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Oasis of the Seas named a boating vacation not to be missed

In:
16 Jul 2010

Bloomberg BusinessWeek listed four types of boating vacations that you shouldn't miss and for the category of "the family", Oasis of the Seas was named its winner.  BusinessWeek liked the many options that the ship offers as well as the piece of mind of being on board.  They specifically chose the Eastern Caribbean itinerary for Oasis as well.

One key to bringing the brood together is being able to spend time apart. For all their flaws, cruises balance family and free time: You'll find activities aplenty—and containment that eases (some of) your worries about the kids.

I guess BusinessWeek should have called the category "the rich family" because it recommends the Royal Family Suite to stay in ($1,750 per person).

Royal Caribbean considered ferris wheel, roller coaster and more for Oasis of the Seas

In:
15 Jul 2010

Oasis of the Seas has been in service since December 2009 and it has taken the world by storm with it's impressive assortment of onboard amenities such as the bigger rock wall, Flowrider, carousel and even a zip line.  It's hard to imagine that Royal Caribbean could have put anything else on it but in fact, at one point there were plans to include a roller coaster and a ferris wheel!

Cruisersconnect cites in a recent article from VG by Rune Thomas Ege, CEO of Royal Caribbean Adam Goldstein mentioned the idea for some of these additions. "Imagine the experience (of riding a roller coaster at sea). You are pulled to the top of the ship, and then the roller coaster takes you along the outside of the ship and down towards the ocean as the ship is moving, it would be really spectacular.”

Sounds pretty cool, but after further review, Royal Caribbean nixed the idea because, "Both the Ferris wheel and the roller coaster would probably turn out really expensive, so for the time being we have not moved on with the ideas.”

On TV in UK: Oasis of the Seas

In:
14 Jul 2010

For our readers in the United Kingdom, check out the National Geographic Channel tonight at 9pm, err... 21:00, for a show about Oasis of the Seas called "World Record Cruise Ship". 

 

Like an entire water-going city, the Oasis of the Seas is the largest cruise ship ever built. But this colossal vessel started on a humble drawing board, when a group of international architects were given a simple brief: to design something completely new. 
 
Premiering on Wednesday 14 July at 9pm, World Record Cruise Ship follows the project from the early planning stages right through to the vessel's completion as the team creates the goliath of all cruise ships with the biggest measurements in the world.
 
At 360 metres in length and 16 passenger decks high, it can accommodate 8,500 passengers and crew members at the same time.  And to ensure that guests are afforded the most luxurious stay possible, the team had to conduct rigorous tests to ensure that every part of the ship passed the catalogue of strict environmental and safety tests needed before the maiden voyage.
 
Dwarfing all other cruise ships, prepare to join the crew and set sail as this self-proclaimed 'architectural marvel' takes to the water.

Best cruise ships ranked for getting away from it all

In:
13 Jul 2010

Cruise vacations can be great opportunities to see the world and do a lot of interesting and new things, but for some people, they may just simply want a break from the "daily grind" and look to get away from it all.  

Smarter Travel has ranked the best ships for getting away from it all and Royal Caribbean can be found in the list.  Chief among them, Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas is ranked as the "Best Ship to Get Lost In".

Why: The biggest ships are roomy enough to disappear into, with entertainment, sightseeing, sports, and activities to suit every sort of personality. Celebrity Cruises, Cunard, Royal Caribbean, MSC Cruises, Princess, Carnival, and Costa all boast ships measuring more than 100,000 tons that carry thousands of passengers. But, of course, none beats the world's largest passenger vessel, with its capacity for 6,296 passengers and 2,394 crew, seven neighborhoods, 16 passenger decks, nearly two dozen restaurants and bars, plus shops, theatres, and a myriad of other public spaces. The ambience on Oasis of the Seas is cordially anonymous: As one Cruise Critic reviewer put it, it's "simply too vast to inspire connections." You can be introduced to someone early on and never cross paths again—and that really is a plus for the loner. Sister ship Allure of the Seas, whose maiden sailing is December 1, 2010, promises more of the same.
 
Quiet Escapes: Leafy Central Park is the standout among the Oasis-class ships' many restful nooks. Pop in for tapas in the afternoon at Vintages, a mood-lit wine bar with a floor-to-ceiling glass wall looking out onto the park. Oasis' Promenade Deck is where you'll exercise away the tapas; it's actually a .46-mile jogging track with an ocean view and is practically deserted come early evening. What could be more serene?
 
