Oasis of the Seas: big enough to see from home

Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas is bearing down on Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale and arrival is expected around 8am tomorrow.   You can watch as the ship comes in via the Fort Lauderdale Inlet Cam.  This is a safe site with a camera pointed in the direction of where Oasis will be coming as she makes her way to pier 18, her new home in Florida.

I suggest going there now as you will need to register in order to see.  Tomorrow, log on about 7AM to get in, sit back with a cup of coffee and watch history unfold before your eyes.

We are ecstatic to be serving as the year-round home port for the Oasis of the Seas,” said Nicki E. Grossman, president of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau. “From conveniences such as the new Terminal 18 and central port location to our rich collection of hotels, restaurants and attractions, Greater Fort Lauderdale looks forward to welcoming these seafaring visitors and invites them to extend their stay.”

Kicking off the festivities will be a “Welcome Flotilla” organized by the Winterfest Boat Parade committee, with watercraft of all sizes meeting up and escorting the ship to its new home at Port Everglades. En route, the ship will pass a 1,500 sq. ft. custom-designed “Welcome to Fort Lauderdale, Oasis of the Seas” sand painting on the shores of the inlet to the port. Cruise enthusiasts will have the opportunity to celebrate and watch the ship approach nearby at a public welcome party at the Jetty Pavilion at John U. Lloyd State Park, including complimentary park admission, refreshments and giveaways.

Upon arrival, the new $75 million, 240,000 square foot Terminal 18 at Port Everglades, the world’s largest single-ship cruise terminal, will receive the vessel. Built specifically for Royal Caribbean’s new Oasis series, the terminal will serve as the home port for both the Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas (debuting in late 2010), which expect to generate more than 500,000 cruise passengers annually for Port Everglades.

Bloggers, writers silent at sea

It might be something we don’t think about much of the time, but keeping our oceans safe and clean goes hand in hand.  From the US Coast Guard, the cruise lines, harbor pilots and environmental groups, many have a hand in protecting our oceans and keeping them safe to travel on, play in or just look at.  Groups like travel writers and bloggers, marine law firms, and others also weigh in.

Sometimes these different groups get at odds with one another, but in the end, it seems as though they all do the right thing; protect the oceans.

The US Coast Guard, known and respected world-wide for their protection of US waters, is much more involved than one might imagine.  As a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services, it is unique in that it has a maritime law enforcement mission with jurisdiction both domestically and in international waters and as a federal regulatory agency.

Operating under the Department of Homeland Security, the Coast Guard can also be transferred to the Department of the Navy at a time of war by the President or Congress.  Besides rescue at sea, the Coast Guards missions include protecting against overfishing and protecting endangered species. On the environmental side they are also fighting against pollution, taking an active role in monitoring and investigating maritime accidents including oil spills, illegal discharges from ships plus cruise crew and passenger deaths   I feel good about what the Coast Guard does and commend them for their service.

The major cruise lines work closely with the US Coast Guard on a daily basis, relying on their assistance in an emergency.   The cruise lines also have fashioned environmental impact programs to help protect the oceans and keep crew and passengers safe at sea.  The Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) weighs in on the topic, saying “The safety and security of cruise line passengers is the top priority of CLIA member cruise lines.”

Individual cruise lines all have their own programs to deal with health, environmental issues, safety and security.  Princess Cruises, part of Carnival Corporation who owns several different cruise lines, aims to exceed industry and governmental standards impacting the ocean.

Still, environmental groups such as Friends of the Earth report that “Cruise ships release vast quantities of pollution into our coastal and ocean waters” and supports the Clean Cruise Ship Act. As earlier reported, this group ranked Florida’s Disney Cruise Line low but without a lot of measurable  and comparable facts.   Let’s touch on one topic briefly.

Right now, cruise ships are permitted to discharge waste into navigable waters more than three miles from shore.  The Clean Cruise Ship act would prohibit cruise ships from discharging waste into navigable waters less than 12 nautical miles from U.S. Shore’s and would require that waste discharged beyond 12 nautical miles. The bill would impose liability for any criminal fines or civil penalties on the cruise ship itself.

