Following last week’s announcement that the world’s largest cruise ship, Oasis of the Seas, would embark on its first ever European season and transatlantic sailing out of a UK port of call, thousands of holiday hungry Brits have pre-registered their interest to be first within the queue to make a booking when it makes its debut in autumn 2014. The unprecedented demand is the very best ever volume of pre-booking registrations ever seen by Royal Caribbean International.
With the limited cruises set to head on sale on Thursday 11 April 2013, holidaymakers keen to secure their ultimate holiday experience have made the foremost of the cruise line’s amazing news to get their first pick of the itineraries by registering their interest in droves.
Oasis of the Seas’ European season went on sale to members of Royal Caribbean International’s loyalty club, Crown and Anchor, on 9 April 2013 to a fantastic reaction. Reservations team members are working overtime, part time workers has been drafted in to work full time and folk from other departments around the business are answering phones and taking bookings.
Jo Rzymowska, associate vice chairman and general manager, Royal Caribbean International, UK and Ireland, explains:
“The millions of pre-registrations to be one of many first to book Oasis of the Seas’ European cruises are simply mind-blowing and the ship really resides as much as its incredible reputation as being a game changer for the industry. We’re delighted with the massive reaction from guests and the ship’s first ever transatlantic sailing from the united kingdom is, definitely, an exceptionally hot holiday ticket.
We traditionally always open sales to our loyalty club members first, and the decision volume into our call centre was beyond all expectations. We’ve increased the scale of the team and feature contingency team members ready around the whole business to deal with the height in calls we’re expecting when the ship opens for general sale on Thursday at midday.”
As a part of the innovative cruise ship’s first ever European season, guests could be capable of enjoy hot Mediterranean destinations equivalent to Rome, Palma and Capri. Oasis of the Seas can even pay a trip to British shores when it calls into Southampton on 15 October 2014, a primary for the English port, which for 5 years has served because the summer base for Independence of the Seas. The 13-night westbound transatlantic sailing will depart Rotterdam within the Netherlands before calling into Southampton and Vigo in Spain before arriving into Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Lead-in cabins start at £899 in response to a 14 October 2014 departure in Rotterdam.
Other itineraries featured as a part of Oasis of the Seas first ever European season include:
Five-night Western Mediterranean cruise departing Barcelona (Spain) and calling at Rome (Civitavecchia, Italy) and Palma De Mallorca (Spain) from
£769 in line with 13 September 2014 departure
Five-night Western Mediterranean cruise departing Barcelona (Spain) and calling at Rome (Civitavecchia, Italy) and Naples/Capri (Italy) from £769 according to 18 September 2014 departure
Seven-night Barcelona to Rotterdam cruise departing Barcelona (Spain) and calling at Malaga (Spain), Vigo (Spain) and Rotterdam (Netherlands) from
£809 in line with 23 September 2014 departure
Oasis of the Seas will leave Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, its home port since December 2009, on 1 September 2014 on a 12-night eastbound transatlantic cruise to Barcelona. The world’s largest and most innovative cruise ship will offer a sequence of cruises from the Spanish port – two five-night roundtrip Western Mediterranean sailings and a seven-night sailing to Rotterdam – before heading to dry-dock inside the Képpel Verolme shipyard within the Netherlands for routine maintenance.
The ship will return to Port Everglades on a 13-night westbound transatlantic cruise on 14 October 2014, departing from Rotterdam within the Netherlands and calling into Southampton on 15 October 2014 where UK guests can join the ship to sail around the Atlantic.
Accommodating 6,400 guests at total capacity, Oasis of the Seas is longer than four football pitches, wider than almost six London buses parked end-to-end, and is a large 225,282 Gross Registered Tons. When Oasis of the Seas arrives in Southampton, it’ll be 40 per cent larger than every other cruise ship to ever dock within the UK.
With various exclusive features onboard including its own Central Park, Oasis of the Seas has an actual outdoor park concerning the size of a football pitch full of greater than 12,000 real trees and plants, an 82 foot-long zip wire, a hand-crafted carousel, an enormous outdoor theatre – the AquaTheater – mountain climbing walls and surf simulators. The ship features 16 decks packed filled with activities and entertainment including the West End hit, Hairspray, huge outside spaces and more activities for families than have ever been seen at sea before.