The Miami based cruise operator Carnival, owner of P&O Princess and Cunard was competing against its rival Royal Caribbean and had taken just delivery of the hundred and fifty ton Queen Mary 2 in 2003 whilst Royal Caribbean were planning to launch a one hundred and sixty ton cruiser the Ultra-Voyager, which left Carnival planning an even larger vessel.
Today the Queen Mary 2 accommodates 2,620 passengers and crosses the Atlantic from Southampton to Florida or New York in just six days, whilst the Freedom of the Seas (Ultra-Voyager) is registered in the Bahamas and sails seven day cruises from Miami to the Caribbean and back via Mexico, Cayman Islands, Jamaica and Haiti.
It appears that there is no stopping Royal Caribbean, as now based in Southampton is the largest cruise ship of the moment, Independence Of The Seas, which is also sister ship to the others holding the title, Liberty of the Seas and Freedom of the Seas.
This ship drew comparisons with the Titanic when she first docked in Southampton although she is in fact two hundred and thirty feet longer. The Independence Of The Seas is has two thousand seats in the dining room, a choice of nine restaurants, a surf simulator, nine hole mini golf course, cinema, chapel, casinos, an ice rink and fifteen decks housing the cabins.
On-board shops allow you to buy souvenirs of all sorts including cosmetics, perfumes, clothing, jewellery and watches, or you can visit a make up artist, watch a seminar, view art collections or visit an auction.
However it looks like having the title of the biggest cruise liner in the world is not enough for Royal Caribbean and they still have the need to be even bigger, as they will be launching the Oasis of the Seas in 2009, a two thousand and twenty five ton cruise ship. It will be two thirds bigger than it's sister ships and will almost dwarf the Queen Mary 2.
The Oasis of the Seas will be different from any other cruise ship around, with seven different neighbourhoods as well as an Aqua Theatre. Perhaps this will be sufficient to cement their position at the top, but then there are always bigger plans in the pipeline, and it should always be remembered that bigges is not always best, especially considering that the whole experience is based upon providing you as the traveller with everything you need, including facilities, entertainment and comfort.
