Largest Luxury Cruiser Ever Built Sets Sail


History was made on Thursday, when the largest cruise liner ever built took to the waters off the coast of France. Royal Caribbean‘s long anticipated Harmony of the Seas has been launched in the port of Saint-Nazaire in front of a crowd of thousands, for her first sea trials involving maneuvers to test propulsion, steering and navigational equipment. The trials are to be concluded on Sunday, with a second set of trials in April, before the scheduled delivery in May. The Harmony has been under construction since September 2013 in the STX shipyard, at an estimated cost of $1.1 billion and is due for delivery in two months. Harmony of the seas is one of two new ships that Royal Caribbean is bringing into service in 2016 to capitalize on the 6.9 percent growth in the market last year. The last time two new ships had been introduced in one year was 2003. Royal Caribbean is second only to Carnival in the cruise industry.

In comparison to its sister ships, the Oasis of the seas and the Allure of the seas, it is 362 meters long, 50 meters longer than the Eiffel tower is tall, only 13 inches longer, and just over three meters wider, but weighs in at 227,000-tons, more than 1,700 tons heavier, and will carry approximately 100 more passengers. Total passenger capacity will top the 6,000 mark, with an additional 2,185 crew members, being certified to carry a maximum of 8,800 people in total.

The prime motivation for the increase in size of the liner was to allow for bigger cabins and, unlike the Oasis and Azure, will feature exclusive new areas for suite passengers. These include a suite lounge, a private suites-only restaurant, and a full-service Suite Sun Zone sun deck. The interior cabins without windows will be equipped with Virtual Balconies, presenting a real-time view of the outdoors via projection screens.

The Harmony is featured with seven neighborhoods to cater for whatever mood takes you. Central Park,with restaurants and shops set in a lush environment of 12,000 trees and plants, the Royal Promenade, with pubs, a parade and more shopping, and the Boardwalk, with its hand crafted carousel and arcade, also featuring AquaTheater, home to some breathtaking high-dive shows into the deepest pool at sea. For the more active, the Pool and Sports Zone is jam-packed with adventure, including six water slides, rock climbing wall and zip lines to mention but a few. Enjoy aromatherapy or full-body wellness at the Vitality Spa and Fitness Neighborhood, or try your hand at games of chance in the Entertainment place. In the Youth Zone, Teens, kids and babies are catered for, grouped according to age and supervised by trained and certified staff.

The Ultimate Abyss – Ideally suited to the Adrenalin seeker, is the longest tunnel slide at sea, dropping 10 stories from the sundeck to the Deck six boardwalk, with the thrill of reaching speeds up to 4 meters per second (7.8 knots in nautical terms). The tunnel is constructed of two 792 millimeter wide tubes featuring audio effects to ensure a short, yet exhilarating ride.

For those less adventurous, the Harmony boasts 40 restaurants and numerous bars, including a ‘Bionic Bar,’ where the patrons will be hosted by 2 robot bartenders. The Italian restaurant Giovanni’s table will be replaced by Jamie’s Italian Kitchen, and the Alice in wonderland themed Wonderland Restaurant, overlooking the aft of the ship, will specialize in molecular gastronomy. Another addition is Sabor, a modern Mexican restaurant.

A lift inside the "Harmony of the Seas" is pictured Thursday Feb. 18, 2016 at the STX Shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, western France. Owned by the Royal Caribbean, the Harmony of the Seas will be world?s largest passenger ship and is expected to enter service in May 2016. (AP Photo/Laetitia Notarianni)
A lift inside the “Harmony of the Seas” is pictured Thursday Feb. 18, 2016 at the STX Shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, western France. Owned by the Royal Caribbean, the Harmony of the Seas will be world?s largest passenger ship and is expected to enter service in May 2016. (AP Photo/Laetitia Notarianni)

Using Voom, Royal Caribbean’s new satellite Internet service, passengers can post to social networks (Facebook, Instagram and Youtube), and stream movies, games and apps via personal accounts with Hulu, Netflix, and Amazon at the highest speeds at sea according to the company. This line will also be used to project 3D images, optical illusions and extra dimensions onto the Aqua Theater performers at its acrobatic performance area.

Harmony’s inaugural commercial voyage is scheduled for May 22, with a series of cruises in the Mediterranean, after which it will relocate to Fort Lauderdale, alternating Eastern and Western Caribbean voyages.

Prices average between$593 for a three night getaway cruise (from Southampton, England), and $2,077 for a seven night Eastern Caribbean cruise.

[AP Photo/Laetitia Notarianni]

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