She Is Here
It feels so strange to say that, but it is still thrilling to be able to do so. I had intended to write something just after the arrival. I was told that even a short note would be welcomed and I could do it quickly. Unfortunately, it hasn’t been so easy and we have been going non-stop since early Friday morning.
But now I am sitting in Café Promenade drinking tea, enjoying the grandeur of the place and putting down some impressions. I’ll start with the arrival. THE ARRIVAL. I got to the park at 6:15 am and was confronted with a long line of cars ahead of me. I confess that my first reaction was irritation: don’t these people know I’m anxious to greet our ship? And then I realized how happy I should be that so many people cared so much about the event that they got up so early to be present. Then I was happy to sit in my car and just enjoy being part of the spectacle.
The arrival was wonderful. The ship really is beautiful and the reaction of the crowd was itself beautiful. So I just reveled in the experience. One thing I was curious about was the hull color. We had chosen a light blue color, but it is impossible to get a sense of it in the Turku “sun.” Personally, I loved it when it came through the cut, but everyone else was too busy taking in the rest of the ship to pay the hull color any mind.
I was asked over and over how I felt and I never knew how to answer. I still don’t. It is of course thrilling and I do feel proud to have been a part of such an undertaking. I also felt comforted. Doing a project of such a magnitude and such a new direction is a bit scary (actually more than a bit). I have always believed strongly that this was the right concept and the right format, but “the proof of the pudding is in the eating” and dinner has not yet been served. But the reaction of the people who came to the harbour Friday and those who have spent time on the ship since then clearly validates our leap.
Then, the harbour pilots were kind enough to give me a lift from the harbour entrance to the terminal on one of their launches. After the ship had docked, it still took about 15 minutes for Captain Bill to satisfy himself that the vessel was properly tied up and secured. During that period, I wondered around the quayside looking at things. There was a lot to look at.
First, there was Customs and Border Patrol (CBP). When I stepped off the launch at the terminal, I was greeted by a sea of blue uniforms of the CBP. They have been working with us for a very long time to ensure that everything was done right. This project has been all about innovation and CBP demonstrated throughout that they welcomed innovation and were as determined as we were to come up with new and better ways to operate. It wasn’t always easy (their priorities are different than ours) but it was always constructive and the result is a dramatic improvement that benefits everyone, especially our guests.
The next thing I saw was the plants. There is an enormous staging area on the pier where they had staged some 400 trolleys holding all the plantings that had to be installed. The numbers were always impressive, but nothing prepares you for row after row of plants, all lined up and ready for installation. More about that later.
When Bill did give the all-clear, I boarded and went up to the bridge. There, he was debriefing his team on the arrival and preparing for the next challenge – the US Coast Guard Inspection. The USCG have been involved in inspections from an early stage, first with the plans and then with inspections during the building process. They have been very complimentary of our approach and our transparency and we appreciate that. They have also required various changes during the process and we consider these to have been constructive too. Now was one of the most difficult challenges – the testing of the crew. They had already essentially approved the construction, but they only approve the operations once the ship arrives in the US.
Bill had a feeling that the USCG would go all out to test our mettle and they didn’t disappoint. They are always careful with these inspections, but in the case of OASIS, everyone thought it would be best to take it to the next level with an extremely ambitious drill scenario that would test the new and innovative safety features of this ship along with the training level of our crew – well beyond the typical demanding USCG drill.
Bill was prepared for that and, although he didn’t say so, I am convinced he welcomed it as an opportunity to show off. Afterwards, he congratulated his team with the following comments:
To have passed this morning’s complicated fire and evacuation drills with flying colors and ZERO comments (other than a string of compliments) is a truly remarkable accomplishment! The afternoon CHARLIE went just as well and they left without a single corrective comment!!!! I have never been more proud to say “well done” than right now!!
We still have Monday to go through certificates, an MOB and a table top damage exercise, however, we have no concerns about this.
To a mariner like Bill, receiving good grades from the US Coast Guard – a symbol of safety and excellence all Americans should be proud of – is the ultimate accolade. He was beaming.
My walk through of the ship was heartwarming. A surprising amount of detail work had been accomplished during the crossing, but the ship did not look that fundamentally different except that it was designed for warm weather and really shines in the sun. What was different is that the crew is now all here and acclimated. Since most of them come from other ships, I really felt at home amongst friends. And their pride was palpable. There is simply no doubt that that pride makes them walk with a bigger bounce and do their jobs with an enthusiasm that I am in awe of.
Harri is everywhere and he is in his element. The original 6,000 items of the punch list are down to 1,000. Many of them are just waiting for the new part to be boarded after the ship arrives in Ft. Lauderdale and some will simply be fixed over time as the ship settles down. Overall, Harri was very satisfied with the progress. The two exceptions both impacted our entertainment areas. The heavy weather meant no work on the outer decks and especially the AquaTheatre during most of the crossing. And it took longer to do all the requisite work in the Opus Theatre than expected. Peter Compton was bummed about that but confident they will make up the time and be in full swing in time for our first regular cruises.
