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A city on the ocean waves
YOU can stroll in the park, relax over a
coffee at a pavement cafe or enjoy an
alfresco meal at an exclusive bistro. On
balmy nights there is always time for
cocktails under the stars before
indulging in a gourmet dinner, then sitting
back in the best seats in the house to watch a
spectacular show.
Click here to see a sneak peak video
It sounds almost too good to be true - but this
dream resort is now becoming a reality, and
next year Southampton is due to be one of the
first cities in the world to experience the overwhelming grandeur of Project Genesis.
In a Finnish shipyard not far from the Arctic
Circle, a vessel is being built like no other
cruise ship in maritime history.
Southampton regularly sees huge passenger
vessels - such as the vast Independence of the
Seas - berthed in port, but this future addition
to Royal Caribbean International's fleet will far
outstrip the biggest of vessels.
A mighty 220,000 gross registered tons,
Project Genesis, as she is currently nicknamed,
will dwarf even the American nuclear powered
aircraft carrier USS Nimitz - about 97,000 tons
- when she enters service in 2009.
The onboard facilities for the 6,400 guests the
ship will be able to accommodate promise to be
just as amazing.
At the heart of the ship, soaring more than
six decks high, will be Central Park, featuring
trees, lawns and flower gardens, with meandering
pathways taking guests to restaurants,
shops, bars and cafes. On either side of the
park, which will be permanently open to the
sky, will be hundreds of cabins with private
balconies.
The park will include a chess garden with
large-scale pieces, a Pergola garden featuring
vegetation from the Caribbean, and a sculpture
garden. A specially recruited horticulturist
will provide educational classes for passengers
who want to find out more.
Genesis will have a highly sophisticated
drainage and irrigation system built into her
decks to cope with any rain that might fall during
a cruise.
Another major innovation will be the Rising
Tide bar, the first seagoing venue designed to
move up and down over three decks, taking
guests from Central Park to other public areas.
Genesis, costing well in excess of £500m, will
be almost three times the size of Cunard's
Queen Elizabeth and more than a third bigger
than Royal Caribbean's Southampton-based
Independ-ence of the Seas - at 160,000 tons currently
the largest cruise ship in the world.
Genesis is expected to visit Southampton
sometime in autumn 2009 while en route to her
home port in Florida, USA.
11:38am Saturday 17th May 2008
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CommentPosted by: WCA, Woolston on 12:29pm Sat 17 May 08
Far too many cabins, they should put in more family cabins.
Far too many cabins, they should put in more family cabins.
Posted by: Fred on 12:44pm Sat 17 May 08
How many London buses long is she? Oh the Echo reported this the other day.
How many London buses long is she? Oh the Echo reported this the other day.
Posted by: Jenny Sis on 4:09pm Sat 17 May 08
A new "Genesis" Will Phil Collins be the Captain like last time?
A new "Genesis" Will Phil Collins be the Captain like last time?
Posted by: gorf, soton on 4:30pm Sat 17 May 08
why do they always compare things to london buses?
whats wrong with the length southampton buses?
why do they always compare things to london buses?
whats wrong with the length southampton buses?
Posted by: Robert on 5:39pm Sat 17 May 08
Are they planning a bus service to go from one part of the ship to the other? And will my pensioners' pass work?
Are they planning a bus service to go from one part of the ship to the other? And will my pensioners' pass work?
Posted by: Sailor Sam, at sea on 10:07pm Sat 17 May 08
In an emergency, evacuating 6400 passengers plus crew will be a nightmare which many will not survive.
Titanic's loss will be eclipsed by the first disaster encountered by one of these monsters.
In an emergency, evacuating 6400 passengers plus crew will be a nightmare which many will not survive.
Titanic's loss will be eclipsed by the first disaster encountered by one of these monsters.
Posted by: andrew, NZ on 11:45am Sun 18 May 08
[quote][bold]Sailor Sam[/bold] wrote:
In an emergency, evacuating 6400 passengers plus crew will be a nightmare which many will not survive.
Titanic\'s loss will be eclipsed by the first disaster encountered by one of these monsters.[/quote] Totally and utterly ridiculous. How much longer have we to endure this bigger, longer, heavier, taller etc etc etc nonsense? Sailor Sam makes a good point. It would be the same scenario with the new Airbus A380 airliner when one of those goes down. The bigger they are, the greater the loss of life in an disaster. What a bizarre and crazy world this has become. From personal experience, one BIG cruise ship is much the same as another. I always thought that going by sea was so as one was able to see the world, not the inside of just another nightclub, bar, disco, theatre etc along with, in many instances, a damned good hangover every morning. You can do that in any decent sized town.
Sailor Sam wrote:
In an emergency, evacuating 6400 passengers plus crew will be a nightmare which many will not survive.
Titanic\'s loss will be eclipsed by the first disaster encountered by one of these monsters.
Totally and utterly ridiculous. How much longer have we to endure this bigger, longer, heavier, taller etc etc etc nonsense? Sailor Sam makes a good point. It would be the same scenario with the new Airbus A380 airliner when one of those goes down. The bigger they are, the greater the loss of life in an disaster. What a bizarre and crazy world this has become. From personal experience, one BIG cruise ship is much the same as another. I always thought that going by sea was so as one was able to see the world, not the inside of just another nightclub, bar, disco, theatre etc along with, in many instances, a damned good hangover every morning. You can do that in any decent sized town.
Posted by: devils advocate, devils lair on 4:57pm Sun 18 May 08
ah but variety is the spice of life and you carnt do a pub crawl within one pub..... you could crawl long the carpet though i spose..
ah but variety is the spice of life and you carnt do a pub crawl within one pub..... you could crawl long the carpet though i spose..
Posted by: southy, redbridge on 3:19pm Sat 7 Jun 08
dont matter what they do to ocean liners still cant beat a good old square rigg sailer
dont matter what they do to ocean liners still cant beat a good old square rigg sailer
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