When Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. officials sat down to plan their newest ship, Oasis of the Seas, “we wanted to create something that was game-changing,” Chairman Richard Fain recalls.

Well, they certainly accomplished that goal, and then some. The 225,282-ton Oasis, the world’s largest cruise ship by far, is a startlingly attractive vessel. It’s part theme park, part luxury shopping mall and, yes, part land-based resort. The ship is so huge that at times you forget you’re moving on the water.

The ship is one-third familiar, one-third evolutionary and one-third revolutionary, Fain explains, with certain features that are well known to Royal Caribbean International fans. For example, the nautical-themed Schooner Bar and the signature Viking Crown Lounge are familiar features that will help past passengers feel at home. The Royal Promenade on Oasis is an evolutionary feature, much larger and more encompassing than those on earlier ships.

But the revolutionary features are the amenities that are catching the eye of just about every media outlet in the world, and justifiably so. With neighborhoods—most notably Central Park with pathways winding around real foliage and the carnival-themed Boardwalk—joined by jaw-dropping spectacles such as the zip-line, the AquaTheater for diving and synchronized swimming shows, a 35-seat bar that works as an elevator, and the hand-carved wooden carousel, the Oasis of the Seas breaks all the molds. It’s impossible to capture all its features and amenities in two pages, but we’ll do our best to summarize the highlights here.

Royal Promenade: Guests enter Oasis of the Seas on Deck 5, via the Royal Promenade, home to the Riding Tide, the bar that slowly moves between Decks 5 and 8. It’s actually classified as an elevator. Arched skylights allow natural light to filter down from the open-air Central Park into the promenade. Guests can stroll through the Promenade, visiting the Globe and Atlas, a typical English pub with dark wood paneling and bar. Above the pub is a giant copper globe that opens and serves as a bridge above the promenade. The elegant Champagne Bar seats 66 people in steel blue and silver velvet couches. A bottle of the house champagne, a Jean Dorsene brut, costs $22. The Cupcake Cupboard is a cute little bakery with seating for 10 and a variety of decorated cakes, including red velvet and coconut lemon, selling for $2.50 each. Sorrento’s, an Italian eatery, allows guests to create their own pizza with a variety of toppings, including artichokes, Cajun chicken, salami and avocado, as well as the usual. The Schooner Bar is here, along with Bolero’s, a Latin-theme lounge with a hot red-and-yellow décor, and On Air, which serves as a sports bar during the day and a karaoke bar in the evening.

Central Park: A true highlight, Central Park on Deck 8 is open to the sky, allowing the sun to nourish 56 real trees and bamboo rising up to 24 feet tall, over 12,000 plants, seasonal flower gardens and “living walls” entwined with flowering vines. The winding pathway is lined with benches and has a few steps, causing more than a few to trip or even fall, especially when they’re gazing upward, admiring the surroundings.

The most exclusive restaurant on the ship, 150 Central Park, features cherry wood panels and accents, a marble sunburst floor and mosaics with glittery tiles. The restaurant is managed by 23-year-old Keriann Von Raesfeld, who holds the title of “Best Young Cook in the World.” The menu is akin to “trend-setting restaurants from New York and Los Angeles,” with an expansive wine list. A sample menu during a preview cruise included butternut squash soup, fresh melon salad with goat cheese, cube of halibut, wagyu strip steak with celery root puree and a banana split. The cover charge is $35.

Chops Grille offers white tablecloth dining both inside and “outdoors” on black wrought-iron chairs on the terrace facing Central Park. Cover charge is $25, and menu selections include broiled veal chops, a 10-ounce filet mignon, 12-ounce New York Strip steak and the usual accompaniments such as baked potatoes and béarnaise sauce. The Park Café is a casual eatery serving up panini, carved meat sandwiches, soup and a salad bar; there’s no cover charge here. Giovanni’s Table is an Italian eatery, of course, with a faux wooden floor, vintage pictures of Italy, and flickering flameless candles on the tables. Menu items include cioppino, antipasti, gnocchi with light blue-cheese sauce, veal osso bucco and more. Cover charge is $10 for lunch and $15 for dinner. Vintages is a cozy wine bar with à la carte-priced tapas and wines, and some seats tucked behind a garden. Picture This is a photo studio at which guests can book a photographer for one hour to take portraits throughout the ship. There’s no charge for the photo shoot, but the portrait packages start at $575. Other features in Central Park include small bars, an art gallery and a Coach leather goods retail outlet.

Boardwalk: This fun neighborhood really does evoke the feel of a Coney Island or other coastal beach resort. Guests trod on a wooden floor and look up to see fellow passengers whiz by on the zip-line, nine decks above. There’s no charge to ride on the full-sized carousel, which was hand-carved from poplar wood. The merry-go-round features 18 figures, including a zebra, frog, lion and giraffe in addition to the traditional horses. Nearby is Candy Beach, which sells retro faves such as candy necklaces and bulk candy for $11.96 per pound. The Boardwalk Donut Shop offers doughnuts at no additional cost and coffee drinks from Seattle’s Best Coffee for a few dollars. The Seafood Shack is another retro venue, with red-and-silver metal chairs, decorative buoys and clapboard walls. Cover charge is $8.95 for lunch and dinner for adults, and $4.45 for children under 12. The Johnny Rocket’s burger stand is also here; cover charge is $4.95 for lunch and dinner.

The Boardwalk is also the locale for the two 43-foot rock-climbing walls, which flank the impressive AquaTheater, the venue for high-diving and synchronized swimming shows. The pool is just under 18 feet deep, allowing Olympic and NCAA divers to perform from platforms and springboards.

Other highlights: There’s a wide variety of entertainment on board, headlined by the Broadway musical “Hairspray” performed in the Opal Theater, which seats 2,161 people on three decks. The beach pool has a gentle sloped entry. There are two FlowRider surf simulators; a lovely solarium with its own bistro serving healthful cuisine ($20 cover charge for dinner, complimentary for breakfast and lunch); an expansive Windjammer Marketplace for casual buffet meals; a main dining room on three decks with traditional set dining times or restaurant-style open seating between 6 and 9:30 p.m.; shows on the ice rink; an expansive spa with 29 treatment rooms; and elaborate children’s facilities and programs, including new paging systems that allow parents to track their kids’ location throughout the day.

Accommodations: The 37 stateroom and suite categories start with the 147-square-foot interior staterooms and range up to the 1,524-square-foot Royal Loft Suite with Balcony, a two-deck-high suite with four convertible-to-queen twin beds, a double sofa bed, two baths and an 843-square-foot balcony with whirlpool and dining area. Several interior balcony rooms overlook Central Park or the Boardwalk; they range in size from 181 to 271 square feet. These balconies directly face those of the room across the way, so beware that others can see in, especially if the lights are on. Family staterooms that sleep up to six range from 260 to 271 square feet of space.

Itineraries: Oasis of the Seas offers alternating Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries departing Saturdays from the new and efficient Terminal 18 at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale. The eastern itinerary visits St. Thomas, St. Maarten and Nassau, while the western route calls at Labadee, the private beach resort at Haiti; Falmouth, Jamaica; and Cozumel.

Source: BY THERESA NORTON MASEK Vacation Agent Magazine - December 2009 / © 2009 Performance Media Group