Oasis is coming to Southampton

Want to catch a glimpse of the biggest cruise ship in the world as it travels from Europe to its new home in Miami? Oasis of the Seas will be making a brief stop in Southampton on Monday November 2 – despite repeated assurances that there was no chance the 220,000-ton vessel would be visiting the UK.
The huge ship (seen above leaving the shipyard) cost £800 million to build and will carry as many as 6,300 passengers at full capacity – or just 5,408 with only two people per cabin – plus 2,165 crew. It will dwarf every other vessel in the Solent – ship spotters who are likely to turn up in their thousands should get a good view from most points along Southampton Water .
Owners Royal Caribbean International had been reluctant to arrange a visit to our shores because they did not feel that a misty November day would be the best way to show off the ship, which will spend most of its life in the warmer waters of the Caribbean.
Today RCI disclosed that on Monday Oasis will sail into Southampton “to make a brief technical stop to debark approximately 300 workers who do not need to be on board for the full Transatlantic crossing.”
They added that there will be no onboard access provided during her stay in The Solent – in fact it seems likely the ship will not go alongside, but will disembark the departing crew into tenders for the trip ashore.
Exact timings have not been announced, but Oasis is expected in the Solent by mid-afternoon, and the disembarkation will take place before dusk.
Oasis is so vast that it has been designated with seven separate themed areas to give passengers the choice of experiences. There’s the open-air Central Park – a cruise ship first – Boardwalk, the Royal Promenade, Pool and Sports Zone, Vitality at Sea Spa and Fitness Center, Entertainment Place and Youth Zone.
Each of the seven zones will have its own godmother at the naming ceremony on Fort Lauderdale on November 30.