By Anita Dunham-Potter (editor@www.expertcruiser.com)

Last December, Royal Caribbean International introduced Oasis of the Seas, at the time the world’s largest cruise ship spanning 16 decks, encompassing 220,000 gross registered tons and, with all berths filled holds 6,200 passengers. Back then the massive size of the ship was the focus of every media story. Will it float? Will it fit into ports? Will it take half a day to get on and off?

Last month with the launch of Oasis’ slightly larger sister ship, Allure of the Seas, the size factor isn’t even a consideration. The skeptics have been proven wrong and the big story is how these mammoth vessels are attracting a wide-ranging group of passengers. “There are no more questions that the Oasis-class ships are working,” says Royal Caribbean president Adam Goldstein.

Indeed, both Allure and Oasis are expected to carry 600,000 passengers in 2011 with some 30 percent of those customers coming from non-North American markets. The clear attraction is that there are no ships at sea remotely like them and with the launch of Allure of the Seas, Royal Caribbean upped the ante and added more unique offerings earning it the nickname “the entertainment ship”.

Parks, pools and more

Like her sister ship, Allure has the wow amenities such as a zip-line and a carousel. It features the Rising Tide bar that ascends and descends from the ship’s Promenade area—with indoor stores and cafés—to its Central Park, an open-air “park” with pathways, flower gardens and canopy trees that spans the length of a football field.

The Aqua Theater situated at the very back of the ship of has the deepest pool at sea (18 feet) is by night an outdoor amphitheater, hosting synchronized swimming and diving shows featuring athletes jumping from as high as 72 feet up, and like the famed Bellagio in Las Vegas’ a fountain show set to music, laser lights, and videos. During the day guests can watch movies, football games or choose to relax on chairs located on the surrounding tiered platforms.

Allure has four pools: Two are made to feel like a beach, with sloped entries you can walk into just as if you were walking into the ocean. Staterooms come in all shapes and sizes with revolutionary cruise ship accommodations in 37 different categories and unique offerings such as duplex “loft suites” that have 18-foot windows looking out to the ocean. Other staterooms have views of the line’s seven “neighborhoods,” such as Central Park, the Boardwalk, home to the Carousel, and other venues.

The Youth Zone features 28,700 square feet just for kids and teens, with Kids Avenue, a central boulevard connecting various themed play areas; a nursery for infants and toddlers; and a theater for children. This gives parents time to enjoy the adults-only retreat, the open air Solarium. Adults have their own swimming pool and six whirlpools—four of them cantilevered 136 feet above the ocean. At night, the Solarium transitions into an adults-only setting for specialty dining and outdoor dancing.

New fairy tales

Eight distinct features give the Allure a personality different than its sister ship. Allure boasts a number of new venues including the first Starbucks at Sea; new restaurants such as Brazilian steakhouse Samba Grill and Mexican eatery Rita’s Cantina; a 3-D movie theater and more.

Allure also is the first cruise ship with DreamWorks characters onboard including Shrek and Fiona, which is due to a new partnership between Royal Caribbean and DreamWorks Animation. Dubbed “The DreamWorks Experience” the onboard offerings will include a “How To Train Your Dragon” ice show; “Madagascar” aqua show; character breakfasts, character meet-and-greets and other movie-themed events will take place on each sailing.

Big production shows are different on Allure as well. While Oasis has “Hairspray,” Allure brings another Tony Award-winning musical to the seas, “Chicago”. Additionally, the “Blue Planet” show on the Allure is a whirling acrobatic wonder set to Beatle tunes.

And more ‘fare-y’ tales
Last year with the launch of Oasis of the Seas fares were at a premium since there was no other ship at sea like it. What a difference a year makes as Allure enters the market.

Stewart Chiron, a cruise industry expert who is nationally recognized as The Cruise Guy, notes the fares during Oasis’ launch late last year and into the first quarter this year averaged $1,471 per person based on double occupancy for an inside stateroom – at the time double the fare for similar digs on other top notch cruise ships. With Allure’s entrance into the Caribbean scene thus doubling capacity fares have gone down – a lot. Chiron notes that Allure’s fares are 31 percent less than Oasis’ fares a year ago averaging $1069 per person. Fares for both vessels going into 2011 are very similar with Oasis averaging a slightly higher premium at $1104 per person. This of course is good news for families wanting to try out Oasis and Allure, but were turned off by last year’s higher price tag.

Allure of the Seas like Oasis sails from Port Everglades and the world’s largest cruise ship terminal. Amazingly with this state-of-the-art facility Royal Caribbean is able to get passengers from curbside to the vessel in just 15 minutes – a feat other large ship cruise operators are envious of.

