Oasis of the Seas Makes Its Debut

Nov. 20, 2009— -- In the cruise industry these days, many believe that bigger is better. The world's largest and newest cruise ship, Oasis of the Seas, is proof of that.

Royal Caribbean's latest vessel has been a true game-changer, according to industry experts. And with the cruise liner's sister ship, Allure of the Seas, scheduled to make its debut in November 2010, the industry has acknowledged that size does matter -- when it comes to luring new business.

"These really big, huge ships, the market they're going after is not your Aunt Elma," said Carolyn Spencer-Brown, editor in chief of CruiseCritic.com. "What they're going after is an untapped market, and these are people who haven't cruised."

The Oasis of the Seas has plenty of room for them, with 2,700 staterooms and more guest rooms than the average Las Vegas hotel. The 16-passenger-deck ship consists of seven themed neighborhoods, including Central Park, Entertainment Place, the Royal Promenade, Boardwalk, the Pool and Sports Zone, Youth Zone and Vitality at Sea Spa and Fitness Center. The small city at sea accommodates 6,360 passengers.

Feeding this floating community on a seven-day cruise requires 50 tons of food, including 8,000 pounds of lettuce, 12,000 pounds of potatoes and more than 3,000 pounds of onions.

Aside from food, this behemoth boat is chock full of novel entertainment. Its Central Park is the first-ever park at sea, it boasts the longest-running track on an ocean liner, and its AquaTheater houses the largest and deepest pool on the high seas, at nearly 18 feet deep.

The vessel is also an engineering marvel in terms of height, length, width and weight.

From bow to stern, it measures 1,187 feet, or about three football fields long.

The ship's size required that the captain undergo simulation training to learn how to navigate it before he even set one foot on board.