A city at sea

<p>Royal Caribbean International is the cruise line that invites passengers to join "The Nation of Why Not." So it's easy to imagine RCI executives sitting around a conference table imagining the biggest cruise ship on earth. If you were going to design the longest, tallest, widest ship afloat, what would it have onboard?</p><p>What if you hollowed out the center and put in a park with trees, plants, cozy nooks and works of art?</p><p>What if you put in a boardwalk with all the traditional trappings, from photo booths to a carousel?</p><p>What if the inside cabins looked out on the park or the boardwalk?</p><p>What if the ship had six pools, and one of them was deep enough to put on a high diving show with Olympic-level athletes?</p><p>What if you staged a Broadway show aboard?</p><p>Apparently, those execs answered every "what if..." with "why not?" The result is the "Oasis of the Seas," now sailing on week-long inaugural cruises out of Fort Lauderdale's Port Everglades.</p><p>Built at a cost of $1.4 billion, RCI's newest ship is big. Really big. It's so big that the ship can be seen by arriving passengers driving down Interstate 95 or flying into the Fort Lauderdale airport. It's bigger than an aircraft carrier, and 40 percent larger than any other cruise ship afloat today. It's an oceangoing city that carries 6,292 passengers and a crew of 2,291 at capacity.</p><p>RCI's President and CEO Adam Goldstein says the ship is not big simply for the sake of being big. It's big to provide innovative features that you'll find on no other ship.</p><p>"You'll run out of time before you run out of things to do," he adds.</p><p>And for those who cruise aboard her, the ship has been designed to be a destination in itself. Blue Caribbean waters and island ports of call are part of the attraction. But the real star of a week aboard "Oasis" is the ship itself.</p><p>Taking the concept of a city at sea to heart, RCI designers have created seven separate neighborhoods aboard. With 16 passenger decks, there's a lot to explore.</p><p>You step aboard along the Royal Promenade, lined with shops and a number of the ship's 37 bars and restaurants. Fancy a beer? Try the Globe and Mail pub. Prefer your libation in a fluted glass? The Champagne bar is to your left. Mojito before you sail away? Solano's is the spot.</p><p>The highlight of this busy central space is the Rising Tide bar, which lifts passengers up three decks to Central Park while they enjoy the view and a cocktail.</p><p>Central Park is just that — a park at sea, stocked with 12,000-odd trees and plants and rimmed by adult restaurants, a wine tasting bar, and tony shops. Overlooking the park are ranks of atrium-facing cabin balconies. Think high-rise condo rather than cruise ship cabin.</p><p>For those who want to know they are at sea, there are opportunities for this. Swimming pools, miniature golf, sports courts, rock climbing, Flowriders to hone your surfing skills, a couple thousand deck chairs and 10 whirlpools, including a pair cantilevered out over the ocean, are just a few of the options.</p><p>Entertainment? "Oasis" offers the Tony Award-winning musical "Hairspray," a heart-thumping diving and acrobatic extravaganza and Ice Capades-like ice show, along with more intimate venues such as the jazz club, the comedy club or a multi-level dance lounge. The marriage-minded will appreciate the chapel that will hold 50 guests.</p><p>Because the ship is longer than three football fields, the quickest way to cross it is on a zip-line nine stories above the main deck. Twenty-four elevators serve the less adventurous.</p><p>Aside from an occasional wait at the elevators, it's unlikely that passengers will encounter many lines. Shows, which are free, can be booked online, at kiosks aboard ship, or in your cabin. Same for the "My Time" dining option, reservations at one of the 24 specialty restaurants, or spa treatments. Touch-screen monitors at each elevator bank display where you are and how to get to wherever you're going. Other screens show restaurant availability.</p><p>Will the concept of a ship as a resort at sea shape the future of cruising? In the current economic climate, Royal Caribbean is banking on the idea. "Oasis" will be joined by a sister ship, "Allure of the Seas," late this year. Norwegian Cruise Line's "Epic," which will carry 4,200 passengers, will begin sailing from Miami in June. Carnival Cruise Line's "Magic" and Disney Cruise Line's "Dream" are scheduled for completion in 2011.</p>