BIG SHIP CRUISING
launch of Oasis: “We wanted to have enough attention to those things we already knew were successful, so we set our goal on this game as one third revolutionary, one third evolutionary, and one third tradition, and I think you will see the combination came out as revolutionary.” It was on this class of ship that Royal Caribbean pioneered inside-facing cabins along the Royal Promenade that weren’t actually ‘inside’. On Oasis, the designers have pushed the envelope with yet more cabins that don’t truly face the ocean, yet still offer a view with windows or balco- nies above the Boardwalk or Central Park ‘neighbourhoods.’ There is also a Presidential Family Suite accommodating 14 passengers and four spacious Family Suites. Beyond these new designs, cabins are available in varying sizes and styles, from compact inside cabins to an Owner’s Suite.
Another new concept is the Loft Suite.
These premium suites are available in three styles – Crown; Sky; and one Royal Loft Suite. These are all situated on the port, starboard, and aft side of the massive funnel. However, it’s worth noting the
THE MAKING OF A MARVEL
Oasis of the Seas is 1,187ft (360 metres) long – just 69ft (21 metres) longer than the company’s Freedom-class ships – but the most revolutionary aspect of her design is the increased width of the superstructure to 208ft (65 metres), as opposed to the 184ft (56 metres) of the previous category
This has not only allowed Royal Caribbean to build the ship taller – a full 19 decks in total – but, more importantly, to split the superstructure. This in turn gave the maritime architects free reign to expand the horizontal atrium
fi rst conceived on Voyager and Freedom-class ships as well as creating two completely new outdoor areas – Central Park above the Royal Promenade and the Boardwalk towards the stern.
What this split design also achieves is a rich mix of accommodation grades. From a total of 2,704 staterooms, an astonishing 1,956 feature private balconies – compared to the Voyager-class ships introduced just 10 years ago which offer ‘just’ 757 balcony cabins.
aft-facing Loft Suites overlook the basket- ball court, mini-golf course, FlowRiders, AquaTheatre and zip-line, nine vertiginous decks above the Boardwalk.
N
othing can prepare you for the ‘Wow’ factor engendered by this fl oating ‘Nation of Why
Not’ – to use the company’s latest tag-line. Superlatives are redundant. With a price- tag of £800million, Oasis offers an experi- ence on an unprecedented scale. But is it a cruising experience or a sojourn in the sun aboard a massive theme-park? Unbeknownst to me, when I made my booking to sail on the most talked-about ship in the world, my chosen date coincided with America’s Spring Break. While an unfamiliar concept for Brits, this is when American parents take their family on holiday. It’s worth heeding this period if you prefer not to share your ship with gaggles of youngsters.
As we explored – on a sailing with no fewer than 6,007 passengers, not forgetting a crew of 2,165 – I quickly became conscious of the inordinate number of children and teenagers running hither and
28 WORLD OF CRUISING I Summer 2010
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