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Video Playing Now: Cruise News: 28th October 2009
Breaking News: Could the Oasis of the Seas be stopping in Southampton? Also, Steve tells us how to blag a ticket on the world's biggest cruise ship, or how to bag a cruise bargain in Brazil.
Wednesday 28th October
By Steve Read
BREAKING NEWS - Exclusive!
A contact aboard Oasis of the Seas tells me there is a strong possibility that the ship will be making a surprise call into Southampton on her way to Fort Lauderdale. A Royal Caribbean spokesman wouldn’t confirm it, but wouldn’t deny it either. Officially the ship will be going straight to Florida. I’ll let you know...
UPDATE: Oasis of the Seas will be in Southampton on Monday November 2. The ship will not tie up, but will cruise up the Solent to drop off workers who have been putting finishing touches to the ship. Then she will continue her journey to Florida. Details tomorrow...
World's Biggest Cruise Ship
OASIS of the Seas now officially belongs to Royal Caribbean ... now all they have to do is fill
her with 5,400 passengers a week.
There are still cabins available on the ship’s inaugural cruise on December 1.
The ship – handed over in a ceremony today at the STX shipyard in Turku, Finland – will be
sailing around the Caribbean out of Fort Lauderdale.
Two other brand new ships will be also working the Caribbean run next year, the just-launched Carnival Dream and the Norwegian Epic. And just before next Christmas, Oasis’s twin ship Allure of the Seas will be based there too.
That’s a lot of “heads on beds” and means that fares are going to be extremely competitive.
My friends in the Sky Travel offices have all the latest offers and prices – their number is up there on the right.
All this extra capacity is great news for the Caribbean. A report by the Florida/Caribbean Cruise Association says passengers typically spend just short of $100 at every port they visit.
Passengers spend the most in the US Virgin Islands, an average of $193 per head. St Maarten is next at $147, then Cozumel on $104, Puerto Rico on $100 and (here’s a surprise) St Kitts on $99.
While personally I despair at all the jewellery stores you find in the Caribbean, they're clearly popular – they come top of the shopping list for most passengers, even ahead of organised shore excursions.
I'm happy to report that for crew who are able to go ashore, their priorities seem to be on having a good time in local bars and restaurants.
A typical seven-day cruise, on a 3,000-passenger ship with 1,200 crew, calling at four ports, pumps $1.3 billion into the Caribbean's economy.
Don’t be alarmed by the figures if you're cruising on a budget. You don’t have to spend a single dollar ashore unless you want to.
It’s like the extra-charge restaurants onboard your cruise ship. They're there if you want them, but you can eat like a king in the included restaurants and it won't cost you anything.
→ Book a cruise with Royal Caribbean International
Bargain Brazil
THERE are also plenty of cruise bargains to be had if you fancy some scorching weather around Brazil this winter.
MSC, Royal Caribbean and Costa will all have ships there for the season.
Again, my friends in the Sky Travel office have all the info.
→
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