I'm sailing on her sister LIBERTY OF THE SEAS in May and very much looking forward to it.

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Originally posted by Carlos Fernandez:
Apart from the beautiful ships I still cannot believe Oasis of the Seas is sailing out of this DUMP they call a "cruise port", with the excellent terminals available at Miami, thanks Miami city commissioners or whoever lured RCI away from Miami.

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Carlos,
I don't know how true this is, but I read that one issue with Miami and OASIS is the turning basin. Apparently there would have been challenges with a ship as big as OASIS.

An entirely new terminal is being built for OASIS (largest in the world), and I'm certain it's going to be really something. I agree the rest of the terminals in Port Everglades leave something to be desired. I do enjoy sailing out of Ft. Lauderdale though, because of the Point of the Americas condos and the fun light and sound show they put on. The condo owners at South Point in Miami could care less about the ships departing.

I really do not think there is an issue with Miami's "turning basin". It is large enough to accomodate Oasis. You can look at a Google Satellite Image in comparison to docked ships nearby.

The turning basin's maximum turning diameter 1700 ft. north to south and 1650 ft. east to west. The depth is not a problem either at a control depth of 36 ft. when Oasis' draft is 30 ft. The main channel's control depth is 44 ft. There is also more turning space, more back up space (and the ship has to travel backwards less or not travel backwards at all) and less hazards at Miami. But then again there might be something we don't know and that probably is somewhere in the contract. Also we are less than a year away from Oasis' inaugural (use of her home terminal) and there is no construction going on at the terminal at all, this means that like all Port Everglades does it will just be a little blue and white paint here and there.

Below is a scaled satellite image showing the comparison between both ports showing were Oasis will be / would've been berthing. Both ports are shown at the same scale.

BTW Ernie, you are right, the Point of the Americas has a very cheerful crowd, but I'm sure passenger's love sailing through Miami's main channel more so than the quick Port Everglades channel transit.

Cheers

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Originally posted by Carlos Fernandez:
Apart from the beautiful ships I still cannot believe Oasis of the Seas is sailing out of this DUMP they call a "cruise port", with the excellent terminals available at Miami, thanks Miami city commissioners or whoever lured RCI away from Miami.

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Carlos,
I think the new OASIS cruise terminal sounds pretty great!

Ernie

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PORT EVERGLADES BUILDS WORLD’S LARGEST CRUISE TERMINAL FOR WORLD’S LARGEST SHIPS
March 18, 2009

PORT EVERGLADES BUILDS WORLD’S LARGEST CRUISE TERMINAL
FOR WORLD’S LARGEST SHIPS

PORT EVERGLADES, FL (March 18, 2009) -- Port Everglades today unveiled its plans to more than triple the size of Cruise Terminal 18 in time for the arrival of Royal Caribbean International’s 5,400-passenger Oasis class of ships, the largest cruise ships in the world. Port Everglades Director Phillip C. Allen told journalists attending the Cruise Shipping Miami Conference (formerly known as Seatrade) that once completed, Terminal 18 will become the largest single-ship cruise terminal in the world.

“There may be bigger terminals that service two ships at the same time, but Terminal 18 is being constructed specifically to handle one giant Oasis class ship at a time. Guests will be treated to the Oasis experience as soon as they enter the terminal,” Allen says. “The Port’s staff meets weekly with Royal Caribbean’s staff and the contractors so we can ensure the project moves forward smoothly and rapidly in time for a grand opening in November 2009.”

Bigger Is Faster
Just last cruise season, before construction ever began, Terminal 18 was already the largest of Port Everglades’ 12 cruise terminals with 67,500 square feet of interior space. Once the construction is complete in November 2009, the terminal will be more than three times larger, with a total of 240,000 square feet on two floors.

The terminal’s mega-size will accommodate mega numbers of cruise passengers and their luggage so that both departing and arriving guests can be processed simultaneously. In the new Terminal 18, guests will debark and embark through entirely different sections of the building, permitting the simultaneous debarking of guests from the ship while embarking guests are processed and seated inside the terminal waiting to board the ship. The terminal area for debarking guests is 102,000 square feet on two levels, while the arrival hall for embarking guests is in the new section of Cruise Terminal 18 and encompasses 138,000 square feet on two levels.

The goal is that once the ship is cleared for embarkation, the transition for guests to go from curbside to the ship can be completed in 15 minutes.

FMT of Sweden is manufacturing two new “switch-back” passenger loading bridges for the new terminal that will replace the current telescoping bridges and will provide guests with an easy transition from the terminal and to the ship.

To expedite debark, there will be 22 booths for U.S. Customs and Border Protection personnel to process guests after their cruise. Embark will be expedited by the availability of 90 modern check-in counters and a bank of overhead video screens that provide arriving guests with up-to-the-minute directions and information.

On the Move
Terminal 18 is located in the center of Port Everglades directly on the Port’s main thoroughfare. It is separated from other cruise terminals so that vehicular traffic to and from the terminal is isolated and can move smoothly. An intermodal transportation center will have separate entrances and traffic routes for buses, trucks, taxis and cars so that vehicles can move smoothly and swiftly to pick up and drop off guests and provisions. In addition, there will be more than 1,000 parking spaces within walking distance of the terminal.