We wanted to see the zip line in action. Adam volunteered to try it but I get nervous on a step stool and couldn’t work up the courage. Adam seemed very comfortable and said he enjoyed it. Can anyone spell meshugana?
My biggest thrill came last night. Finally, I got a chance to show my wife around the ship and let her see what we had been talking about for so long. I’ve been fortunate to hear compliments from many directions for a long time, but to hear it from her was my penultimate measure. My ultimate measure will come when I can show it to my children.
My second biggest thrill so far came this morning when we opened the ship to tours by shoreside employees. I quickly lost count of the people who came up to me and said how proud they were to work at Royal Caribbean.
I can’t wait to the chance to show her off to our travel partners starting in only a few days.
Filed under: Chairman
When is going to be ready the Central Park? I can’t wait to see it.
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We are booked Dec. 12 and have been following the wonderful blogs and updates for a long time. Question: how do you get large palm trees into the center of the ship? Do you have a crane that tall or go through a hugh side door??
Robert Carpenter
Port Charlotte, Florida
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Congratulations on a MOST impressive and well-executed arrival! Quite a thrill to see this magnificent new ship, here at last! Congratulations too on the successful Coast Guard inspection!
What is a “table top damage exercise”?
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I am as equally proud to be a shareholder of such a fine company.
My wife and I looking forward beyond words to experiencing the inaugural voyage on Dec. 5th of the Oasis of the Seas.
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I have cruised on eight different ships, and very much look forward to being able to also cruise on the Oasis or Allure. What bothers me is the price structure. Not only relatively expensive cabin(stateroom) pricing, but I can not image paying $75 per person for a dinner. Even though we booked an OS on our last cruise, my wife and I do not have the resources to sail on either of these ships, regardless of how much they offer.
RCCL is not “Goodwill Industries”, and must show a profit to the stockholders, I understand. But this price structure, at this time, will prevent many new cruisers from sailing.
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I have 59 day before sailing but where are the photo of the cabins?? I cry when the ship came into the harbor and the PR dept. and Capt. Bill did an outstanding job on keep us updated on the crossing.
Also enjoyed you blobs.
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Congrats to you and the company on all of your successes, especially to captain Wright with the USCG. Sailing on her in April cannot come soon enough!
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Congratulations. Rick and I look forward to sailing on the Oasis on January 30, 2010, our 16th cruise with Royal Caribbean.
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Your pride and excitement really is wonderful. I am sure it is well deserved. I know this must be an extremely busy time for you and I checked a couple of times each day to see your feedback after Oasis arrived. Please keep us informed on your children’s reaction. What a thrill it must be to show them this new ship! The compliments you give your staff, in my mind, is what seperates RCCL from other ships. Your staff is the best, and it is great that THE BOSS appreciates the great people who work for him. I wish you the best and can’t wait to board 12/1.
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Great stuff. Looking forward to seeing the videos of passenger reactions when they return from their first Oasis cruise. You can even charge for professional videos of passengers and show the best on the website. Everybody will be happy.
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Warmest congraulations on such an accomplishment and great blog. I couldn’t help but smile as I read your comments and anticipate the first time I see her and step aboard. What a joy to deal with such an innovative, oustanding company. Kudos to your employees as well. You can feel their excitement on the phone! I honestly don’t know if I will be able to sleep the night before the christening, I’ll be so pumped up to be onboard. Well done!
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I’m still in New York counting down the days until December 1st’s sailing. My friends in Fort Lauderdale who have seen the ship say it is magnificent. I hope most of the venues are operational for the cruise. This is so much fun!!
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Please keep up with the blog, I watched as the ship came into port and was amazed how easy she docked. I can’t wait for my cruise next October. I really enjoyed the Captain Bill’s talks as he was bringing the ship home. Are you going to post any pictures on the inside of the ship soon??? Royal Caribbean should take over the world market with the new ships as long as you keep the prices where people can afford them. I do find it sad that you are already raising your prices on bookings for cruises next year.
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Sounds so like a very proud parent when speaking about their offspring………we were thrilled to be watching on a website provided by InLetCam on Friday……….what fun that was. On first sight of her sitting off shore was incredible then she moved into the inlet and their was a collective gasp from all who witnessed that……….HUGE was just one comment.
RCI Corp, Richard Fain, Adam Goldstein, Harri, shipyard workers should be very pleased with this major accomplishment………WELL DONE. Six years a very long time to live each day for a project to be completed. Sure the Mrs. is pleased to have more attention now that she is completed…(except her sister is now under construction)…..
