Royal Caribbean bosses say the quality of the product being offered on the world’s two largest cruise ships is too good to be discounted.
The line claims the 5,400-passenger Oasis of the Seas and sister ship Allure of the Seas are selling with up to a 50% premium due to the interest in the two enormous vessels.
Certainly Allure of the Seas, which is being showcased to over 250 UK trade and media guests this week in Fort Lauderdale, is an incredible feat of engineering.
And at $1.4 billion it, and Oasis, certainly represents a huge potential risk if the line and the agents that support it can’t continue to fill them at a price that justifies the investment.
Some 40% bigger than the previous largest ships in the world – the Freedom-class ships also operated by Royal Caribbean – the ship undoubtedly offers a revolutionary cruise experience.
It includes the Royal Caribbean trademarks like the Royal Promenade ‘high street’, the Studio 8 ice skating rink and rock climbing walls and FlowRider surf park.
But its sheer size means the Royal Promenade is twice as wide, there are two rock climbing walls and surf simulators rather than just one, and much, much more besides. Effectively the entire centre of the ship is hollow, offering an unrivalled sense of space in the public areas.
Above the Royal Promenade Allure has Central Park, an area featuring real fauna open to the skies above and lined with cafes and restaurants.
There’s even simulated birdsong to add to the pretence of being in a genuine metropolitan park in the centre of a major city like New York or London.
At the rear of the ship the open space has been used to create a boardwalk complete with a carousel, and the AquaTheatre, where high dive acts perform and other entertainment is hosted.
Allure’s width has also enabled the line to introduce a whole new concept in cabins. On existing ships the inside cabins – usually the least attractive to customers – had windows looking out onto the Royal Promenade.
This made them some of the most sought after, so Royal Caribbean has made a virtue of this on these new ships creating the first inside balcony cabins at sea. Guests can watch the comings and goings in Central Park from the comfort of their very private balcony.
To cruise aficionados, the idea of a balcony without sea views and restricted sunshine might seem an anathema but these ships aren’t necessarily aimed exclusively at that market.
If they are to fill weekly departures from Fort Lauderdale on these enormous floating resorts Royal Caribbean must tap into the non-cruise market both in the US and abroad.
And certainly these Oasis-class ships answer one of the main reasons cruise rejectors state for not trying a holiday at sea – the fear that they will feel ‘claustrophobic’ or ‘trapped’.
Royal Caribbean believes these ships are a “game changer” although they are likely to stand alone for some time as no other cruise operator is planning anything anywhere near as ambitious.
That said some of the features developed on these ships will start to appear on other older ships in the fleet as they are upgraded in coming years.
So for UK guests who don’t want to fly to Florida to sample these awesome ships elements of the impact they have had on the cruise industry will soon be coming to a ship near them.