The world’s largest cruise ship has successfully negotiated its way under a bridge with just few feet to spare.
Royal Caribbean International’s Allure of the Seas lowered its twin funnels in order to pass under the Storebaelt Bridge in Denmark after leaving its Finnish shipyard on Friday.
The tight manoeuvre took place as Allure of the Seas made its way to its home port of Fort Lauderdale in Florida via the North Sea, Dover Straits and English Channel.
Cruise line architects developed funnels that retract inside the ship to reduce its height by one metre to allow the 6,200-passenger ship to pass under the bridge.
The 18km long Storebaelt Bridge connects the Danish islands of Zealand and Flynn and towers to a height of 254 metres (833 feet) with the road it carries at 65 metres (213 feet) above the sea.
Allure of the Seas also stands at 65 metres at its highest point – the retractable twin funnel stacks.
The first commercial cruise by Allure of the Seas is on December 1 when the ship begins offering cruises in the Caribbean.
Prices for nine-night fly/cruise including flights from the UK for a seven-night Allure of the Seas cruise start at £1,470 per person.