Often, it is difficult to know who is telling the truth in these matters and sometimes the media is not much help.

When Friends of the Earth released their “Cruise Ship Environmental Report Card” earlier this year, they said “Millions of Americans take cruise vacations every year. However, most don’t realize that cruising is more harmful to the environment and human health than many other forms of travel. With ships that can carry up to 7,000 passengers and crew, these floating cities pollute the air we breathe and the water we use and enjoy.”

Ok, so they’re not exactly in the cruise lines corner on the topic.

The thing is: the cruise lines get it.

All major cruise lines have environmental policies and practices in place to minimize pollution and keep us safe at the same time.  Are they perfect?  Oh no, not at all.  But they are headed in the right direction fast by plugging into dockside electrical outlets instead of powering their ships by running their diesel engines, scoring high on health inspections performed onboard by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and complying with Federal and State pollution standards for cruise ships.

Here in Florida, Disney Cruise Lines takes big steps in that right direction with good transparency on their environmental efforts even offering a website with a closer look at their “Behind the Waves” program.

That program and others like it for cruise lines are not big news.  But say that cruise ships score low on a report issued by a fringe environmental group even without documentation to back it up and that’s big news.

Recently (as in going on right now), on a Princess cruise, a bunch of noted travel writers and bloggers were invited on board to write, blog and communicate via social media (search for #followmeatsea on Twitter) outlets about their experience.  I was disappointed that when the whole thing was hijacked electronically by foes of the cruise industry, aiming to discredit efforts made to improve environmental impact.

I was not disappointed that those environmental people and even a maritime law expert chimed in but that the travel writers and bloggers stood by and let it happen without standing up for the industry that, basically, makes them a living. It reminds me of a contrast I noticed when doing a story on Florida’s harbor pilots not long ago.

This is a group of professionals who find themselves at odds with the cruise lines who claim they make too much money.  That may very well be a debatable topic but these people are part of a system that works, keeps us safe and minimizes the environmental impact of cruise ships.  They know their role in all of it and the Captain on the ship knows what they do and how their roles interact.

I have a great deal of respect for all these people and all these groups, some more than others.  We can only hope that this system of interaction combined with regulation and enforcement continues to develop and improve.

Along the way, maybe I will learn to hang up that towel and help save the ocean too.

Oasis of the Seas = Safe

We are always told how safe cruise ships are.  As passengers we take that for granted.  Here, the Captain of  Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas introduces us to some extra measures on this ship like on no other.  No big surprise there, this ship is all about stuff that is on it and no other…at least for now.  As the latest and greatest the cruise industry has to offer, we expect cutting edge technology, unique and creative new ideas an exciting vacation that is everything we want it to be.

I said it on Royal Caribbean’s Freedom class ships and I’ll say it again for this one, not even having stepped foot on the ship yet:  If you can’t have a good time on this ship, you need to consider other vacation options.

I’m thinking that dropping acid might be a good shot for you.  It’s going to take a psychedelic trip of some sort to beat what Oasis has in store for us.  Be careful on that though ok?  The ship is probably much safer.

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Veterans Day; more than a day the post office and bank are closed

Veterans Day is much more than a day that the bank and post office are closed.  Oddly, that’s what touches most of our lives directly from year to year.

If you happen to have (or had) a friend or family member in the military, then it takes on a different meaning altogether.  I’m not much on poetry but I found this one today that says a lot about what I’ll be considering today

Heroes

By Jared Jenkins

In war, there are lives risked and lives taken

Men and women giving their best to defend what they love

They defend their country

Their honor

Their people

Some call them soldiers

Others call them heroes

Our veterans have risked their lives for us

They have lived through hell and fought with honor

Many have killed

And regret doing so

For every life, there is a soul

For every soul, there is a life

For those who have died, we show great appreciation and remembrance

For those who live, along with them live the horrific memories of battle

Some, memories of defeat

Some, memories of victory

Our veterans were more than soldiers

They were, and still are heroes

Oasis of the Seas update: Holiday sailings available

Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas, debuting in Port Everglades later this week, still has some staterooms available for this year’s holiday cruise season.

