Oasis of the Seas, Europe’s largest megacruiser, commences weekly stops in Palma. Spanning from May to October, the ship will make a total of 22 visits, bringing over 100,000 tourists.
As the inaugural vessel of the class named after it, Oasis of the Seas entered service in 2009 under Royal Caribbean International and was awarded Cruise of the Year in 2012. This year, it offers a rotating Mediterranean itinerary
Targeting couples and families with children, this true floating city was the first to break the 225,000-ton mark and set a record capacity of 6,300 passengers. This season, it promotes Mallorca as a premier destination from Barcelona, alongside Italian cities Rome, Naples, and La Spezia (with excursions to Florence), and Southern France, with visits to Provence from Marseille.
Designed as a tourist destination unto itself, it was built by STX Europe in Turku, Finland, under Project Genesis as the precursor to giant megacruisers, a series of six ships featuring unprecedented onboard facilities. Highlights include an open-air garden street, a 150-meter shopping gallery, an ice-skating rink, a three-tier theatre, a water slide, and a collection of loft apartments 50 metres above the sea.
Measuring 362 metres in length and 47 metres in beam, which extends to 66 metres with the overhang of the superstructure, it was also the first cruise ship to match the size of the largest supertankers, surpassing all nuclear aircraft carriers. The Oasis class set a new standard in the cruise market and has led in dimensions until the launch of the cutting-edge ‘Icon of the Seas’ this year, the first of this new class. Its visit coincided this Monday with that of the megacruiser Norwegian Escape and the super-luxury cruise ship Seven Seas Grandeur, which recently made their inaugural visit to Palma.