An Oasis of Light and Color
Shades of green with blue accents will represent the sea and sky on the exterior of Cruise Terminal 18, while the interior is bathed in natural light from a 4,000-square-foot skylight in the atrium and a massive window at the entranceway.

Renowned international artist Michele Oka Doner was selected through Broward County’s Art in Public Places program to create a 3,000-square-foot work of art on the atrium floor of the new terminal. Inspired by the colors of the ocean, the new terminal will feature beautiful deep green and blue terrazzo flooring that evokes undulating ocean waves. Embedded in the terrazzo will be bronze oceanic seeds that appear to have drifted far and wide into the current. As a tribute to the maritime mega-experience and the majestic scope of the Oasis-class ships, the artwork encompasses a dramatic bronze globe crisscrossed with lines of latitude and longitude. This lustrous work of art will be energized with great sweeps of iridescent mother-of-pearl, simulating the trade winds that circle the earth.

While You Wait
Although the goal is to move guests quickly through the terminal so they can begin their cruise vacation, those who arrive early will be able to relax on the upper level of the terminal with seating available to accommodate up to 3,000 passengers. Once there, they can recharge electrical devices and stay connected through free wireless Internet access. Children will be provided with their own playground area inside the terminal for use before boarding.

Economic Impact
An economic impact study conducted by Martin and Associates as part of the Port Everglades Master/Vision Plan, projects that by the fifth year of the 10-year agreement between Broward County and Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (RCL) to homeport the Oasis-class and other RCL brand ships at Port Everglades, an estimated 8,012 jobs will be supported. These jobs are anticipated to generate $356.5 million in personal income and $32.8 million in state and local taxes. In addition, the study anticipated that more than 1,414 new construction jobs would be created as a result of the Terminal 18 expansion.

About the Construction
The Broward County Public Works Department’s Seaport Engineering and Construction Division is spearheading the Terminal 18 construction project. The contractor is Hewitt-Kier Construction Inc. and the architect is Bermello Ajamil & Partners, Inc. Additional work is being completed by Hammond & Associates, Inc., Lakdas/Yohalem Engineering, Inc. and Cordova Rodriguez & Assoc., Inc.

Public/Private Partnership
The cost of this expanded cruise terminal is $75 million. The expense will be covered primarily through an increase in the number of passengers that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. guarantees will sail to and from Port Everglades over a 10-year period, with the guaranteed number of passengers increasing five-fold within the first five years of the agreement with Port Everglades. This guarantee includes passengers sailing from Port Everglades on all of RCL brand ships including Celebrity and Azamara.

About Port Everglades
Broward County’s Port Everglades is poised to become the world’s top cruise port by 2011 with Royal Caribbean International homeporting its two new 5,400-passenger Oasis class of cruise ships in Greater Fort Lauderdale. Each Oasis class ship is projected to generate approximately 584,000 passenger movements annually at Port Everglades. The first of the 220,000-gross-registered-ton ships, Oasis of the Seas, is scheduled to begin sailing year-round from Port Everglades in fall 2009, with the second sister-ship, Allure of the Seas, to begin year-round sailings one year later.

Port Everglades is the cruise ship capital of the world with more than 3 million passengers sailing from the South Florida seaport annually and more homeported cruise ships than any cruise port worldwide. Fourteen cruise lines sail from the South Florida seaport including: Carnival Cruise Lines, Celebration Cruise Line, Celebrity Cruises, Costa Cruise Lines, Cunard Line, Discovery Cruises, Holland America Line, MSC Cruises, Princess Cruises, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Royal Caribbean International, The Yachts of Seabourn, and Silversea Cruises.

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Originally posted by eroller:

Carlos,
I think the new OASIS cruise terminal sounds pretty great!

Ernie

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Thanks Ernie.

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Originally posted by Carlos Fernandez:

Thanks Ernie.

I am afraid Port Everglades will let everyone down once again. Eight months is not enough time to build or even expand the terminal to the massive proportions they say no matter what type of construction method they plan, it just takes time. I am happy Bermello, Ajamil and Partners are responsible for the architecture though.

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I'll let you know when I have first hand experience in January. I recently used the same pier to board SOLSTICE and it was seamless. Not the most attractive, but then again I was only in the building about 30 minutes tops so did it really matter? I'm actually more concerned about how prepared Labadee will be. Major construction going on there to build the pier and new facilities. I've heard they destroyed one of the best beaches to build the pier. I'll check it out in May when I'm on LIBERTY OF THE SEAS.

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Originally posted by Carlos Fernandez:

I am afraid Port Everglades will let everyone down once again. Eight months is not enough time to build or even expand the terminal to the massive proportions they say no matter what type of construction method they plan, it just takes time.

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I don't know, Carlos, have you been up there lately? It seems like every week there is a substantial addition to the project--looks like the whole outer form of the new terminal is already up and in place. Of course the interior will take some time, but I think they can finish it all well within the next few months.

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Originally posted by NAL:
Very nice photos! For me the most attractive are Independence of the Seas and Carnival Triumph. I liked the Westerdam so much better before the re-built stern. I love the Florida blue water!

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Originally posted by Carlos Fernandez:
It is a construction method used mostly for warehouses as we can see, it has no comparison to the beautiful terminals from Miami.

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You're right Carlos. The design in no way compares to the stylish Carnival and Royal Caribbean terminals in Miami. See renderings here.