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Ahoy!
By Scott Harrup | November 3, 2009
The world’s largest cruise ship, recently completed at STX Finland shipyard, sailed for Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on Sunday. Royal Caribbean International’s Oasis of the Seas is due to begin service Nov. 20.
Oasis, built for $1.5 billion, is five times larger than the Titanic. Its 2,700 cabins can accommodate 6,300 passengers and 2,100 crew members. Amenities include a 750-seat outdoor amphitheater, an indoor 1,300-seat theater, four swimming pools, volleyball and basketball courts, an ice rink and a small golf course. Select cabins offer floor-to-ceiling windows.
The ship’s passengers can choose from seven “neighborhoods” with special themes, including a tropical environment of palm trees and vines. Another, “Central Park,” offers restaurants, bars and boutiques.
Will Oasis’ novelty attract sufficient interest in this lagging economy to offset its cost? I’m sure investors hope so.
I’m intrigued by anything claiming to be the “biggest.” How long the record will hold for the 20-story vessel is anyone’s guess. In the mean time, thousands of passengers can set sail on the current record-holder and enjoy bragging rights as they celebrate honeymoons, anniversaries and life itself.
Perhaps you’ll agree with me it’s a little humorous that cruise ships are constructed in such a manner as to make you forget you’re at sea. Looking again at the Oasis’ offerings, I’m thinking I can duplicate practically all of them — minus the ocean view — right here in Springfield, Mo. I mean, if you really want to go shopping, golfing, swimming, ice-skating or to the gym or theater, why pay thousands of dollars to do so in the middle of the Caribbean? And if you’re looking for a Caribbean sunset and endless vistas of crystal blue ocean, why hide from them in a shopping mall or theater?
All the same, I wish the crew and passengers of Oasis of the Seas safe sailing.
Topics: News |
