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She’s big, we mean really BIG…like a super models lips after a collagen treatment. Weighing in at 225,000 GTR (gross registered tons), the closest competitor in cruise ship size is her smaller sister, Independence of the Seas, weighing in at a mere 160.000 GTR. Oasis of the Seas is Royal Caribbean’s much anticipated and ballyhooed giant of a cruise ship. It’s hard to believe that just a few years ago Cunard’s Queen Mary II was the cruising marvel of the world, weighing in at an unheard of at the time 150,000 GTR. In the cruise world she's a skinny-bitch.

Originally called the Genesis Project, Royal Caribbean hosted a public name search for their new class of ships, with the name Oasis being selected from thousands of entries. So exactly how big is a 220,000-ton ship? Let’s do some comparisons. Oasis is so long that if you lined seven 747 jets in a line, nose to tail, she would be longer. She’s so wide that you could lay the Statue of Liberty on its side, sans the base, across the interior of her hull, from port to starboard and it would fit! Oasis is 25% longer than the Titanic and three times as tall. And in late 2010, Royal Caribbean will launch her twin sister, Allure of the Seas, who is equally as massive and attraction driven. Rumor has it that Allure will be hosting a new, more advanced, line-up of attractions and amenities. We’ll have to wait and see!

In just a few short years Royal Caribbean has revolutionized cruising by creating a fleet of super-ships that host ice rinks, flo-riders, boxing rinks, cantilevered whirlpools (extending off the side of the ships 200ft from the sea below) and interior “Royal Promenades”, that are over a football field long and are three stories high, core entertainment corridors that bisect the ships from bow to stern. And a whole new type of windowed room; one's looking inward on to the Royal Promenade below. Royal Caribbean pioneered these interior-view staterooms which host bay windows offering a budget minded traveler, or a family/group needing several adjoining rooms, a cost saving alternative to costly outside staterooms.

Oasis of the Seas has moved the ante up, “weigh” up. Oasis includes a whole new concept by adding outside balcony staterooms facing into an outdoors common area. Part of the top 9 stories of the 18-story tall ship is open to the sky above allowing for a real sky view from two of Oasis'' neighborhoods, Boardwalk and Central Park.

By creating distinct neighborhoods on the Oasis of the Seas, engineers at Royal Caribbean allows this mammoth ship to have a more intimate and managed feel. Along with the enhanced Royal Promenade (almost twice as wide as previous versions found on Freedom-class ships), the aft section of the ship is host to the Boardwalk, where the Aqua Theatre, a huge performance theatre/pool is located. There lies a Merry-Go-Round, carnival games, restaurants and shops that provide the neighborhood with a Coney Island feel. Mid ship you will find the Central Park neighborhood, a popular neighborhood, which is home to thousands of living plants, shrubs, trees and flowers. Shops, restaurants and coffeehouses are found in this prime neighborhood.

Oasis’ other neighborhoods include Entertainment Place, a contemporary after-dark night club district with restaurants, disco, comedy club and jazz club, the Pool and Sports Zone, with a beach pool at sea, whirlpools, a main pool surrounded by cabanas, basketball courts, adults-only pool and Solarium, two flo-riders, rock-climbing wall a zip-line and a series of restaurants and bars, and the Vitality at Sea Spa and Fitness Center, an enormous Spa and Fitness complex with multiple treatment rooms, thermal suites, exercise room with state-of-the arts fitness equipment and yoga, Pilates and spinning classes. And then there’s the Youth Zone, a place for kids and teens to congregate and have fun in a supervised club-like 28,000ft space that allows parents and kids the opportunity to separate for an afternoon or evening.

Wherever you venture on the Oasis there is something exciting and interesting for you to experience. Or you just may chose to relax and not do anything at all. Within all of neighborhoods there are areas where passengers can escape from the crowds, find solitude and quiet, a place to relax, reflect and read good book.

The Oasis of the Seas offers more dining options than any other cruise ship sailing the seas today. You could dine at a different restaurant for each meal on your cruise and still have dining options that remain unexplored. Dining experiences range from traditional price inclusive options that include Opus, the three-story the Main Dining Room, the Café Promenade, which is open 24-hours serving pastries and sandwiches, The Windjammer Marketplace, the buffet choice for breakfast, lunch and dinner, Sorrento’s Pizzeria, Wipe Out Café, serving burgers and hot dogs, The Vitality Café, in spa serving smoothies and healthy choices, and 24-hour room service (charges for late night dining).

