Royal Caribbean's 'Symphony of the Seas' is currently docked in in Malaga, Spain where it dwarfs nearby apartment blocks,
The ship weighs 228,000 tonnes, and at 1,188 feet long, it is just 20 metres shy of the length of the Empire State Building in New York.The cruise ship also has a one-of-a-kind ultimate family suite, set over two levels and 1,346 square feet.
The fun-focused suite has a slide installed for guests wanting to get from the upper to the lower level, and also features a floor-to-ceiling Lego wall as well as an air hockey table and a ping pong table.For those wanting to relax, guests in the suite can chill out in the private cinema that comes with a 85-inch HD TV along with a library of video games.
Symphony of the Seas boasts a total eight decks and has enough room on board to accommodate 8,000 people.
The vessel was constructed at a cost of £959million at a shipyard in Saint Nazaire in France.
Along with having 20 restaurants, there will be more than six bars including one where robots rustle up the cocktails.
Other attractions include a zip wire, ice rink, mini golf course, climbing walls, surf simulator and a full-size basketball court.Moving to the evening, there is a state-of-the-art theatre where Broadway-style shows will entertain guests on a nightly basis.
And for guests wanting to channel their inner-James Bond, they can take a spin on the roulette wheel at the on-board casino.
Symphony of the Seas - which is the 25th ship in Royal Caribbean’s fleet - will launch on March 31 and take its first paying passengers in April, kicking off a summer season in the Mediterranean with calls to ports in Spain, France and Italy.
It took three years to build but the wait for the world’s largest cruise ship is finally over. Royal Caribbean took delivery of its mammoth vessel, Symphony of the Seas, at France’s Saint-Nazaire shipyard last Friday, where she was welcomed at a traditional flag-changing ceremony.
With her maiden voyage just around the corner, Symphony usurps Harmony of the Seas as the largest cruise liner ever built: with room for 5,518 passengers (versus 5,479 on Harmony of the Seas) in 2,759 stateroom cabins (12 more than its predecessor), with a total volume of 228,081 GT (a shade bigger than Harmony's 226,963).
In numbers | Symphony of the Seas
Length: 1,188 feet
Width: 215.5 feet
Height: 238 feet
Draft: 30 feet
Gross Tonnage: 228,081 GRT
Cruising speed: 22 knots
Guest capacity: 5,518
Crew: 2,200
Decks: 18
Guest elevators: 24
Months to build: 36
Shipbuilders employed: 4,700
Maiden voyage: 7 April2018
As of November 10, however, a new 170,000 sq-ft state-of-the-art cruise terminal in Florida - nicknamed the “Crown of Miami”, for its striking crown-shaped design when viewed from the water - will become her year-round home.
From there, the ship’s seven-night Caribbean cruises will call at ports including Philipsburg (St. Maarten) and Charlotte Amalie in the US Virgin Islands in the Eastern regions; and on the Western Caribbean itinerary, Roatan (Honduras), Costa Maya and Cozumel (Mexico), and Nassau in the Bahamas. In 2019, there will be new stops added at CocoCay, Royal Caribbean’s private island in the Bahamas - currently undergoing a £142 million renovation.
Yes, in terms of her passenger and crew capacity, and her gross tonnage.
She’s the same width and length as Harmony, however: at 1,188 feet long - only 65-ft shorter than the Empire State Building is tall - and 215 feet wide.
Symphony also plays host to the tallest slide at sea, 10 storeys high with a 100-ft drop, dubbed the “Ultimate Abyss”.
Top 10 | The world’s biggest cruise ships
| # | Name | Internal volume | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Symphony of the Seas | 228,081 GT | 5,518 passengers |
| 2 | Harmony of the Seas | 226,963 GT | 5,479 passengers |
| =3 | Allure of the Seas | 225,282 GT | 5,412 passengers |
| =3 | Oasis of The Seas | 225,282 GT | 5,412 passengers |
| =3 | Quantum of the Seas | 168,666 GT | 4,180 passengers |
| =3 | Anthem of the Seas | 168,666 GT | 4,180 passengers |
| =3 | Ovation of the Seas | 168,666 GT | 4,180 passengers |
| 8 | Norwegian Escape | 165,157 GT | 4,248 passengers |
| 9 | Liberty of the Seas | 155,889 GT | 3,634 passengers |
| 10 | Norwegian Epic | 155,873 GT | 4,100 passengers |
How much did it cost to build?
A not-so-modest £959m ($1.35bn). Upon delivery, Royal Caribbean boss Richard Fain quipped, referring to the ship's pricetag: "We said thank you in a fairly tangible way. We actually said it a billion times and each one was one euro."
What else does she have to boast about?
A family suite with a slide, so children can whizz from their bedroom to the living room, and a mobile check-in service that uses facial recognition technology are among the cutting-edge features to be offered on Royal Caribbean’s newest vessel, the 25th in its fleet.
The ship’s new 1,346 sq-ft family suite, built with two bedrooms and sleeping up to eight people, will feature a host of other facilities including a 3D cinema room (complete with a popcorn machine and a library of video games), a whirlpool on its 212 sq-ft wrap-around balcony, a floor-to-ceiling LEGO climbing wall, and an air hockey table.
In a bid to eliminate queueing at terminal-side check-in desks, passengers will be able to register using a new mobile app, which will allow them to upload a “security selfie” to their account prior to their arrival and head directly to their cabins after a screening.
In total, Symphony will welcome 5,518 guests at double occupancy in 2,759 staterooms, including 28 additional balcony rooms that overlook the ocean or the ship’s signature “Boardwalk” neighbourhood - one of seven themed areas.
The Boardwalk will feature a new sweet shop (with more than 100 varieties on offer), Sugar Beach, while a new sports bar and arcade will have 30 large-screen televisions. Another neighbourhood, “Central Park”, is lined with shops and cafes, and trimmed with more than 12,000 tropical plants.
Symphony will share some features in common with Harmony of the Seas, including its VOOM technology – touted as the fastest internet at sea - and a Bionic Bar, where drinks are served by a robotic arm.
For children, there are two new play areas: “Battle for Planet Z”, Royal Caribbean’s first glow-in-the-dark laser tag game; and “Escape the Rubicon”, a sophisticated, custom-built “submarine” room, with a collection of puzzles to solve.
