises aren't everyones' cup of tea, but they are something everyone has to do once. You'd have to be huge sourpuss to not be impressed by one of these giant ships.

[tmittelstaed]

And I thought the Axiom was launched in 2105!!

[docpeter1953]

How long before the Somali pirates capture this one?

[lileoj]

LOL doubtful they will ever cruise around that area so its all good. And you'd have to be stupid as hell to try to pirate this thing. its bigger than an aircraft carrier and has as many people.

[signseeker1717]

What a waste of money and resources. How many voyages must it take to just break even on the cost? What was the point of building such a monstrosity? Is this a huge PR stunt? I don't get it...

[mbburch06]

A "waste" in what sense? Do you have any idea how businesses operate? This ship is a (large) capital expenditure that is expected to bring in billions over the course of its lifetime. There is very high global demand for cruises, and companies like RCL are catering to that demand very effectively.

[lileoj]

If I remember correctly they bring in 500 million a year on average cruises. So think about it if the ship is 20% more efficiant than a standard 80,000 ton ship that means MORE PROFIT. Easy to pay this money back.

[bobnjersey]

[What a waste of money and resources. How many voyages must it take to just break even on the cost? What was the point of building such a monstrosity? ]

i'd guess there's a somewhat fixed overhead on the operation of the ship ... the cost to run it, the cost to man it, and the fact that it has a weekly cycle w/ a given number of bodies on it. you can't create more weekly cycles, but you can cram more bodies on the ship within that week ... with each paying for a cabin, buying alcohol, and various tchochkies along the way.

the number of voyages to break even is likely less than a smaller ship.

have you been to las vegas lately?

[presjfk]

Interesting that we can't build these in the USA.

[displeased]

Why would we want to build one of these? I'd rather us build rockets.

[hungry1968-17]

displeased:

So it can break on liftoff, or so we can bomb the moon?

I'd rather have a steady and consistent manufacturing economy.

[bobnjersey]

[Interesting that we can't build these in the USA]

we do. finland builds the ones for fun and provide a revenue stream ... and we build the ones for waging war and serve as a huge initial financial liability and as well as a financial liability as long as it sails.

and we wonder what's wrong with our economy.

[apachekid]

World's Largest Cruise Ship Sets Sail ...... Environmentally Friendly 1,200-Foot "Oasis of the Seas" Features Theater, Ice Rink and Bar which Moves Up and Down 3 Decks.


That's quite remarkable! Just how many tons of CO2 were released when this beast was being constructed? How many trees had to be cut? How many acres of habitat was destroyed? Where is all the trash, beer cans, cigarette butts, wine & champagne bottles, human wastes being dumped? How many whales, mantas, seals, other ocean wildlife will this thing kill? What is it using for fuel? etc? etc? I know, I know all the GW kooks will be using it for an oasis. It figures! How many new Jobs does this thing provide. I bet 650,000. Go figure.

[docpeter1953]

DAMM!

Please feel free to join Green Peace and get in front of the ship and try to stop it, or raid it like a Somali priate.

[lileoj]

How much recycled metal was used. How much recycled plastic was used and better yet how much thought was used in making this beast 20% more efficiant than a ship 20% smaller than it?

Look at things from all angles next time ;)

[danbee3]

So now we say burning 2000 gallons of polluting oil per day is "enviromentally friendly" ??

[docpeter1953]

Yes, if you can afford the cruise with the other 5,999 folks you can afford to burn your 1/3 gallon per day.

Of course you may want to take the cheaper routs and try paddling beside the ship and you can contribute to cleaning up the air as you paddle.

[parisdakar]

Uh, yes it is. That ship will go 600 miles per day on 1 gallon of fuel per person. Your Prius will not do that.