SYMPHONY OF THE SEAS FLOATED OUT AT STX SHIPYARD IN FRANCE

The world's newest and largest cruise ship- Royal Caribbean's monumental Symphony of the Seas- was floated out at the STX shipyard in France last week. The fourth of the giant 'Oasis' class of 230,000 ton cruise liners is set to make her debut in Europe from April of 2018. After a summer season of Western Mediterranean cruises sailing from Barcelona, the awe inspiring ship will sail to Miami to begin a winter season of seven night cruises to the Eastern and Western Caribbean.

The completion of Symphony of the Seas marks the culmination of an extraordinary maritime quartet such as the maritime world has never seen before. With their vast, open areas including an outdoor Central Park, plus cutting edge facilities such as zip lining, inward facing balcony cabins overlooking the park, and a vast array of leisure and dining options, these four ships have raised the bar on modern cruising to a new level.

The statistics for these stunning mega ships are mind boggling, with each ship embarking around 6,000 passengers every week in Florida, just hours after disembarking the same number at the end of the previous cruise. The task of provisioning, cleaning and keeeping these huge ships- more like cruise cities afloat- runs like clockwork at their respective home ports of Port Canaveral, Fort Lauderdale and, as of next winter, Miami, too.

These huge ships are filled with a conga line of revenue earning diversions on board, and they are meant to appeal to the sort of people who might normally enjoy a holiday in, say, Las Vegas. The decor is eye popping in places. While the huge numbers on board can transalte to a somewhat impersonal kind of cruise experience, the sheer 'wow' factor of these vessels seems to overwhelm most passengers. So much so that the initial order for two ships- Oasis and Allure of the Seas- was doubled to the current four vessels.

Will anyone build anything bigger than these colossal floating resorts? At present, no plans exist to best them, but rival companies such a Carnival and Norwegian Cruise Line can never be discounted from going for the big top. Personally, I feel that these huge ships are unlikely ever to be exceeded in size, but that claim has also been made before, too.

While next year's arrival of Symphony of the Seas will mark the completion of an awesome, four headed milestone, Royal Caribbean has never been a company content to simply sit back on its laurels. In terms of new builds, the next few years of this decade are going to be very interesting indeed.