Oasis class cruise ships
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PROFILE AND REVIEW
ROYAL CARIBBEAN'SOASIS CLASS |
Oasis of the Seas
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Royal Caribbean's Oasis class includes: Oasis of the Seas, Allure of the Seas, Harmony of the Seas, Symphony of the Seas and Wonder of the Seas.
The Oasis class ships are the largest cruise ships in the world. Their gross tonnage - - the standard way of measuring the size of a cruise ship - - ranges from 225,282 to 236,857 gross tons. All are approximately 1,188 feet long and 215 feet wide with a draft of 30 feet.
All of the ships provide a casual, resort-style cruise experience. However, it is unlike the cruise experience offered on any other class of cruise ship including the other classes of Royal Caribbean ships. There is so much space on these ships that they can offer an unmatched number of options with regard to entertainment, dining, sports, and leisure activities. In addition, the ships are
divided into sections, called “neighborhoods” each with its own character ranging from a sophisticated city park complete with plants to an amusement park boardwalk.
When the first two ships in class entered service (Oasis December 2009 and Allure, December 2010), they presented a wide range of offerings designed to appeal to everyone from the sophisticated traveler to the family vacationer. Over the years, the more sophisticated features have tended to disappear. As a result, of such changes, the cruise experience on the four ships is now pretty
much mass market family cruising.
The ships have a contemporary-style décor. Each ship has a large collection of contemporary art. However, there is little emphasis on cultural enrichment in the daily activities.
In the beginning, Royal thought that the Oasis class ships were somewhat limited in their nautical abilities and thus would be
restricted to sailing the Caribbean. Furthermore, they would be limited to certain ports where the special facilities had been
constructed for their use. However, experienced proved that the ships were much more versatile than had been thought. As a result,
the Oasis ships have expanded their Caribbean itineraries and have done several seasons of European cruising.
The first two ships also proved more popular than had been anticipated, accounting for a disproportionate share of the line's
revenue. Therefore, after a gap of six years, a third Oasis class ship, Harmony of the Seas, entered service. She was followed by
Symphony of the Seas two years later and, as mentioned earlier, a fifth ship is under construction.
The first two ships in the Oasis class were built by STX Europe in Turku, Finland. Oasis was completed and the time for payment came due at the height of the World Financial Crisis of 2009. With the credit markets frozen, there was concern in the investment community that Royal would not be able to raise the approximately one billion dollars it needed. Royal's credit rating was lowered and the company's stock sank. However, the Finish government stepped in and guaranteed 95 percent of the debt. This enabled Royal to obtain the needed money and the crisis passed.
Oasis and Allure were almost identical when they entered service. However, Allure's first captain, Herman Zini, noticed that the official measurements of the ship showed her to be an inch or so longer than Oasis. Relying on this difference, the Captain proclaimed that Allure was the world's largest cruise ship. This notion caught on with and inspired both the crew and passengers and so Allure became known for her up-beat personality.
To build the later Oasis class ships, Royal turned to STX France in St. Nazzaire. Among other things this change in builders eliminated the problem of how to get the ships out of the Baltic under the Great Belt Bridge, which had been a challenge for the first two ships.
Although the layout of the public areas is similar, there are technological differences between the first two ships and the second generation. For example, the second generation actually ride on a carpet of bubbles released below the hull. This makes for less friction and better fuel efficiency. Like their earlier sisters, the second generation are listed as having a cruising speed of 22 knots. However, Harmony of the Seas reportedly clocked 25 knots during her sea trials.
The Oasis class ships are very stable, largely due to the fact that they are so wide. It is usually difficult to tell that one is at sea unless you have a view of the water. Of course, no ship is immune from the power of the sea. On the way to her maiden voyage, Oasis was caught in a hurricane. The first lifeboats on either side were torn off by the waves. That is why Oasis now has a steel barrier in front of these lifeboats. The lifeboats on Allure, which was still under construction when this incident occurred, are located further aft than on Oasis.
To keep all the ships up-to-date, Royal has followed a policy of retrofitting the earlier ships with new features that premiere on the newer sisters. Thus, Oasis has the same 10-story high “Ultimate Abyss” slide as on the second generation Oasis ships.
