This month the Guinness Book of World Records gets a new title holder with the debut of Royal Caribbean Symphony of the Seas: Worlds largest cruise ship.
The fourth Oasis-class ship from the cruise line, once debuted the worlds largest ship will be just slightly larger than its sister ships, will officially inherit the bragging rights in a handover ceremony on March 23. The worlds largest ship certainly has a lot to offer.
The 228,081-ton, 1,188 foot-long ship has been under construction at the STX France shipyard in St. Nazaire since October 2015, but now the finishing touches are taking place. The ship completed four days of sea trials in the Atlantic off the coast of France in mid-February undergoing more than 80 tests for seaworthiness.
“All the ship’s systems were put into service at sea,” reads a statement from STX France. “The performances expected during these presentations were validated each time.”
The Worlds Largest Ship’s
The Oasis-class vessels have each held the title of Worlds Largest Cruise Ship, certified each in turn by Guinness World Records. Each one has been slightly larger than the last, with Oasis of the Seas first inheriting the title almost a decade ago when it debuted in 2009, followed by Allure of the Seas in 2010 and Harmony of the Seas in 2016.
Each of the four ships can hold close to 7,000 passengers. Symphony of the Seas has a maximum capacity of 6,680 guests with 2,200 crew. At double capacity, though, the guest count is 5,518 from 2,759 staterooms.
Whats inside this Mammoth Ship
The new ship features the same design, with seven distinct neighbourhoods and several of the same features that debuted on Harmony of the Seas or are mainstays across the fleet. Those include the 10-deck twisting dry slide The Ultimate Abyss, two FlowRider surf simulators, a zip line, twin 40-foot rock climbing walls, ice skating rink and the AquaTheater.
Something completely unique to Symphony of the Seas will be the
“world’s largest laser tag arena”
in the Studio B space where the ice skating is performed. It will be transformed into a glow-in-the-dark venue themed around the fate of the last planets of the galaxy.
Also new to the fleet will be the Ultimate Family Suite, a two-level suite that will feature a slide, a floor-to-ceiling Lego wall, air hockey, movie-theatre-style TV room with popcorn machine as well as a 212-square-foot wraparound balcony with its own climbing wall feature, bumper pool table and whirlpool. The worlds largest ship certainly has the space to accomadate these types of cabins
It’s a two-bedroom suite that can accommodate up to eight guests. Symphony will feature 28 more staterooms than Harmony of the Seas with a Royal Suite class, neighbourhood balconies overlooking Central Park, virtual balconies on inside staterooms, and the highest number of ocean-view cabins at sea.
Food Offerings a Plenty
- El Loco Fresh A new Mexican food concept
- Hooked a casual seafood option will debut on the ship
While many of the other dining options will be the same as other ships in the fleet including:
- fusion food venue Wonderland
- Jamie Oliver’s Italian dining venue
- Japanese cuisine at Izumi
- Chops Grill Steakhouse
- 150 Central Park, which serves seasonal American cuisine.
Entertainment offerings include Broadway show “Hairspray,” an original production “Flight” that will be a humorous look at the history for flight, skating show “1977” and in the AquaTheater, a show titled “HiRo.”
One other feature coming to the ship will be the introduction of app-based mobile check-in, that will be available in both Europe and when it comes to North America.
READ MORE: Royal Caribbeans new cruise terminal starts to take shape.
The ship will sail to Barcelona at the end of the month and then debut with a full set of passengers on the already sold out April 7, 2018, inaugural sailing. It will spend its first season of cruising in the Mediterranean. The largest cruise ship in the world then repositions to the Port of Miami on a 12-night transatlantic voyage that departs Oct. 28 and begins Caribbean sailings on Nov. 9 with the first seven-night cruise on Nov. 17.