The offerings for alternative dining experiences, which range in price, are immense. Chops Grill, the popular steakhouse ($25.00 service charge) located in the Central Park neighborhood, 150 Central Park, Oasis’ premiere restaurant seven-course restaurant ($35.00 service charge), Johnny Rockets, America’s favorite burger-joint chain ($4.95 service charge), Vintages, serving tapas and wine (tapas are ala carte at $2.00-$4.00 each), Giovanni’s, Oasis’ trattoria ($10.00 service charge for lunch, $15.00 for dinner), The Cupcake Cupboard with gourmet/specialty cupcakes at $2.50 each, The Seafood Shack ($8.95 service charge), The Solarium Bistro (free during the day, $20.00 for dinner), Izumi, ala carte Asian restaurant, and the ultra-exclusive Chef’s Table, where you dine in the Concierge Lounge as only one of 14 passengers each evening ($75.00 service charge which includes wine parings for each course).

The Oasis of the Seas has something entertaining going on at almost any hour. Along with the traditional lounge acts, discos, string quartets and pianists, Oasis has stepped-up the offerings, and we mean stepped them up several notches.

Missed getting orchestra tickets to Hairspray when you were last on Broadway? No problem, Oasis is staging the full-scale, Broadway production of the Tony®-winning musical.

Do gorgeous Speedo-clad Olympic®-style divers performing in a Cirque-style show, in the largest, deepest pool afloat, in a gorgeous Aqua Theatre get you going?

How about a Disney-esque style parade through the Royal Promenade, in a Carnivale theme peak your interest?

Do you love ice-skating? Well there’s a show that will dazzle you down in Studio-B ice arena.

How about an evening show at a top-notch comedy club with guest comedians? Where ever you go something is going on.

And let’s not forget about Oasis’ Las Vegas style Casino that is enormous. Culinary demonstrations, karaoke, wine tasting, martini samplings, seminars on computers, software and the internet, beauty demos…there’s so much to do and enjoy. If you get bored it’s certainly not Royal Caribbean’s fault.

The Oasis of the Seas is an "Outdoor Enthusiast's" type of ship. Start your day with yoga in the Spa and Fitness Center, then move on up to the Pool Deck to try your hand at rock climbing on the ships two rock-climbing walls, then zip off, and we mean literally, on the only zip-line at sea and soar 9 stories over Boardwalk and Central Park. Have a hankering for surfing? Then head down to one of the two flo-riders where you can boggie-board or surf these amazing surfing simulators. How about a round of miniature golf? Oasis has a mini-golf course. And there are some hoops up at the Sports Court that are in need of a little attention.

Did you get overheated with all the outdoors activities? Well head downstairs to the ice arena and try out a few figure 8’s. And now that you are oh-so-cool, head on back up to the pool deck for some sun and a swim in either the beach pool, sports pool or main pool…or maybe a quiet dip in the adults-only Solarium pool. Perhaps sign up for SCUBA certification …and how about a dip in one of Oasis’ two adults-only cantilevered whirlpools which extend out from the ship over 200 feet above the ocean below…and now that you’ve got your workout for the day, dinner, dancing and romance are in store for the evening. Your exercise routine that you just established will be waiting for you again tomorrow.

There’s a stateroom or suite that will satisfy everyone’s taste. From enormous 2-story Loft Suites, which have a bedroom loft which includes a master bath with a shower for two and downstairs there’s a large living room with pull-out sofa bed and second bathroom and balcony, to cozy interior staterooms with bay windows looking into the Royal Promenade in the interior of the ship, there are numerous styles of staterooms throughout the ship.

Standard stateroom features include ample under-bed storage and closets, flip-up bedside tables, flat screen interactive TVs that allow you to reserve shows, tours and view your onboard bill, digital safes, individual climate control, clear-glass shower enclosures with footrests for leg-shaving and hairdryers.

There are several configurations for Loft-Suites including. Crown Loft Suites measuring in at 545 square feet with balcony, Sky Loft Suites measuring in at 722 square-feet with a balcony big enough to dine on, to the enormous Royal Loft Suites, which can accommodate six passengers, measuring in at 1,524 square feet (larger than a typical San Francisco 2-bedroom loft) which includes a dining area, living area, wet bar, grand piano, a loft bedroom with a huge bathroom including shower, bath tub and bidet and a wrap around balcony.

Beyond the Loft Suites there are several other categories of suites and mini-suites including the popular Aqua Theatre facing suites, which include wrap-around balconies overlooking the prized Aqua Theatre.

Outside Cabins with balconies are plenty, not just facing out to sea but also facing inward down into the Boardwalk and Central Park neighborhoods. These rooms measure 180 square feet and include a small balcony with two deck chairs.