In 2009, the largest Cruise Ship ever built will debut. Royal Caribbean just laid the keel on its new monster ship, codenamed Genesis. This ship will be the first of two identically sized ships ordered by Royal Caribbean and scheduled to be docked in Fort Lauderdale, FL. It will also be the world’s most expensive cruise ship with a cost of $1.24 billion. This vessel will hold up to 6,400 passengers. Here is an artist’s rendering of what this new behemoth will look like.
At this point we have very few details on what will actually be onboard the ship. We know that all parties privy to any of Genesis' innovations (shipyard workers and RCI execs) have signed non-disclosure agreements.
But, there are some people talking. Speculation has ranged from the bizarre (onboard plastic surgery) to the more reasonable (flight simulators) to the mundane (two FlowRiders rather than the one already on the Freedom-class trio).
Here's what we do know:
The naming of Genesis 1 and 2 is likely to take place in May of 2008. According to Royal Caribbean representatives, neither ship will be called Genesis of the Seas. Revelations on itineraries will also appear at around the middle of next year.
Both Genesis ships will homeport in Ft. Lauderdale's Port Everglades for at minimum their first year of service.
As of right now, no ports are prepared to handle Genesis -- both in terms of increased passenger load and needed port infrastructure.
A new Jamaican cruise port, Falmouth, is being constructed to accommodate the coming RCI beasts. The port is one of at least six that will be ready to accommodate the Genesis vessels in the Eastern and Western Caribbean when the ships launch.
I, for one, cannot wait for this ship and I will be booking a cabin on this new monster ship as soon as Royal Caribbean releases cabins for booking. It is just my humble opinion, but I believe this ship will be a massive hit in the Caribbean market!!
No comments:
Post a Comment