Cruise Deals Abound This Winter
Gigantic Oasis of the Seas Cruise Ship Puts Travelers' Sights Back on the Sea
Vacationers looking to escape on a cruise this winter are going to find a plethora on choices, thanks to the launching on several new ships, including the Oasis of the Seas, the largest cruise ship to ever hit the seas.
And thanks to the lingering recession, many cruise lines are still offering some steep discounts but not necessarily as generous as travelers saw last winter when free shore excursions and big onboard credits were being offered.
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"Those types of offers are not available anymore but the price points for cruises are still at a very good level," said Stewart Chiron, president of Cruiseguy.com, a travel marketing group specializing in the cruise industry.
The biggest thing -- literally -- hitting the cruise world this year is Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas.
This mammoth ship will have its maiden voyage Dec. 5. It has a shocking 2,706 staterooms (1,956 of them with balconies), 16 different passenger decks, 24 elevators, 21 swimming pools and whirlpools and a wide range of entertainment and dining options.
The Oasis of the Seas
At maxim capacity, it will have 5,400 passengers and 2,100 crew members.
The ship also claims a number of firsts: The first zip line – an 82-foot ride suspended nine decks in the air – and the first ever park at sea with 12,175 plants, 62 vine plants, 56 trees and bamboo – some over 24 feet high.
Chiron said the ship will be a game changer.
"They outdid themselves," he said, adding that the ship is 40 percent larger than any other cruise ship ever built.
The zip line on Oasis of the Seas
But don't expect any discounts on this hot new ship.
Chiron said tickets on it will be about 30 percent higher than similar itineraries on other ships. Still, some people will want to splurge just to be on this ship.
"Some people are going to be goo-goo ga, ga over sailing on the newest, largest ship in the world," he said.
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