Best Rest: Spacious suites, preferably with balconies, give the feel of a retreat and, thus, are a better choice for solitary cruising than windowless, cheerless inside cabins that force you out into the ship's hustle and bustle. Choose a sea-facing balcony cabin for fresh air without fighting over deck chairs, or a balcony suite facing the AquaTheater, where you have a V.I.P. view of the show without ever taking an audience seat. If you'd like to splurge, book one of the enormous Loft Suites—with two floors, private living and dining areas, and gigantic balconies, you may never need to leave.
 
Dining a Deux: The loner's nemesis is traditional assigned dining, which forces interaction with strangers who might, if you are so unlucky, chit-chat nonstop for an entire cruise. But, Royal Caribbean is one of scores of cruise lines forsaking tradition: Its "My Time Dining" offers a choice of open or assigned seating in the main dining room; dine at off-peak hours to enjoy a table for two. Or, take advantage of the many bistro-style alternative eateries, where tables for two are easier to come by. You can pre-book reservations over the Internet, or just show up hoping for a table. Best for intimate meals are Chops Grille and 150 Central Park. Conversely, don't expect peace at Johnny Rockets and the Seafood Shack, both situated on the noisy, well-lit Boardwalk.
 
Beware! Due to their size, Oasis-class ships are sticking to the most popular (read: congested) mega-ports in the Caribbean, such as Nassau, St. Maarten, and St. Thomas. For tips on avoiding the crowds in port, read our sister site Cruise Critic's article, It's Tuesday in St. Thomas: Gridlock Alert?

Oasis of the Seas: One of 15 man-made wonders

In:
13 Jul 2010

The Spanish website El Nuevo Dia compiled a list of the top 15 man-made wonders of the world, which include engineering feats such as The Channel Tunnel between England and France, the Three Gorges Dam hydroelectric plant in China and the Hoover Dam.  Among the list, coming in at number 14 is Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas.

Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas made its debut in 2009 as the largest cruise ship in the world. It is almost five times the gross tonnage of the Titanic and 1 1 / 2 times the U.S. Capitol building, has 16 decks and up to 6,296 guests. The cruise ship offers a week in the east and west of the Caribbean. Cruises depart from Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Looks as though Oasis is in good company with some of the other amazing technical achievements man has accomplished.  No word on if they included those who wore shorts to the main dining room on Oasis while voting occurred (just joking).

Oasis of the Seas continues to enjoy premium pricing

In:
12 Jul 2010

Oasis of the Seas, the celebrated largest ship in the world and now seven months old, is still generating enough demand to maintain it's premium prices over other ships in the Royal Caribbean fleet, according to a report by Majestic Research.  In the report, cabins on Oasis of the Seas are selling for 41% more than the rest of the Royal Caribbean fleet during the current quarter.  Even interior cabins, the cheapest option, sell for typically 69% more.

Majestic Research's Matthew Jacob had this to say about the future outlook for Oasis of the Seas, "We expect the ship will continue to generate strong premiums throughout most of 2010, although premiums appear to be leveling off sequentially".

When Oasis of the Seas debuted in 2009, an interior cabin cost 142% more than a cabin on Royal Caribbean's other ships.  Majestic Research reports that the premium dropped to 112% in the first quarter of 2010 and then to 74% in the second quarter of the year.

This trend should continue until December 2010 when Allure of the Seas, Oasis of the Seas' sister ship, debuts.

So this sounds like great news for Royal Caribbean, right?  Well, the bad news is Majestic Research says the higher prices on Oasis come at the cost of cannibalizing the premium for cabins found on the rest of Royal Caribbean's fleet.  

Jacob says Freedom class ships have seen their premium for interior cabins versus the rest of the Royal Caribbean fleet shrink to 4% during the current quarter from 27% during the same quarter last year (the last full quarter prior to the launch of Oasis). Celebrity's Solstice class ships have seen their premiums decline to 22% during the current quarter from 68% during the same quarter a year ago, he says.

View from Oasis of the Seas bridge

In:
06 Jul 2010

Wired Magazine is featuring a series of photos of a photo gallery of awesome cockpits and they have featured Oasis of the Seas as one of them.  

Situated on the center line of the ship, the captain’s station has two trackball-controlled 27-inch LCDs that are used to display the electronic chart and the ship information system, which aggregates mission-critical data like radar, GPS, and sonar. Nineteen additional screens are positioned less than 10 feet away, so the captain can quickly access, say, the machinery automation system, which tracks everything from the 5.5-megawatt bow thrusters to the fore and aft ballast tanks.

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