Another Oasis-class to be built?

[Coqui of the Seas]

This at least provides good fodder for rumor and speculation - which is all I ascribe to with this - leading to if perhaps these improvements are in place then maybe the cruise industry will follow. But again your (first hand) assesment is likely more the case - just fun to speculate.

 

I know, we loooove to speculate down here too. :D.

 

Here in Puerto Rico, we say that you are either from San Juan or from "the island" (meaning, you don't live in San Juan). Those of us who live in "the island" have always felt a bit neglected since we feel as if worthwhile tourism improvement projects always elude us. We welcome any rumors or speculations pointing at better things to come, but reality has shown us that most of these never materialize...:(

 

BTW - like your screen name. Many a night there filled with the sounds of Coqui......

 

Thanks! :) I gave it a lot of thought before I finally decided to create my Cruise Critic account. Love my coquis!

[whitshel]

Come on now, we all know RCCL has finally answered all our west coast calls and will homeport G3 in San Diego!! Woohoo...:D

 

Ya, like that will ever happen.....:(

[Coqui of the Seas]

Will an Oasis ship fit under the Verrazano bridge in NYC?

 

NCL Breakaway needs some competition...:)

[mjldvlks]

From the RCI blog:

 

Interesting quote from that document:

RCI has been in contact with the CPA concerning Oasis Class vessels using Port Canaveral as a potential port of call and as a port of refuge during emergency conditions. Under without-project conditions, including interim channel modifications, Oasis Class vessels are too large to operate in Canaveral Harbor’s Federal channels on a regularly scheduled basis. Simulation-based evaluations conducted for the Oasis Class indicate an Oasis Class vessel could potentially operate in Port Canaveral in a limited fashion under with-project conditions, however; Oasis Class vessels are not projected to use Port Canaveral and the benefits calculations do not include any benefits related to Oasis Class vessels.

So you're saying there is a chance.

[jonbgd]

Come on now, we all know RCCL has finally answered all our west coast calls and will homeport G3 in San Diego!! Woohoo...:D

 

Ya, like that will ever happen.....:(

I ll vote for that one:D

 

Will an Oasis ship fit under the Verrazano bridge in NYC?

 

 

 

NCL Breakaway needs some competition...

 

 

I had thought about that as welll

[mjldvlks]

Everyone seems to think their hometown would be perfect for a 3d Oasis class ship. So I thought I would throw mine [Wichita, KS] into the mix. With a little dredging and widening, the Arkansas river should be able to handle it. I think barges already come as far inland as Tulsa. May need to adjust some bridges and build locks to get her around the lakes and dams. Probably take a week to get back to NOLA [and she would probably have to back the entire way down river]. But she could do b2b 7 night cruises from NOLA to Wichita and back with ports of call in Vicksburg, Little Rock and Tulsa.

[leaveitallbehind]

Will an Oasis ship fit under the Verrazano bridge in NYC?

 

NCL Breakaway needs some competition...:)

 

No - Explorer just makes it now. And this was asked of the captain on EOS and confirmed as the bridge would need to be raised or the water lowered. Hmmmmmm.......

[yj_eugene]

I can't see them adding a 3rd to Port Everglades even if its doing 10/11 nights - that alone is 18,000 pax each "week"

 

I can. They already know FLL/Term 18 works as the Oasis-class home port, so why not use it again during the week? Having this news come out now would give potential ports enough lead time to work out whatever details they need if they want to be part of the route. Don't forget that they would be probably be removing the current ship doing that route (Vision/Legend I think in the next couple of years), so the actual increase is less, and they could even reposition the Liberty or Independence also, effectively negating any change in pax. Finally, it's often been said that one week isn't enough time to fully experience all that the Oasis or Allure have to offer, so having an option to spend a few extra days on the newest one (Haven of the Seas?) would be quite attractive to a lot of cruisers.

[MJonTravel]

I'm a little surprised that they are building a 3rd one of these wonderful ships. That said, I'm sure that other ports are exploring the possibilities of widening and deepening their access for larger ships, both cruise liners and merchant ships. Slowly but surely, I expect there will be more ports for a ship this size to sail into.