Normally sold out well in advance, the still-recovering US economy has a sliver lining for those in the market for a cruise vacation.  Holidays are special sailings and sailing on Royal Caribbean’s newest and largest ship with more amenities and features for guests would surely be a dream vacation for any avid cruiser.  Check with your travel agent for all the details and see the video below for more information on special things happening aboard Oasis of the Seas.

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Cruising from Florida: Carnival Dream update

The official naming ceremony of Carnival Cruise Lines’ new cruise ship Carnival Dream featuring Academy Award- and Tony Award-winning actress Marcia Gay Harden in the role of ship’s godmother will be broadcast live on the company’s web site, www.carnival.com/dream, beginning at 4 p.m. EST on Thursday, Nov. 12.

The Carnival Dream debuted in Europe September 21 and will operate a series of voyages from New York before repositioning to Port Canaveral to begin year-round Caribbean service December 3rd with some new features not on other Carnival ships.

The Chef’s Art Steakhouse, located on Spa Deck 12, will seat 139 and specialize in dry-aged beef. Carnival will charge $30 per person for this alternative restaurant. Reservations are recommended.

The Gathering, a two-level eatery, will be open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Options within The Gathering include a pasta bar, a burrito bar, a Mongolian wok, a 35-item salad bar and a tandoori oven serving Indian specialties. There is no charge to dine at the Gathering.

Located along the Promenade Deck will be Wasabi, a sushi bar serving complimentary sushi.

The Ocean Plaza, an indoor/outdoor cafe, will have a dance floor and a stage for live entertainment. Ocean Plaza also will offer full WiFi access and 12 stand-alone kiosks where guests can access the FunHub, the Carnival Dream’s onboard social network.

Within Ocean Plaza, the Plaza Cafe will sell specialty coffees, pastries and milkshakes. There also will be full bar service.

According to Carnival, the 130,000-ton Carnival Dream “ushers in an exciting new era in “Fun Ship” cruising”, offering a host of innovations. These also include Carnival WaterWorks, an expansive aqua park featuring the longest water slide at sea; more than 19,000 square feet of space dedicated to children and families; and a 23,750-square-foot Cloud 9 Spa, the largest in the line’s fleet.

Oasis of the Seas- animated virtual tour

If it is true that “a picture is worth a thousand words” then this virtual tour of Oasis of the Seas is worth a million.  Watch as we walk though all the different neighborhoods and areas of the ship as an animator believes it will be.  Soon we will have live video of this same tour but for now, this does give a good idea of the scope and size of Oasis of the Seas.

Royal Caribbean International’s Oasis of the Seas makes Port Canaveral in Florida home soon.  Take a look at what we will see when we board the ship later this month and stay tuned for updates on Oasis, other new ships, and whatever is going on in the cruise vacation world, as it happens.

 

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Oasis Update- The Captain is still alive and more about the Aqua Theater

Royal Caribbean International

With just 4 days until arrival here in Florida at Port Everglades, Captain Wright is looking a bit under the weather (see video below).  Tom asked me if maybe he was feeling the effect of the rough seas.  That was last week and sure could have been the case.  If I had to guess, it looks to me like he’s just really tired.  I could say he looks like he was rode hard and put up wet as we used to say back in Kansas and that would work too.

In any event, looks like a nice nap for the Captain is in order.   Maybe he can grab a lounge chair by the Aqua Theater, our little mini-topic of the day!

The AquaTheater on Oasis of the Seas is an engineering marvel, with parts constantly moving and disappearing before the audience’s very eyes. See the machinery behind-the-scenes that makes the magic of this 6000-square-foot stage come to life.

It is all about a celebration of water where the pool and lounge area by day is transformed into a theatrical venue with seating for 600 (reservations available) featuring hundreds of water nozzles shooting up to 65 feet high. The water show, Oasis Dream, is synchronized to music and lights with acrobatics and high-diving taking place in and around the pool.