Royal Caribbean’s “Nation of Why Not?” campaign defines its fleet as the ideal destination to declare independence from ordinary cruise vacations. Clearly, Allure and Oasis are anything but ordinary and the growing number of passengers flocking to these ships has other cruise lines wondering what they can do to top it.

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It’s nearly the size of the Empire State Building if you tipped it on its side, longer than four football fields – Allure of the Seas surpasses its sister ship Oasis Of The Seas by two feet to become the world’s largest cruise ship.

The vessel is now in Port Everglades preparing for her maiden voyage on Tuesday, but before then Royal Caribbean is unveiling the ship to the press and travel agents. Allure of the Seas has every imaginable activity, from surfing to ice skating, not to mention a zip-line, and Shrek! Follow ExpertCruiser onboard Sunday through Tuesday with first-hand live ‘tweets’ on what it is like onboard this amazing ship.

Have questions? Just ‘tweet’ @ExpertCruiser on Twitter or post a note below.

It was only a matter of time – in-stateroom gaming. Pittsburgh-based Allin Corporation has unveiled “DigiCasino” at the annual Cruise Shipping Convention in Miami. Allin Corporation says the casino application works on Allin “DigiHD” interactive stateroom televisions, which are currently available on a number of cruise ships.

The application offers a number of games and has a “interactive cashier” enabling guests to purchase or redeem gaming credits . The company hopes to launch the application on various ships in late 2010.

Stay tuned for more breaking cruise news as ExpertCruiser will be reporting live from Cruise Shipping Miami this week.

Seven of the world’s largest cruise ships are docked in St. Thomas today – Oasis of the Seas and Carnival Dream (both on first visits), Celebrity Millennium, Sea Princess, Norwegian Pearl, Costa Atlantica, and Sea Dream One. Interestingly, local news is reporting the world’s largest cruise ship, Oasis of the Seas, is not carrying the most passengers – it’s Carnival Dream with a full load at 3,800 passengers versus Oasis’s 3,400 passengers.

Related story:

Is Oasis of the Seas worth the high fares?

With seven themed neighborhoods, from the open air Central Park with live plants and trees to a Boardwalk with a Coney Island feel, including a carousel and a zip-line, Oasis of the Seas is so much more than the world’s largest cruise ship – it’s on another level and has changed the face of cruise travel. But will cruise travelers want to sail with 5,400+ passengers and pay high fares for the experience?
Oasis split personality

Oasis touts a range of innovative and revolutionary features set to change the face of cruise travel forever. With its split superstructure creating wide open interior spaces, Oasis has captured the imagination of cruisers and non-cruisers alike. “Until you get onboard you don’t realize how it all came together the grandeur of it,” says Royal Caribbean International’s chairman and CEO, Richard Fain.

Fain’s assessment is correct.

The moment I stepped onboard Oasis, I was blown away by the architectural magnificence of the two football fields long Royal Promenade. The décor is original and exquisitely designed with amazing crystal canopies that flood natural light down from the Central Park neighborhood high above. These areas are filled with shops, restaurants, cafes, live trees, and the Rising Tide Bar, which travels vertically between the Royal Promenade and Central Park.

Oasis has four pools: Two are made to feel like a beach, with sloped entries you can walk into just as if you were walking into the ocean. A pool situated at the very back of the ship (the deepest at sea) is by night an outdoor amphitheater, hosting a water ballet and diving shows that feature professional divers who will jump from as high as 72 feet up. During the day guests can swim or take scuba lessons in the pool, or choose to relax on loungers located on the surrounding tiered platforms. If all this isn’t gimmicky enough the ship has a bagpiper, psychic and tattoo parlor, and a horticulturalist.

The Youth Zone features 28,700 square feet just for kids and teens, with Kids Avenue, a central boulevard connecting various themed play areas; a nursery for infants and toddlers; and a theater for children. For kids of all ages there’s ice skating, rock climbing and two FlowRiders to surf on, but it’s the zip-line that’s the coolest thing on any ship anywhere. All these high-octane activities certainly affords parents time to enjoy the adults-only retreat, the gorgeous open-air Solarium. Adults have their own swimming pool and six whirlpools—four of them cantilevered 136 feet above the ocean. Nearby there’s the amazing spa and gym.

There are 25 restaurants and 37 bars with 60 percent of the dining venues being complimentary while the 9 specialty restaurants charge for fare from $4.95 at Johnny Rockets to the $75 for Chef’s Table. Perhaps the most intriguing restaurant is 150 Central Park where for $35 you can dine on a ten-course tasting menu by Chef Keriann Von Raesfeld, a 23-year old “culinary phenom” that the line has hired in the hopes of creating their own celebrity chef. After dinner guests can hit the casino with gaming tables and nearly 500 slot machines, or see a show in the 1,380-seat theater for Broadway-style productions including “Hairspray” or take in an ice show at the Studio B arena.