 

I can say that my 2 weeks on Allure of the Seas were like no other cruise I have experienced, and I've been on 28 of them (which I know makes me a pup compared to some :) ). Seriously, the caliber of entertainment, options for dining, options for everything were just out of this world.

 

I knew Allure was something special when I saw our onboard spending for the first week. Biggest bill I've ever paid for cruise spending...... and I didn't regret it one bit. Though i did tone it down a bit on week 2! :) These ships are apparently quite successful from a financial perspective. If there's an opportunity for some cheap financing to build another, I suppose I'm not that surprised afterall that they are looking at building another.

[Twinzma]

Florida Governor Rick Scott toured the new Cruise Terminal 6 at Port Canaveral in August. He announced that the funding is coming from the state to widen the channel by 100' and make it deeper to accommodate these megaships and cargo ships. Completion of the project is expected in the Fall of 2014. We can only hope for now that we get an 'Oasis' like cruise ship, and not just a bunch of cargo ships, only time will tell....

[Beth C]

After thinking about it I can see Port canaveral making the renovations etc to accommodate - with RC putting almost all their eggs in the Port Everglades basket, basically pulling out of POM, retiring the 2 smallest ships in the near future and rumors of moving Freedom north it would be in their best interest to accommodate.

 

It's also been proven that these ships can continue to demand a premium price and seems to have actually drive up the price for their other ship (many weeks its the same $$ to sail Freedom as Oasis/Allure). I feel bad for those people who have waited for the price to "go down" and deprived themselves of an amazing experience for the last couple years :(

 

 

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[SensFan11]

Lots of potential here...I think it would make a lot of sense to do 10/10/11 night sailings out of Port Everglades or Port Canaveral. How's this for a potential itinerary:

 

Ft Lauderdale > @sea > @sea

St Maarten > St Kitts > @sea

Barbados > @sea > Labadee

@sea > Ft Lauderdale

 

For the 11-nighter, they could add a stop in St Thomas.

 

And, what would make this even better would be if they could drop St Maarten and instead add another island from the lesser Antilles (Grenada? Guadelope? Antigua?)

 

 

 

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[LilMermaid]

If it did, that would be news to me. I've never heard of them diverting from their usual ports. It does seem like it would be an easy port to approach though....sorta like St. Martin's set up.

 

 

Hi Paul,

Last year we were on the Allure for a special 9 night cruise that added St. Kitts to the eastern itinerary. It was a great port to dock in, and St. Kitts was extremely happy to have us there - signage, bands, and hundreds of locals hanging around taking pictures :) It was almost hard to tell who was on vacation! Who knows, maybe that was a test run for the future.

[Scotty G]

So you're saying there is a chance.

 

I'd say snowballs chance in hell. This is after reading all portions of the document related to cruise ships; and, my opinion on space/funding for a terminal with associated parking to accommodate 6,000 passengers.

[Aquahound]

Hi Paul,

Last year we were on the Allure for a special 9 night cruise that added St. Kitts to the eastern itinerary. It was a great port to dock in, and St. Kitts was extremely happy to have us there - signage, bands, and hundreds of locals hanging around taking pictures :) It was almost hard to tell who was on vacation! Who knows, maybe that was a test run for the future.

 

That's pretty cool. I never knew that cruise occurred. Goes to show there are other Caribbean ports that can handle Oasis Class. Now, to just get an itinerary that includes them instead of the same old East West routes. :)

[rolloman]

Ponce is a nice place, and suitable for a day trip while on vacation in Puerto Rico, but I SERIOUSLY doubt that a place like this city would EVER be the homeport for a ship like Oasis (or ANY cruise ship for that matter). During the last few years, it has generated very little interest from the cruise industry, with a handful of visits from smaller cruise ships from lines like Holland America.

 

Even if the interest was there, this small city (roughly the size of Madison, Wisconsin) would need MASSIVE upgrades to handle the influx of passengers boarding every week.

 

• They only have a limited number of hotels (largest one being a 150 room Hilton).
  
