Royal Caribbean unveils two new Oasis of the Seas neighborhoods

Last night was Royal Caribbean's latest press event regarding the hotly anticipated Oasis of the Seas. The reveal last night revolved around two areas of the ship, the Pool and Sports Zone and the Vitality at Sea Spa and Fitness Center. The interactive web event was pretty cool and nice that it was open to everyone.

The Pool and Sports Zone on Oasis of the Seas stretches the entire length of the ship and features many new and traditional features Royal Caribbean fans will love. There will be a beach pool, the first at sea, which will slope gently into the water allowing passengers to wade in or relax on beach chairs among the lapping waves. Two relaxing whirlpools will flank the beach pool on either side. The main pool area will be located on the opposite side of the ship across the divide of Central Park and will also feature additional whirlpools. Private cabanas will be available overlooking both pools and will have dedicated attendants. The H2O Zone from the Freedom Class returns bigger and better on the Oasis of the Seas with all the water spraying sculptures, wading and current pools, infant and toddler pools, and an interactive playground with adult and child sized lounge chairs. The Sports Pool will be the place for all kinds of water sports.


The adults only Solarium has been expanded and improved on Oasis of the Seas to encompass two levels. It was designed to give guests the sensation of floating on air with it's large glass panels and seating that is designed on several islands surrounded by water. There will be a Solarium Pool along with six whirlpools, four of which will be cantilevered 136 feet above the ocean. Additional seating is available on the mezzanine level of the Solarium overlooking the pool. The Solarium will have it's own eatery, the Solarium Bistro, that will serve items from the Vitality Spa menu and at night will be a place for specialty dining. Later at night the Solarium will transform into Club 20, an outdoor dace venue.

The Sports Deck will also feature a zip line and two Flowrider surfing simulators, both larger than the ones featured on the Freedom Class ships. A nine hole mini golf course, Oasis Dunes, and the Sports Court with it's basketball/volleyball court will also be featured along with the Wipe Out Bar and Wipe Out Cafe where you can watch the Flowrider action.

Features of the Vitality Spa and Fitness Center are relaxation rooms, a Thermal Suite, couples massage suites, individual treatment rooms, and a kids and teens spa area. The Fitness Center will feature everything you would expect in a modern gym including cardio and resistance equipment along with classes in spinning, kickboxing, pilates and yoga. The Vitality Cafe will be available for healthy snacks, light meals and juices.

So far this ship sounds like another home run for Royal Caribbean. General bookings open on September 3, 2008. I've got to start planning a trip.

Next Oasis of the Seas reveal - August 26th

Royal Caribbean has announced that the next reveal for the upcoming Oasis of the Seas will be on Tuesday August 26th starting at 6PM EST. The interesting thing about this event is that it will be open to everyone, not just travel industry insiders, and it will be on-line. You'll need to go register at go.virtualtradeshowslive.com/AAAOasis.

Mark your calendars.

Solstice float out successful

Celebrity's Solstice is rapidly nearing completion. This weekend she was successfully floated out of her drydock and moved to the fitting out pier where the final work will be done to the ship's interior and exterior. Sea trials are scheduled for September 27th and the maiden voyage will be December 14th.

Celebrity Solstice ready to float

Meyer Werft shipyard has announced that the float out of the Celebrity Solstice will take place on Sunday, August 10th. If weather permits, the ship will begin its journey from the covered dry dock to the fitting out berth at around 7:30AM and the move should be completed by 2:00PM.

Once at the fitting out pier, the ship will be given it's twin funnels and the remaining interior work will be completed. The ship is scheduled for it's sea trial on September 27th and the maiden voyage is set for December 14th.

It's been quiet

I realized that I haven't posted anything here in quite a while. Mostly that's because it's been quiet, too quiet. There really hasn't been much going on since my last post. Not much news on any new ships and aside from the ever increasing fuel surcharges nothing going on with the industry. Of course, it is the dreaded hurricane season, and so far it seems that they have once again overestimated the number of storms. So much for global warming producing more and more severe and frequent hurricanes. Paranoia, if you ask me. There is plenty of season left though to make me look stupid, so we'll see. I always go this time of year. Never had much problem with hurricanes.

On my end, I'm absolutely dying to book a cruise. It's been 2 years since we went on Freedom of the Seas and that's about as long as I can go without setting foot on a ship. Obviously, I'm very excited about the upcoming Oasis of the Seas but that doesn't debut until late next year. In the meantime, I've been seriously considering booking a trip on Celebrity's Solstice for next year. That's another ship I'm pretty excited about checking out. I'm gonna have to do something soon.