We look forward to our cruise on this ship next September…….
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J’aimerais beaucoup voir un diaporama de mon fils François qui est ingénieur en mécanique de marine1ère classe sur l’Oasis of the Seas. J’ai regardé tout ceu où on voit le capitaine qui parle. I would like very much seeing a slide show of my son François who is an engineer in mechanics of marine1ère class on the Oasis of the Seas. I looked at any ceu where we see the captain who speaks. This mother Maud, St-Raymond, Québec, Canada
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We booked the Dec 1st 4 day and the Dec. 5th 7 day and we can’t wait to get on baord.. All of our friends are waiting for a report when we get home. Hopefully we will reserve a cabin on the Allure of the Seas for its maidan voyage. This way we can log the Allure of the Seas with Oasis of the Seas, Freedom of the Seas and the Summit in our scrap book for first time crusies. But this one will be the bigest of them all
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Hi Richard,
i’m Jonathan Cyr. Those are very nice notes, they just make me feel very impatient to wait until December 1st, since i will be occupying stateroom #6720 for the 4 night cruise.
Congratulation for making this whole project possible at this time of my life, sailing on a ship like this one, brand new, is a thing that happens once in a life time. I’m sure that everyone and I, will get the WOW!
I will dare the Zip Line!!!
Félicitations!
Jonathan //
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I tried to take my husband who is disabled to get a closer look at this magnificient ship on Sat. , the causeway and John U Lloyd Park but could not see it. ,We watched it on tv when it arrived.
My question is when will it go thru the Port Everglades inlet again. so I can take him there to see it.
This is important to me to take him to see it, when he thought he did on Sat. he said WOW. He is sick I just need to know when it will go thru the inlet so I can take him there. to see it,
I thank you in advance if you could let me know .
Babs
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Dear Mr. Fain and Mr. Goldstein,
You should be so proud of the effort you and your team have
put into the Oasis of the seas.
I believe that a multi-generational ship is the perfect idea
for many who have never had the opportunity to cruise.
The choices you are providing from dining to entertainment
to sports and just relaxing on board will provide the travel agency community with so many different new options for our clients to explore.
I wish you tremendous success and look forward to
sailing on board the “Oasis of the Seas”
Sincerely yours
Susan Rice
President New Era Travel
Miami Florida
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My husband and I have reservations on the extravaganza cruise on Dec 1st and I have been checking in daily on-line to hear the updates from Captain Wright from the crows nest of the Oasis on it’s journey from Finland. We are so excited to see and experience the WOW factor. I have printed a picture from your image gallery of the ship and a map of the ship and I hung it on my office door for everyone to stand in awe of the magnificant size and beauty of the Oasis and listen to the comments and the envy.
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Mr. Chairman -
My husband and I are booked on the Feb. 20, 2010 sailing along with my parents. We are VERY excited. However, our only negative is your wine list is VERY amateur. I hate to be harsh, and I readily admit that my husband comes from the San Fran Bay Area/Napa Valley. It is just that there are so many amazing, unique, special elements to the Oasis especially the on-board cuisine and restaurants. Yet, your wine list is completely underwhelming – a 2 star list on board a 5-star ship. Are there plans in the future to improve the wine selection? Please advise.
Many thanks!
Kristena and Jim
Reservation# 5857049
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Congratulations on a wonderful ship – I can’t wait to see her someday. Also congratulations to Capt Bill. But what is a “table top damage exercise”??
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I would comment, but since I realized you don’t have time to READ our comments, I would just say that your emotive comment are great antecipation for the first trip where I’m booked already.
Thanks!
Sami
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I wish you all the and I bet that you all have an amazing future ahead of you!
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This ship looks amazing my sister is one of the design team from Atkins and she has been telling us for the past 3 years how great this ship is going to be and now I’ve seen it on the web I believe her. She flew out yesterday and today she is boarding to go on the 3 cruises for the travel industry and the media, on Monday she told me she was so excited she had “a ball the size of Jupiter in her tummy!” The work that has gone in to this ship is immense and I wish her a long and happy service and the experience of a lifetime to all those who travel on her.
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I am really surprised to know and see the Oasis of the Seas through internet. It’s world class facilities and services really attracted me. It’s really awesome. I would like to give greetings and special thanks to the Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. for manking and presenting the world such a largest historical cruise ship. Thanks again………
Azim
Dhaka, Bangladesh
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Very cool, would love to go on a trip!!
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ily oasis! cant wate to come abored
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Babs,
I don’t know if this will get to you, but on Friday November 27, you can come into the port at either the R84 entry or 17th Street. Park in the outside lot next to the convention center and a bus will pick you up (handicap capable) and take you to a spot where you will get a great view. This is a free opportunity from 12 to 4 that day.
Phil
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What a wonderfull ship i am amazehodge
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