Northeast Cruise Guide: Royal Caribbean Orders An Oasis Class Ship From STX France.

Monday, January 7, 2013

Royal Caribbean Orders An Oasis Class Ship From STX France.

Oasis of the Seas - Allure of the Seas Royal Caribbean

Oasis of the Seas / Allure of the Seas - Oasis Class Ships Royal Caribbean.

Last week Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. announced that it has executed a contract with STX France to construct a third Oasis-class vessel for delivery in mid-2016, with an option for a second ship with a potential delivery in mid-2018.

These extemely large ships boast 16 decks, weighing in at 225,282 gross registered tons, carry 5,400 guests at double occupancy, and feature 2,700 staterooms.

The tow existing Oasis Class ships - the Oasis of the Seas and Azure of the Seas, currently sail weekly from their home port of Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

With the potential for 4 Oasis Class ships - the real question is where will the 3rd and possibly 4th ship be deployed? These mammoth ships require special docking facilities, terminals for loading and unloading passengers and the efficient handling of luggage and supplies. In addtion, most ports do not have the infrastructure and facitilies in place to handle these ships. Many of the port currently servicing these ships, invested significantly in terminal and port improvements just to attract these vessels.

Here are my predictions. The new ships will be deployed to the Caribbean from Fort Lauderdale replacing the Oasis of the Seas and Azure of the Seas. The Oasis and/or Azure could possibly be deployed to the Mediterranean. The Chinese market is also an option because it is growing significantly. Royal Caribbean has already deployed an Explorer class vessel there and these larger vessels would be the next logical progression. Or finally New York/Cape Liberty Bayonne. The Bayonne Facility can easily handle a ship of that size and my research shows that the Oasis class can clear the Verrazano Bridge with 15 feet to spare. The height of the Oasis Class is listed as 213 feet and the Bridge clearance is listed as 228 feet.

Only time can tell where the ships will ultimately be deployed.

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