Complete with under water cameras to film performers when they have disappeared out of sight and broadcast images on giant LED screens on either side of the stage, the area also features twin diving towers connected by a bridge and a trapeze behind and trampoline between. Sounds more and more like a Cirque water show to me. Soon, we will have live footage of the show to share

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Oasis of the Seas- What about the shows?

Royal Caribbean International

With over 5000 guests on the ship, I have had several people ask me “How will all those people be able to fit in the theater for the show?”  Darn good question.  Little did I know that the Captain would start me on a path to get the answer to that which we have for you here today.

On route to Port Everglades, the cast and crew take advantage of this time at sea to practice and rehearse their roles in the production of the Broadway show, Hairspray which will be in the big Opal Theater aboard Oasis of the Seas.

While entertainment on cruise ships has commonly been of the Vegas-style extravaganza with lots of feathers and kick lines, Royal Caribbean is going all out with this first production, sure to be a crowd-pleaser.

Three months in advance of their sailing, guests may pre-reserve at seat at such entertainment options as ice shows, “Splish Splash,” or “Hairspray,” among other choices.

All shows onboard Oasis of the Seas are free to guests. Guests who pre-book shows will use their electronic cruise pass card to enter the theater. Charly McDonald, the line’s manager of guest activities and entertainment technical operations, said clients who pre-book a show will gain entry to the show but not be booked into a specific seat.

What if you are more spontaneous? What if you don’t want to pre-book? You will still be able to arrive at the entertainment venue unannounced and be granted entry if space is available. But if the show is fully booked, an on-site box office will give them a reservation at a show later the same evening or later in the cruise.

View a video about all this at today’s Examiner.com report

Oasis of the Seas: Technology at work…and play

Royal Caribbean International

As Oasis of the Seas continues her way to home here in Florida at Port Everglades, construction workers on board continue to ready the ship, crew members perfect their jobs and the world waits.

At 220,000 tons, the largest cruise ship in the world offers pretty much something for everyone…but don’t all cruise ships offer something for everyone?   So what makes this one so special other than her huge size?

One element is the technology that went into the design and building of the ship.  Obviously it takes a lot of work to make something that big, let alone to divide it up into 7 different neighborhoods.  A good deal of the technology it takes to make it all work we will never see.  What we will see though is many innovative design elements that will deliver what Royal Caribbean International calls the “Wow” factor.

Digital signage is one of those elements.  Through a network of 377 public area screens, 56 of which are interactive, guests can find information easily and navigate the ship, see real-time show availability and timely information on dining, guest services and port information.

The ship’s Royal Caribbean Television network (RCTV) will have Internet capabilities, details on all ship venues, menus, hours of operation, etc as well as traffic flow updates for food venues, informing guests of which venue could best accommodate their party at any given time.  Each stateroom’s personal calendar will show specialty restaurant reservations, shore excursion bookings, show ticket reservations plus boarding and departure time for each port.

Guests can also use their in-stateroom TV to

• Purchase and watch movies and trailers
• Browse the Internet
• Watch select broadcast TV and news
• Order wine and room service for delivery to stateroom
• View activities and events for each day
• View information about all the features on the ship
• Book reservations for onboard shows (ice shows, Opal theater, Aqua Theater and Comedy Club)
• Book shore excursions
• Review SeaPass onboard charge account
• View status of and sign up for pre-paid gratuities and more

SeaPass Cards, each guest’s onboard identification, stateroom key and onboard charge card will be different and incorporate advanced technology also

• Guests Muster Station enlarged on the card.  SeaPass card will be swiped at muster station during safety drill for attendance
• Photo number now printed (to easily locate photos)
• When guest signs Onboard Activity Waivers online, SeaPass card will contain which waivers they signed
• When guests pre-reserve Entertainment Reservations online, SeaPass card will contain which shows they made reservations for

Oasis will also be the first ship to have the new WOW Phone, a handheld WiFi devise that will enable telephone calling between devises and the shipboard telephone system, text messaging between devices and real-time ability to locate a member of your party.  In addition, guests will also be able to view their weekly calendar and the Cruise Compass, the ship’s daily newspaper.

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