Oasis has revolutionized cruise ship accommodations, with 37 different categories and unique offerings such as duplex “loft suites” that have 18-foot windows looking out to the ocean. Other staterooms will have views of the line’s seven “neighborhoods,” such as Central Park, the Boardwalk, home and other venues.

During my two-night media preview cruise I was accommodated in one of the Central Park balcony staterooms. At first, it seemed ideal with views of the treetops and café scene below. However, it quickly became apparent that noise, lack of privacy, and heat during the day made the balcony a bust. Guests assigned to Boardwalk view staterooms had a much worse time with noise from screaming zip-liners above to the boisterous carnival scene below to the loud LCD screens around the aft pool.

Every superlative to describe the ship is on target. Oasis is so huge it doesn’t feel like a cruise ship, it barely seemed to move and it’s possible with all that’s going on onboard to rarely acknowledge the ocean. It’s almost the anti-cruise.

Technology enhancements

It is natural to focus on Oasis’ size. Will it take hours to get on and off? Will it be hard to get into shows, restaurants? Will it fit into ports? With Oasis, size is not the story behind the ship. The technology created to move and plan for the masses is nothing short of amazing.

Starting with embarkation in Port Everglades with the world’s largest cruise terminal that offers 91 check-in counters with the goal to get passengers from curbside to the vessel in just 15 minutes. Royal Caribbean was careful to choose ports where Oasis could dock directly and not have to tender guests ashore. Current ports include: Nassau, St. Maarten, Labadee, and St. Thomas. Eventually, Falmouth, Jamaica will be added along with Costa Maya, Mexico. Other ports are expected to build facilities to accommodate the Oasis-class ships over time. Of course, getting guests on and off the ship was given careful planning – there will be gangway elevator buttons, escalators that go right into port, and multiple shore side security screening areas.

Then there’s the onboard safety command center with an electronic mustering system that scans a guest’s Sea Pass cards for attendance purposes. Best of all, guests no longer have to lug life vests to the drill as they are stored in the direct proximity of the muster stations. There’s also automatic electronic counting in all the restaurants, which is then relayed to dozens of monitors around the ship letting guests know which venues are available or full.

“Larger doesn’t mean less personalized but the ability to make it more personalized,” adds Fain. Since Oasis is so large with so many options the line’s website offers guests who tend to be control freaks the ability to plan out all their cruise activities from ship to shore. The website also lets the company know if there’s a huge demand for one activity and allows them to augment in that area.

More impressive is the environmental savings per passenger, Oasis uses 30-40 percent less energy than ships Royal Caribbean built 10 years ago. Green practices such as the use of 14,000 square meters of solar panels atop the Viking Crown Lounge, enough to power the entire promenade area, are commendable.

Big ship, big fare

Royal Caribbean is betting large and hoping that more cruise vacationers open up their wallets and live up to the corporate motto: “Why Not?”. Oasis of the Seas is the most expensive cruise ship ever built, costing some $1.4 billion. It’s no surprise then that fares for the ship have also followed the costly course.

Fares for Oasis’s Dec. 5 sailing range from $1,649 per person based on double occupancy for an inside stateroom to $16,659 for the luxurious 1,524- square-foot Royal Loft Suite. “You have to really want to sail on Oasis and willing to pay the price,” says Stewart Chiron, a cruise industry expert who is nationally recognized as The Cruise Guy. He notes that Oasis’s inside stateroom fare is double the cost of sailing in similar digs on Celebrity Solstice and Emerald Princess.

Fain defends the higher prices because of all the ship’s unique offerings. “We plowed some of the savings from economies of scale back into the ship that’s how we get the higher prices. We could have taken the savings and built something safer, but that’s not our style.”

Style or not, in an economy with double digit unemployment, and with Royal Caribbean’s competitors offering steep discounts it remains to be seen if Oasis’s higher pricing holds. Chiron believes that will be determined in the coming weeks to see if all the media hoopla surrounding the ship has made an impact. Chiron adds, “Once people are exposed to Oasis, they’ll better understand what this amazing ship has to offer and bookings are expected to pick up without having to lower prices.”

It’s nearly the size of the Empire State Building if you tipped it on its side, longer than four football fields – the Oasis Of The Seas, now in Port Everglades preparing for her maiden voyage, is the world’s largest and most expensive cruise ship. It has every imaginable activity, from surfing to ice skating, not to mention a zip-line – the first on any cruise ship. It’s clear – Oasis of the Seas has it all. Follow ExpertCruiser onboard this weekend with first-hand live ‘tweets’ on what it is like onboard this amazing ship.

Have questions? Just ‘tweet’ @ExpertCruiser on Twitter or post a note below.