Oasis Wows Southampton!

Were you there?  Did you see her?  Did you grab your free bacon buttie and cup of tea? Do you know what I’m talking about??

The  largest Cruise ship to sail into Southampton, Royal Caribbean’s OASIS OF THE SEAS arrived in Southampton yesterday  morning for a brief  stop before heading off to Vigo, Spain, and Fort Lauderdale, Florida, later that evening.

She arrived at Southampton Docks in dense fog (typically British weather – no thought for the grand occasion), and greeted by fireboats and an excited crowd!

This beauty is 1,187ft  longer than the London Shard is tall and  208ft wider than a Boeing 747!  She wont mind me calling her ‘Mammoth’, when I tell you that she weighs in at a hefty 225,292 tonnes.  She’s 5 times bigger than the Titanic and 3 times bigger than the QE2.  She can accommodate  6360 passengers  She also boasts an outdoor park with 12,000 plants, an 82ft zip wire ride, and a high diving performance arena!

For me personally, not having to take children who need entertaining,  I prefer the smaller ships, I was watching a documentary recently with Paul Merton on the Allure Of The Seas, and to be honest, it left me cold, and by the looks of it, Paul as well.  These gigantic ships are floating cities almost, and although I am very sociable – being around so many people  24/7 jostling for seats, sunbeds, trying to avoid other passengers as you walk along the promenade, and the noise factor of children enjoying themselves,  just stresses me out.

Having said that, if you do have a family who like to be active and entertained with bucketfuls of activities then you can’t get much better than Royal Caribbean!

I certainly wouldn’t pass up an invitation to cruise on one of these big momma’s but perhaps I’ll go off season, when its a little quieter on board!

You can also experience ‘Dynamic Dining’ on Royal Caribbean now, whereby you can choose when to eat, where to eat, and with whom you would like to eat without the formality of set dining.  I’d be interested to know what your thoughts are on this  new concept in dining.  Are you a fan of flexibility and choice, or do you prefer the traditional options?

So if you didnt get a chance to see the Oasis, or missed out on the bacon butties –  dont despair! Royal Caribbean will also be showcasing another of their latest ships, the Allure Of The Seas in Southampton in a couple of weeks time, so watch this space!