We reported on Wednesday that a newspaper in Finland claims Royal Caribbean was getting ready to order a third Oasis-class cruise ship from STX Finland's Turku Shipyard.
Royal Caribbean spokeswoman Cynthia Martinez responded to the report by saying, "It's a rumor. We don't comment on rumors."
Martinez also added to a request by USA Today, "As we have done in the past, if/when we have something to announce, we will do so through an official company press release."
The rumored ship order stipulates that Royal Caribbean is looking for financial assistance from the Finnish government to help pay for the ship order.
If the rumor proves to be true, the third ship would be sister to Oasis and Allure of the Seas. It would also be the third ship Royal Caribbean currently has on order, with two other smaller ships known as "Project Sunshine" under construction in Germany.
Finnish newspaper TurunSanomat is reporting that STX Finland's Turku Shipyard is possibly close to receiving a contract from Royal Caribbean to build a third Oasis-class ship. This would be the sister ship to Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas.
The possible 1 billion Euro order hinges on if the Finnish government is willing to offer export credit construction financing. The newspaper reports the matter will be discussed at a meeting on Thursday of the Finnish Cabinet Committee on Economic Policy.
Royal Caribbean already has two other smaller ships on order, known as Sunshine Class, from a shipyard in Germany.
Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas was designed with technology in mind to make the ship easier to navigate for the passengers and crew onboard through tools like RFID, facial recognition and handheld wireless devices for a variety of purposes, including emergency responses, food safety, point-of-sale (POS) transactions and passenger service.
Royal Caribbean vice president of information Technology, Santiago Abraham, spoke about the important of technology on the ship, "We were keenly aware that we were building the biggest ship in the world and we wanted to make sure the experience nonetheless was an intimate one, and eliminate any sense that you are on a massive ship."
To help get passengers around the ship and find their way, Oasis of the Seas has over 300 digital, interactive signs that people can use to access maps, get directions, see scheduled activities and check in real-time the occupancy level of restaurants.
"The digital signage helps our guests navigate the ship," Abraham said of the system, whose touchscreen devices use Windows 7 on the front end and tap SQL Server and other Windows server products on the back end. "You see guests interacting with it on a pretty continual basis very effectively."
Royal Caribbean's IT department also automated retail transactions and food inspections on board with PAR Technology terminals and tablets running software from Agilysys and the Windows Embedded OS.
The technology helps food inspections be done in two hours instead of five thanks to devices that have temperature probes and readers to scan RFID tags on the food containers.
The Point of Sales and food inspection data is instantly fed to back-end Microsoft SQL Server databases where it is automatically analyzed and acted upon, whether it's to replenish low inventory in a store or to order that a food container be discarded.
From Microsoft's perspective, Royal Caribbean has achieved in Oasis of the Seas the "intelligent system" vision of the Windows Embedded products, in which client devices are used to gather data that is then stored on the back end and analyzed for operational improvements.
Abraham said Royal Caribbean is very satisfied with the way the IT infrastructure in Oasis of the Seas helps passengers and staffers without being intrusive or complicated.
"We were trying to have technology help our guests in terms of their experience on board, whether it's boarding the ship, learning more about activities or planning their day, but we also didn't want to be 'in your face' with the technology, so it's all very embedded in a lot of different elements," Abraham said.
Travel Weekly has awarded Royal Caribbean 15 Magellan Awards for the year. Radiance of the Seas and Oasis of the Seas were singled out among the awards along with Royal Caribbean's "The Sea is Calling" advertising campaign.
“We are much honored to be recognized again by Travel Weekly’s distinguished panel of industry experts and judges,” said Lisa Bauer, senior vice president of Global Sales and Marketing, Royal Caribbean International. “We are particularly encouraged that revitalized Radiance of the Seas won Gold for Overall Contemporary Ship. Radiance of the Seas is a glowing example of our ongoing ship revitalizations to introduce some of the most popular Oasis-class amenities across the fleet and make every ship our best ship for vacationers to enjoy.”
Gold Magellan Awards
Radiance of the Seas - Overall - Contemporary Ship
Oasis of the Seas - Overall - Eco-Friendly "Green" Cruise Ship
The Sea is Calling - Advertising/Marketing Campaign
The Sea is Calling - TV Commercial
The Sea is Calling... - Vicki Print Advertising
Oasis’ 150 Central Park - Contemporary Ship - Restaurant Design
DreamWorks Experience - Contemporary Ship - Entertainment
Hairspray - Contemporary Ship - Entertainment
Royal Promenade -Contemporary Ship - Atrium Design
Royal Loft Suites - Contemporary Ship - Suite Design
Silver Magellan Awards :
Allure of the Seas - Overall - Contemporary Ship
Sea Views - Overall - Blog
Crown & Anchor Society - Overall - Loyalty Program
Vitality at Sea Spa - Contemporary Ship - Spa Design
People that are new to cruising many not be aware of the sheer amount of things to do aboard a Royal Caribbean ship and that's why Travel Weekly highlighted some of the best activities on cruise ships today that aren't expected by a new passenger.
Voyager of the Seas' sports deck is something that stands out because there's so much to choose from. You can go in-line skating, use the jogging track, try the golf simulator and more. Aboard Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas, you can zip line, learn to surf or play basketball.
If entertainment is more your thing, the ice shows in Studio B aboard Voyager of the Seas is another fun option. In addition, the DreamWorks Experience offers you the chance to meet passengers from Kung Fu Panda or Shrek. Oasis and Allure of the Seas have an Aqua Theater where athletes perform acrobatics, trapeze artistry and water ballet.
Royal Caribbean has invited two former Olympic Athletes, Michelle Kwan and Greg Louganis, to compete in a number of physical activities aboard Oasis of the Seas.
Dubbed the Royal Deck-athlon, there will be 10 featured events, such as Flow Rider, Rock Climbing wall, figure skating, zip line, diving, mini-golf and more.
You can follow along the progress with video updates on the Facebook page. Royal Caribbean is also offering a chance for a free seven night cruise aboard Oasis of the Seas for those that watch the videos.
Each year, the Centers for Disease Control conducts surprise government health inspections to make certain that the cruise ships millions enjoy are safe and clean. Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas, Jewel of the Seas, Serenade of the Seas and Mariner of the Seas all scored a perfect 100 on their test this year.
The Vessel Sanitation Program is run by the CDC and unannounced inspections will occur twice per year in US ports, with a test that grades each ship on a 100 point scale. The CDC evaluates cruise ships in 42 areas such as adherence to proper food handling, storage procedures, overall galley cleanliness and pool and spa cleanliness.
This is the third perfect score in a row for Oasis of the Seas while the other ships that scored perfectly have also had perfect scores in the past.
Only a small fraction of the dozens of cruise ships inspected each quarter receive a perfect score. Most infractions are small in nature and are corrected quickly.
Royal Caribbean Blog is an unofficial fan blog written for other fans of Royal Caribbean International. The Royal Caribbean Blog is not affiliated with Royal Caribbean International
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