In anticipation of a season based in New York harbor, Oasis has also been retro-fitted with retractable smokestacks, which should enable her to pass under the Veranzano Narrows Bridge at the mouth of the harbor.
The Oasis class ships are the largest cruise ships in the world. Their gross tonnage - - the standard way of measuring the size of a cruise ship - - ranges from 225,282 to 236,857 gross tons. All are approximately 1,188 feet long and 215 feet wide with a draft of 30 feet.
All of the ships provide a casual, resort-style cruise experience. However, it is unlike the cruise experience offered on any other class of cruise ship including the other classes of Royal Caribbean ships. There is so much space on these ships that they can offer an unmatched number of options with regard to entertainment, dining, sports, and leisure activities. In addition, the ships are
divided into sections, called “neighborhoods” each with its own character ranging from a sophisticated city park complete with plants to an amusement park boardwalk.
When the first two ships in class entered service (Oasis December 2009 and Allure, December 2010), they presented a wide range of offerings designed to appeal to everyone from the sophisticated traveler to the family vacationer. Over the years, the more sophisticated features have tended to disappear. As a result, of such changes, the cruise experience on the four ships is now pretty
much mass market family cruising.
The ships have a contemporary-style décor. Each ship has a large collection of contemporary art. However, there is little emphasis on cultural enrichment in the daily activities.
In the beginning, Royal thought that the Oasis class ships were somewhat limited in their nautical abilities and thus would be
restricted to sailing the Caribbean. Furthermore, they would be limited to certain ports where the special facilities had been
constructed for their use. However, experienced proved that the ships were much more versatile than had been thought. As a result,
the Oasis ships have expanded their Caribbean itineraries and have done several seasons of European cruising.
The first two ships also proved more popular than had been anticipated, accounting for a disproportionate share of the line's
revenue. Therefore, after a gap of six years, a third Oasis class ship, Harmony of the Seas, entered service. She was followed by
Symphony of the Seas two years later and, as mentioned earlier, a fifth ship is under construction.
The first two ships in the Oasis class were built by STX Europe in Turku, Finland. Oasis was completed and the time for payment came due at the height of the World Financial Crisis of 2009. With the credit markets frozen, there was concern in the investment community that Royal would not be able to raise the approximately one billion dollars it needed. Royal's credit rating was lowered and the company's stock sank. However, the Finish government stepped in and guaranteed 95 percent of the debt. This enabled Royal to obtain the needed money and the crisis passed.
Oasis and Allure were almost identical when they entered service. However, Allure's first captain, Herman Zini, noticed that the official measurements of the ship showed her to be an inch or so longer than Oasis. Relying on this difference, the Captain proclaimed that Allure was the world's largest cruise ship. This notion caught on with and inspired both the crew and passengers and so Allure became known for her up-beat personality.
To build the later Oasis class ships, Royal turned to STX France in St. Nazzaire. Among other things this change in builders eliminated the problem of how to get the ships out of the Baltic under the Great Belt Bridge, which had been a challenge for the first two ships.
Although the layout of the public areas is similar, there are technological differences between the first two ships and the second generation. For example, the second generation actually ride on a carpet of bubbles released below the hull. This makes for less friction and better fuel efficiency. Like their earlier sisters, the second generation are listed as having a cruising speed of 22 knots. However, Harmony of the Seas reportedly clocked 25 knots during her sea trials.
The Oasis class ships are very stable, largely due to the fact that they are so wide. It is usually difficult to tell that one is at sea unless you have a view of the water. Of course, no ship is immune from the power of the sea. On the way to her maiden voyage, Oasis was caught in a hurricane. The first lifeboats on either side were torn off by the waves. That is why Oasis now has a steel barrier in front of these lifeboats. The lifeboats on Allure, which was still under construction when this incident occurred, are located further aft than on Oasis.
To keep all the ships up-to-date, Royal has followed a policy of retrofitting the earlier ships with new features that premiere on the newer sisters. Thus, Oasis has the same 10-story high “Ultimate Abyss” slide as on the second generation Oasis ships.
In anticipation of a season based in New York harbor, Oasis has also been retro-fitted with retractable smokestacks, which should enable her to pass under the Veranzano Narrows Bridge at the mouth of the harbor.
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Cruise ship class profile and review - - Royal Caribbean - - Oasis class