Royal Caribbean's Oasis-class newbuild to feature more than 3,415 pieces of sport equipment
By
Rebecca Gibson |
Royal Caribbean International’s Harmony of the Seas is to offer more than 30 different onboard sports and games activities when she debuts in the UK in May 2016.
Guests will be able to enjoy activities such as badminton, table tennis, ice skating, surfing and Blongoball, a combination of bocce, horseshoes, croquet and other lawn sports. They will also be able to also participate in fitness classes, head to the serviced gym and use the running circuit, which circles the top deck.
This week, 20 Royal Caribbean employees spent seven hours laying out half of the total 3,415 pieces of equipment that will be needed to facilitate these activities onboard the ship. The team laid out 900 ball pit balls, 192 golf balls, 144 badminton shuttlecocks, 80 ping pong balls, 31 surfboards, 30 basketballs, 16 ice hockey sticks, 16 pool cues, 144 pool balls and eight table tennis tables across 85m of Boscombe Beach in Dorset, UK.
“There aren’t many holidays where families can visit multiple destinations, try their hand at ice skating, body boarding, a zip wire and learn how to Blongoball all in one trip,” said Stuart Leven, managing director UK and Ireland at Royal Caribbean. “Harmony of the Seas offers holidaymakers the opportunity to explore amazing destinations and enjoy a world of new experiences, with an activity to cater for every age and every taste.”
Currently under construction at STX France, Harmony of the Seas is Royal Caribbean’s third Oasis-class ship and will offer onboard features such as a handcrafted carousel, a Starbucks cafe, a new classic games arcade and a climbing play area. New speciality restaurants will include Izumi Hibachi & Sushi, Sabor Taqueria and Tequila Bar, and Wonderland Imaginative Cuisine.
The ship will also feature Splashaway Bay, the line’s first interactive water park for young children; the Ultimate Abyss, a ten-storey slide with a 100ft drop; and The Perfect Storm, a trio of slides that spiral five decks above the open-air Central Park at the centre of the ship.
In addition, Harmony of the Seas will offer 2,747 staterooms that are larger than those on other Oasis-class ships, as well as studios for single travellers and new Virtual Balconies in all interior staterooms. Suite guests will have access exclusive new areas including a suite lounge, a private restaurant called Coastal Kitchen and a full-service Suite Sun Zone sun deck.
The vessel will also be the first Oasis-class ship to feature the innovative technologies used onboard the line’s Quantum-class ships. These include the Bionic Bar with robotic bartenders, the Royal WOWBands with RFID technology, and VOOM, the fastest internet at sea.
Harmony of the Seas launches in May 2016 with a three-day and a four-day roundtrip from Southampton, UK, which will head to Cherbourg in France and Rotterdam in the Netherlands respectively. Following the two voyages, the ship will depart for her inaugural sailing to Barcelona, Spain, from where she will sail Mediterranean cruises throughout summer 2016. She will then reposition to the Caribbean.