Oasis of the Seas to make New York home

The New York City area soon will be home to one of the world's biggest cruise ships.

Royal Caribbean on Wednesday said its 18-deck-high, 1,181-foot-long Oasis of the Seas will begin sailing out of Bayonne, New Jersey, in May 2020. 

The 5,400-passenger vessel – just a tad smaller than the biggest cruise ship ever built – will operate seven-night voyages to the Bahamas from Bayonne through the summer of 2020. It'll also offer several shorter cruises north to New England and Canada. 

At 225,282 tons, Oasis is the fourth-largest cruise ship in the world and by far the largest vessel ever assigned to the New York area for a season. 

The only cruise vessels that are bigger are Oasis's three sister ships, all built after it debuted in 2009: Allure of the Seas, Harmony of the Seas and Symphony of the Seas. Just unveiled earlier this year, Symphony is the world's largest cruise ship at 228,081 tons.  

Collectively known as the Oasis Class series, Oasis and its sisters have made waves in the cruise industry since they began debuting in 2009, and it's considered a major milestone for a port to be assigned one of the vessels. All four of the ships are in excess of 225,000 tons — more than 20 percent larger than the next-largest cruise vessels.

Designed for vacationers who love big, bustling mega-resorts, the Oasis Class ships boast some of the highest concentrations of attractions for both adults and children at sea. Like its sisters, Oasis has three main pool areas, an adults-only solarium, an ice skating rink, two rock climbing walls, a basketball court and a mall-like indoor promenade with shops, bars and eateries. It also has an open-air, tree-lined area called Central Park with restaurants, bars and upscale shops; a massive spa; and one of the biggest showrooms at sea. 

Oasis will sail out of Bayonne's Cape Liberty Cruise Port. Serving the New York area, the port is located just south of the Statue of Liberty along the New Jersey side of Upper New York Bay, also known as New York Harbor.  

Oasis will be not only the biggest cruise ship ever to sail out of the New York area but the biggest cruise vessel to operate out of any Northeast port. The biggest cruise ship currently sailing out of the Northeast is Royal Caribbean's Anthem of the Seas. It's also based at Bayonne's Cape Liberty Cruise Port.  

At 168,666 tons, Anthem is 25% smaller than Oasis.     

Oasis currently spends its winters sailing to the Caribbean out of Port Canaveral, Florida. It'll spend the summer of 2019 sailing in the Mediterranean out of Barcelona. 

By Gene Sloan, USA Today
Re-posted on CruiseCrazies.com - Cruise News, Articles, Forums, Packing List, Ship Tracker, and more
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