The UK is to be on the destination list of the world’s largest cruise ship in 2014.
Mega cruiser, Oasis of the Seas, the pride of Royal Caribbean Cruises’ fleet, is to offer Europe-based itineraries for the first time from September next year, embarking from Barcelona, Spain. It is scheduled to visit Southampton on October 15, 2014, as it returns from a routine maintenance stop in the Netherlands.
Sharing its ‘World’s Largest Passenger Ship’ title with its equally enormous twin ship, Allure of the Seas, Oasis of the Seas weighs in at a hefty 225,282 gross registered tons and has capacity for 6,400 passengers. That makes it nearly half as large again as any other cruise ship ever to dock in the UK.
Associate vice president and general manager for Royal Caribbean International UK and Ireland, Jo Rzymowska, said, ‘Oasis of the Seas sailing from Southampton is going to be the hottest ticket in town. Bringing the world’s largest cruise ship to Europe, and specifically the UK and Southampton, is testament to the commitment to selling cruise demonstrated by our trade partners. We will be developing sales tools to support agents such as a dedicated brochure and training module. We can’t wait to get started selling the world’s largest and most innovative cruise ship as part of our huge choice in cruises from Southampton – this is such exciting news.’
Cruise fans wishing to take advantage of Oasis of the Seas’ visit to European waters, either during the Barcelona-based season or for the UK-based cruise, can book tickets from April 11 this year.