Oasis of the Seas Luxury Cruise Liner

The Oasis of the Seas will be the first of the Oasis Class (formerly the Genesis Class or project Genesis) luxury cruise ships in the Royal Caribbean International fleet. The ship was ordered in February 2006 and the keel was laid in December 2007. The Oasis is expected to be in service in late 2009, sailing from Port Everglades, Fort Lauderdale, US, on Caribbean itineraries.

The 16-deck ship, which has an estimated build cost of $1.24bn, will be the largest cruise ship afloat with a tonnage of 220,000gt (43% more than the Freedom Class ships) and a double occupancy capacity of 5,400 passengers in 2,700 state rooms. The ship is being built in the Aker Yards at Turku in Finland and will be followed by her sister vessel the Allure of the Seas in late 2008.

Designers

Initial ship design begun in 2004-05 and included a number of designers and architects such as Atkins Global, NB&D, RTKL, Waterfield Design Group and Wilson Butler Architects.

Technical

The vessel will have an overall length of 1,181ft (360m), a beam of 154ft (47m), a height above the waterline of 213ft (65m) and a draft of 30ft (9m). The ship will be powered by eight Wartsila V12 diesel engines generating 17,500hp each. The main propulsion system will be three 20MW azimuthing Asea Brown Boveri Azipods, which will give the ship a cruising speed of 20.2kt.

Facilities

The Oasis will have the distinction of being the largest commercial ship to be constructed. Aside from the normal range of bars and restaurants the ship will have a number of facilities never before seen on a cruise ship.

There will be a full size carousel (27 figures), zip-line cable (nine decks high), Central Park, two rock climbing walls and the AquaTheatre amphitheatre (the largest freshwater pool on any cruise ship) as well as the Rising Tide bar which will move up and down three decks in Central Park.

The ship will be divided into seven neighbourhoods with different themes, including Central Park, Boardwalk (reminiscent of a seaside pier) and the Royal Promenade.

Central Park

The open-air Central Park will occupy the centre of the ship and will form a unique public gathering place including pathways, flower gardens and a canopy of trees. The central piazza will be a multi-purpose space for alfresco dining, entertainment, concerts and street performances. The Central Park neighbourhood will be lined with 334 staterooms (254 with balconies) rising five decks high, offering views of the park.

Restaurants will include: 150 Central Park, the Central Park Café (picnic lunches), Antonio's Table (Italian restaurant), Vintages wine bar, Chops Grille steakhouse, the Canopy Bar and the unique Rising Tide bar. The park will also host two glass-arched domes called the Crystal Canopies that will provide natural light for the inside decks of the ship. Central Park will also have a range of boutique shops, a chess garden, a pergola garden and a sculpture garden.

AquaTheatre

The AquaTheater will be an outdoor venue at the stern of the ship near the Boardwalk neighbourhood. The amphitheatre space will offer a kidney-shaped pool (swimming and scuba diving) and sun loungers on tiered platforms.

At night, the pool will be used for performances such as acrobatics, synchronised swimming, water ballet, and high-diving, as well as fountain shows. The AquaTheater pool will be 21.9ft by 51.6ft, with a depth of 17.9ft.

There will be three stage machinery devices to raise or lower its depth for different usage and three lifts for multi-level performances. Underwater cameras will be able to film performances and project the images onto two giant Barco LED screens around the stage. There will also be two diving towers, two spring boards and two 10m-high dive platforms as well as a trampoline between the dive towers for gymnastic performances.

Accommodation

The ship will have an enormous range of accommodation including suites, family suites, and staterooms. The majority of suites and staterooms will have a view of some sort or other. However, a new concept being introduced on Oasis is the loft suite. There will be 25 of these two level accommodations (crown lofts) with private balconies and floor space of around 51m² (545ft²).

There will be 52in LCD televisions, two bathrooms, fog free mirrors, and limestone tiles. There are also three other types of loft. The Royal Loft Suite (1,524ft²) will sleep six, have its own baby grand piano, inside and outside dining room, private wet bar, Jacuzzi, library and 843ft² (78.3m²) balcony.

The two corner Sky Loft Suites will be larger than the standard lofts giving up to 770ft² (71m²) of floor space and separate dining room and spacious balcony. There will also be two accessible crown lofts which will be slightly larger than the standard and with better access for disabled passengers.