Oasis of the Seas arrives in Fort Lauderdale 13th November 2009
Phil: I will be reporting from the Oasis of the Seas from the 24th - 27th November. Both Lewis and myself will be taking pictures, video and giving you our opinions on the World's Largest Cruise Ship. Hopefully we will be in a position to answer your questions and give a very honest insight into this amazing cruise ship....
Oasis of the Seas, Royal Caribbean International's newest and largest ship, arrived at its home port of Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale Friday after a 14-day transatlantic crossing from Turku, Finland. She was greeted by banners and small ships as she pulled in to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.
Over 300 people stood at the coastline, on a windy day, with temperatures in the 50s, to watch the ship pull in from the Atlantic Ocean. Oasis arrived at approximately 8:00am on the 13th November 2009, with an escort of tugboats of all sizes, shooting sprays of water, to greet her arrival.
There will be a series of Pre-inaugural events which start on November 19 with a performance by pop music artist Rihanna, followed by a preview of the ship on ABC's "Good Morning America" on Nov. 20.
The official naming ceremony for the Oasis of the Seas will take place Nov. 30 in Fort Lauderdale with seven godmothers, one for each neighborhood -- Central Park, Boardwalk, the Royal Promenade, Pool & Sports Zone, Vitality at Sea Spa and Fitness Center, Entertainment Place and Youth Zone, on the 16-deck, 225,282-ton cruise ship.
To prepare her, Oasis will not be taking it easy..!! She has a couple of 1 and 2 day cruises for VIPs, reporters, celebrities, and fundraiser events. Then on the 1st December, she will depart the dock on her first maiden voyage. She will start her full 7 day voyages on December 5th, where her itineraries will include visits to the Eastern Caribbean, with halts at St. Thomas, St. Martin, and Nassau, Bahamas.
It's not like Oasis isn't well prepared for the ocean; she has just endured a uneventful Atlantic crossing to get to her berth at Fort Lauderdale. She was hit by a wave, which was almost hurricane strength, which leveraged her stride and course, and delayed her by two days on her arrival in Florida. 70mph winds caused swells as large as 35 feet, caused some damage to some life boats, although, they will be fixed now that she's docked.
Oasis still has to proceed through a sequence of inspections, and while she awaits her first cruise in a couple of weeks, she will have her 12,175 plants, 62 vines, and 56 trees strategically placed on board.
Phil's comment: If you would like more information about Oasis of the Seas itineraries, prices and availability, please call my team at The Cruise Village or visit our dedicated Royal Caribbean website www.royalcaribbeandeals.co.uk
Call the Cruise Village direct on 01253 341014.
This is a cruise blog entry by Phil
