Harmony of the Seas in Rotterdam
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History | |
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Name: | Harmony of the Seas |
Owner: | Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. |
Operator: | Royal Caribbean International |
Port of registry: | Nassau, Bahamas |
Route: | Caribbean |
Ordered: | 27 December 2012 |
Builder: | STX France SA |
Cost: | US$1.35 billion (2015) |
Yard number: | A34 |
Laid down: | 9 May 2014 |
Launched: | 19 June 2015 (float-out) |
Acquired: | 12 May 2016 |
Maiden voyage: | 29 May 2016 |
In service: | 15 May 2016 |
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Status: | In service |
General characteristics | |
Class and type: | Oasis-class cruise ship |
Tonnage: | |
Displacement: | Approximately 120,000 t (132,000 short tons) |
Length: | 362.12 metres (1,188.1 ft) |
Beam: |
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Draught: | 9.322 m (30.6 ft) |
Depth: | 22.6 m (74 ft) |
Decks: | 18; 16 passenger decks |
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Capacity: |
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Crew: | 2,300 |
MS Harmony of the Seas is an Oasis-class cruise ship built by STX France at the Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France for Royal Caribbean International. With a gross tonnage of 226,963 GT, she is the largest passenger ship in the world, surpassing her older sisters Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas.
The success of the first two Oasis-class ships led Royal Caribbean Cruises to order a third ship of the type in December 2012.Harmony of the Seas was floated out on 19 June 2015, began her first sea trials on 10 March 2016, and was delivered to Royal Caribbean on 12 May 2016. After a construction time of 32 months, the ship first set sail on 15 May 2016 from the STX France docks in Saint-Nazaire, viewed by some 70,000 people. Her first destination was Southampton, England, although her home port was Barcelona until 23 October 2016 when she crossed the Atlantic.
Harmony of the Seas took two short "preview cruises", three nights to Cherbourg and four nights to Rotterdam, after reaching port in Southampton on 17 May. During these voyages, passengers complained of ongoing construction, a lack of hot water, unopened attractions, excessive waits at restaurants, and other issues. The ship's maiden voyage departed from Southampton on 29 May and arrived at its summer home port of Barcelona on 5 June. According to passengers on this cruise, construction had finished and the ship was ready to sail.
For the inaugural season, Harmony of the Seas offered seven-night western Mediterranean cruises originating from Barcelona and Civitavecchia. In late October 2016, the ship crossed the Atlantic to the United States, where she offers seven-night eastern and western Caribbean cruises departing from Port Everglades, Florida.