Oasis of the Seas - Mega Ship Squeezes Under Bridge in Denmark

Oasis of the Seas, Royal Caribbean's new mega ship (the largest cruise ship ever built and almost 40 percent larger than the industry's next-biggest ship) is on its way to Fort Lauderdale, Florida to commence cruising in December 2009. Built by STX Finland for Royal Caribbean International, the mega ship's smoke stacks were lowered so it could pass under the Great Belt Fixed Link. It did so with less than half a metre gap as it left the Baltic Sea on Saturday on its maiden voyage to Florida.

Bridge traffic was stopped for 15 minutes as a precaution prior to the event. This happened shortly after midnight (1000 AEDT) on 1 November 2009 with hundreds of people watching from vantage points on beaches at both ends of the bridge.

Project manager Toivo Ilvonen of STX Finland, who is aboard the ship, confirmed that the ship had passed under the bridge without incident.

Oasis of the Seas is 5 times larger than the Titanic, has seven neighborhoods, an ice rink, a small golf course and a 750-seat outdoor amphitheater. The 2,700 cabins include loft cabins with floor to ceiling windows, and 1,600-square-foot (487-metre) luxury suites with balconies overlooking the sea or promenades. 6,300 passengers and 2,100 crew members can be accommodated. Other facilities include 4 swimming pools, basketball and volleyball course, a youth zone with theme parks and nurseries for children.

Because Oasis of the Seas was conceived many years ago and took 6 years to build, it is realistic to wonder if the World economic crisis and the sagging US economy will affect the future success of this extravagant cruise ship. There is also criticism that such a huge sea-going vessel could be damaging to the environment.

Royal Caribbean already has 23 cruise ships listed on its website - other than Oasis of the Seas. It also boasts the "youngest cruise fleet".

Royal Caribbean has vessels sailing out of ports around the world and its range of cruises is impressive. The question is, will the current economic downturn affect passenger numbers for Royal Caribbean and other cruise companies? Only time will tell if this mega ship will attract mega numbers of cruise passengers. There will always be people who can afford to take extravagant holidays, but will the average working or retired person be able to enjoy a cruising holiday so they an enjoy all this huge liner has to offer?

AC contributor Mike Burnside summarized some additional expenses to watch out for while cruising in his recent article Cruise Ships, is Bigger Better? Passengers should be aware of exactly what they need to include in their holiday budget as cruise operators change from "freebies" to "pay as you enjoy".

Sources:
http://www.smh.com.au/travel/travel-news/mega-cruise-ship-squeezes-under-bridge-20091101-hr88.html
http://www.royalcaribbean.com/home/n2ch.do;jsessionid=0000CTdL60CQe7bURen38tWa8a-:13hldil87