Floating the Oasis of the Seas - Cruise Diary
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Steve Read gets a look at Royal Caribbean's newest cruise ship as she is floated for the first time.
Building the Incredible
By Steve Read
22nd November 2008
SHE floats!
As millions of gallons flooded into the dock where I had been standing only an hour earlier, the 220,000-ton OASIS OF THE SEAS lifted off her flimsy-looking supports and took to the water.
Walking around underneath the ship, marvelling at the mighty propellers and all the other bits and pieces soon to be submerged, was an awesome experience.
But it is what’s inside this enormous ship that really takes your breath away.
There has never been a ship like it.
Forget the fact that it’s one of the biggest floating objects ever made by man. Forget the mind-boggling £1 BILLION price tag.
For a moment, even forget that Oasis of the Seas is a cruise ship.
She has a street, the Royal Promenade, running most of her length, lined with bars, shops and restaurants, and with crystal canopies letting in the sunshine.
She has a version of Central Park with real trees and shrubs, and an onboard horticulturalist to look after them.
There is a pool at the stern which, by itself, holds more water than all the pools on INDEPENDENCE OF THE SEAS combined. The floor rises and falls – at maximum depth it is 18 feet deep, enough for diving acrobats to plunge into from a bridge high above.
A bar, called the Rising Tide, which lifts three decks on what will appear to be jets of water. Chairman Richard Fain told me: “We wanted something better than a simple elevator!”
And the Boardwalk, with a fairground carousel and even a zip line.
There are two-storey loft cabins, with huge picture windows overlooking the ocean.
Restaurants from the chic and trendy 150 Central Park to the fun of Johnny Rockets, cabins with balconies facing INSIDE but still able to get the sunshine, massive Jacuzzis that hang over the side, two FlowRider surf simulators, two terrifying rock climbing walls ... this is a sensational holiday resort.
Now remember it’s a cruise ship. So on top of all this, you’ll be waking up in a different Caribbean hot spot every day!
The ship is 65 per cent complete – workers at the STX Europe shipyard in Turku, Finland, now have a year to finish her off.
The float out – complete with band playing Anchors Aweigh and a cannon firing – was a moving moment in every sense of the phrase.
As soon as Oasis of the Seas cleared the dock, workers began draining it. In a couple of weeks the first pieces of the second Genesis-class ship, ALLURE OF THE SEAS, will be put in position.
It’s cold work – but they're a tough breed, those Finns. Work only stops if the temperature drops below -20 degrees. Not because of the people ... it’s the equipment that stops functioning!
→ Book a cruise on the Oasis of the Seas
Editor's Note: In case you wondering just how big the Oasis of the Seas really is, here's a photo comparision with the Titanic.
The silhouette of the Titanic over the Oasis of the Seas
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