Great vibe, minimal vibrations at Royal Caribbean

This article first appeared in the Spring/Summer 2015 issue of International Cruise & Ferry Review. To read other articles, you can subscribe to the magazine in printed or digital formats

In the midst of the organised chaos that was the first Quantum of the Seas shakedown cruise, only the eagle-eyed among the guests will have spotted a seemingly unremarkable middle-aged man walking around the ship, looking up and down and side to side with just the hint of a smile on his lips.

For, although already responsible for some of the most innovative cruise ships ever built, the ‘unremarkable’ Kulovaara had particular cause for satisfaction this time around.

That was because this first Quantum-class ship had proved the biggest challenge of his career but he could finally see that – with more than a little help from his friends – he had pulled something off which even he thought might prove unachievable.

He says: “There is always a lot of innovation in our new ships but – even compared with the Oasis class – there was a lot more on this one. This is the way we think: we don’t settle for what we have done before and always want to do something new and extraordinary. Yet, although the project goes back five years, we effectively built this ship in just three and a half years. This is a very short time considering what was involved and the fact that there were – as always – many changes along the way with major elements like North Star and iFly coming along relatively late in the day.”

Admitting that “in the end, it has proven to be the most complex build in which I have ever been involved,” he identifies the multipurpose, high-tech entertainment venue Two70o as particularly challenging.

“It is the most ambitious room or area we have ever designed,” he says. “This is from a structural point of view as well as the key aspects of user comfort, sound quality and noise which were all impacted by the room’s location at the stern of the ship just 20ft above the ship’s propellers.

“There were times when I genuinely did not think we would be able to complete the journey that creating this room became. Its real complexity lies in the way it has to be transformed from a living room by day into a nightclub in the evening.”

Another innovation which involved an enormous amount of creativity and technical expertise was the North Star capsule which transports passengers 300ft above the ocean. Although the company has acknowledged the London Eye as an inspiration, it is by no means just a copycat attraction.

He says: “No-one has done this before, not even on land.” In fact, during the shakedown cruise from Southampton, the port authorities would only allow the capsule to be raised within the confines of the ship’s footprint while docked and not swung out over the side as it is designed to do primarily at sea but also in port. RCCL chairman and CEO Richard Fain explained that “the authorities asked us to restrict it just until they understood all the safety implications because nothing like this had been done before.”

Kulovaara remarks: “This really has been a huge undertaking and we had to bring in the right expertise, particularly for the hydraulics. There has been a crucial need to ensure the right gradation between the North Star and the ship so that one does not excite vibration in the other. The weight was also a real issue and one of the reasons it was almost the last element to be installed.”

But, while the ‘wow’ factors like North Star, Seaplex Dodgems and the RipCord by iFly freefalling experience, along with the passenger-facing technological innovations, have received the most column inches and been the subject of the highest level of social media chatter, Kulovaara is keen to underline that “the maritime side of this ship is equally innovative and proved equally challenging.”

Knowing the ship would be deployed on all-weather itineraries (out of New York, Southampton and Shanghai), he says much work was carried out to enhance its sea-keeping capabilities, including an increased draft and new hull form.

There has also been “huge focus” on energy efficiency to tie in collegio porno with the ongoing environmental issues which face all cruise lines.

He says: “The fitting of the full scrubber system was a truly humungous undertaking as it was such an exceptionally complex installation. As a result, gaining IMO certification took up to nine months longer than usual but this came through shortly after the ship was introduced.

“Also, when we first designed the ship, we were not happy with the comfort levels of the Two70o lounge. We felt there was still a risk of too much vibration so we had to redesign the whole ship just to solve that one problem.”

That this was even considered let alone undertaken underlines his contention that the video sesso most crucial element within the design and build process is the coordination of all the elements involved in a process which – in this case – involved nearly seven million working hours and designers working in 50 different locations.

“It is vital,” he says, “to make sure that there is a steady flow of information between the newbuild team, the shipyard, the designers – everybody. Ultimately, getting the logistics right is the key to success.”

Looking ahead, he can only see more innovation in cruise ship newbuilds. “Our lives are changing,” he says “and so is the public’s concept of vacations and what they should encompass. We can look backwards to see that the evolution of cruise ship design has been galloping ahead at a very fast speed. New elements have been introduced in every new era and I am 100% sure that this will continue with cruising going into many new places as technology comes into its own.

“But, for now, we are very focused on this ship, which I believe demonstrates that we have formed a great partnership between the minds of our newbuild team, the shipyard and the designers. This combination has been able to do great things and I am sure they will do even more amazing ones in the future.”