Oasis of the Seas Sneak Peek

The vast Oasis of the Seas, costing more than £800 million, and taking nearly six year to build and outfit, is going to be the biggest cruise liner every – in fact she could be as much as 50% bigger than her nearest rival.

And the money spent on her is not the only cost – ports around the Caribbean are being rebuilt to take her vast size: in Jamaica and Mexico in particular, new reinforced dock areas are being readied for her initial season of Caribbean cruises which start in November. She’s nearly a quarter of a mile long and stands 65 metres about the water line, so getting her into port will be a big issue.

The average age of Royal Caribbean’s cruise holiday takers is mid-forties, and the facilities on board the ship largely represent their interests: there’s the classic Royal Caribbean rock-climbing wall, but also several surf simulators, an aqua-theatre with a vast stage, a 600 metre running track and a zip-wire which allows cruise passengers to zoom along a line that flies nine storeys above the boardwalk deck. Oasis of the Seas will carry 5,400 passengers and more than 2,000 staff. And she will feature many firsts, including the first cupcake shop at sea, called Cupcake Cupboard which will not only offer a range cupcakes daily at a la carte pricing, but also variety of daily hands-on decorating classes where families can spend time together and learn the techniques behind cupcake decorating, from using sprinkles and icing, through to specialist techniques like to watercolour icing and decorating cakes with sweets.