• The airport is currently served by ONE airline (Jetblue) offering 2-3 flights a day TOTAL.
  
• While the port is deep enough to handle large ships, it's mostly a cargo port with very limited passenger facilities.
  
• San Juan is about a 1 hour drive, but developing the infrastructure to move passengers from the San Juan airport to Ponce is currently NOT there.
  

 

Falmouth Jamaica ring a bell? Certainly if they pulled it off Ponce would have little issues if any at all.

[rolloman]

I'd say snowballs chance in hell. This is after reading all portions of the document related to cruise ships; and, my opinion on space/funding for a terminal with associated parking to accommodate 6,000 passengers.

 

Didn't stop Carnival from currently building their new pier in PC. Lots of empty land nearby that can be bought for a price. Parking garages are easily built or expanded from the ground UP. Who is to say exactly how big the newly proposed designed "Oasis class " ship will be or how many passengers it is to hold. Its all speculation at this point. Port Canaveral is on the move to become the premier port and they have made that clear in the press.

[Bild Em Bigger]

Wherever and whenever, I dont really care, all I know for sure is I will be on it :D

 

Place the order and get her build, I for one really hope this project comes off :D

[Lovestobeunderwater]

If memory serves, the United States Navy has something like 12 aircraft carriers. There are almost always one to two of them in Dry dock. Keeping the others all over the planet. RCCL may immulate this practice.

\

Roger

[north29]

There has always been a rumor that the Oasis or Allure would be moved there. There is such a market for a week with Micky, and Universal, and other theme parks around Orlando, what a deal, a week in Orlando, and a week on a fantastic new and innovative ship, I bet the travel agents are drooling or the possibility.

I would miss the Freedom, my favorite ship.

[ahecht]

It occurred to me that, given the expense of building the shore facilities to support an Oasis-class ship, RCI would be unlikely to base the ship in a port that hasn't proven that it can at least support a Freedom-class ship. So far, this limits the choices to Port Canaveral, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Barcelona, and Southampton. Based on how NCL does with the Epic in the Mediterranean, Marseilles and Rome might also be on the table.

[richstowe]

96 posts about whether of not this is a good idea and where this behemoth should be located.

Hello! How about a comment on the validity of this rumour?

 

Perhaps eventually there will be another Oasis class ship (but I doubt it).

Either way there is no chance that this very short article with very few specifics is anything but a wild rumour.

Don't believe it!

[negc]

I learned long ago never to say never and sometimes even the wildest seeming rumors turn out to have at least a seed of truth in them, however, the timing of this report seems suspect. While it could be that scheduling availability at a shipyard might dictate that RCI needs to order another ship at this time (whether another Oasis class or something else)

when details about the Sunshine project ships have yet to be revealed, it seems counterproductive for RCI to be making such an announcement which only serves to distract attention from the ships that they already have on order. RCI's silence about Sunshine ships has been building interest for months and we are told not to expect any new revelations before the start of 2013. Would this really be the best time to introduce a new subject for speculation or would it simply dampen enthusiasm and interest in the ships currently on order. Since this rumor was first mentioned, I've seen few if any comments about where the Sunshine ships will be home ported or what features they will have. That can't be a good marketing strategy.

[leaveitallbehind]

96 posts about whether of not this is a good idea and where this behemoth should be located.

Hello! How about a comment on the validity of this rumour?

 

Perhaps eventually there will be another Oasis class ship (but I doubt it).

Either way there is no chance that this very short article with very few specifics is anything but a wild rumour.

 

Don't believe it!

 

While it certainly took on a life of its own, the "rumor" was based on a linked aritcle with the OP. True or not only time will tell but that was the source.

[wscott52]

No - Explorer just makes it now. And this was asked of the captain on EOS and confirmed as the bridge would need to be raised or the water lowered. Hmmmmmm.......

 

Not true. Oasis and Allure were both built with retractable stacks to lower their air draft. Verrazano Narrows bridge was one of the bridges this feature was designed to accomodate.

 

She has already been under the Great Belt Bridge in Denmark with clearance of 213' (65 meters) with no problem.