I'm a new member here so please go easy on me!

In my judgement the Oasis of The Seas is the greatest cruise liner to date. From everything that I've read and pictures that I've seen about her so far, she is number one. This great cruise liner has proven that she can take a pounding from sixty foot swells crossing the Atlantic and she is quite capable of doing this crossing 'umteen' times even though she will just be plying the Caribbean waters.

I look forward to cruising on her some day and really enjoying her.

That's way too early for that, only time will tell. Let's several reviews about how life aboard really is and how she behaves come in first, during at leat several months, and then perhaps we'll be able to come to a statement about her.

Besides, as Lasuvidaboy pointed out, she was not designed to endure North Atlantic crossings on regular basis. It IS perfectly normal a ship that size can sustain bad wather like she had during her first crossing (the contrary would have been really upsetting and abnormal to say the least) and remember, a lifeboat was even slightly damaged during that crossing (well, some "pure" liners of the past have had some damages during crossings too anyway, but a ship like say QM2 is certainly more designed for that task, even if I've full confidence on how OotS is designed maritime wise).

So in closing I'd say: For "the greatest cruise liner ever", let's wait and see.

[ 11-17-2009: Message edited by: Vaccaro ]

As far as the greatest Ocean Liner ever built, well that's something completely different.

Queen Mary used to ply the N.Atlantic at 30 knots and held the blue ribbon on more than one occasion. As a troop ship in December 1942, the Queen Mary carried exactly 16,082 American troops from New York to Great Britain, a standing record for the most passengers ever transported on one vessel.

While 700 miles from Scotland during a gale, she was suddenly hit broadside by a rogue wave that may have reached a height of 28 metres (92 ft). It was calculated later that the ship tilted 52 degrees, and would have capsized had she rolled another 3 degrees. The incident inspired Paul Gallico to write his story, The Poseidon Adventure.

During the Second World War she carried a zillion troops across the Atlantic and back again whilst evading the might of the German submarine fleet and according to Churchill, along with her sister ship the Queen Elizabeth she shortened the Second World War by two years. Among all that she carried fair paying passengers for 31 years and crossed the Atlantic more than 1000 times before her retirement at Long Beach.

She gets my vote as the greatest ship ever built never mind Cruise liner or Ocean Liner.

I wonder whether Oasis would capsize if she tilted 52 degrees or how she would handle being hit broadside by a 92 foot wave?

[ 11-17-2009: Message edited by: TC@Sea ]

There are things about her I am not keen on, the idea of the boardwalk and central balconies are a real turn off for me personally - no privacy at all. The decor of the boardwalk is too end of pier and not a real ship but that is just personal. That said there is a lot of things about her I do like, the choice of restaurants for instance.

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Originally posted by TC@Sea:
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I wonder whether Oasis would capsize if she tilted 52 degrees or how she would handle being hit broadside by a 92 foot wave?

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Originally posted by TC@Sea:

She gets my vote as the greatest ship ever built never mind Cruise liner or Ocean Liner.

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it looks like BIG size is all for you..

personally i like smaller ships much more

think Seabourn Odyssey, Le Boreal, Le Levant, Funchal, Mermoz and go on and on

the Oasis of the Seas is pretty ugly and monstrous in size

i rather prefer a detached property than to live
in an appartment building of 16 stories high

Is it just me, but I hate the term 'cruise liner'. As far as I'm concerned there are 'cruise ships' and 'ocean liners'. Mr. cruiseliner, do you know the difference. If/when you do, you will understand why many of us rate the 'Queen Mary 2' so highly.

Oasis is of course a very impressive 'cruise ship' but she will probably be superseded in size and facilities in the next 10 years. The QM2 will almost certainly continue to be the biggest Ocean Liner for decades.

[ 11-17-2009: Message edited by: Malcolm @ cruisepage ]

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Originally posted by Malcolm @ cruisepage:
Welcome aboard Mr.cruiseliner.

Is it just me, but I hate the term 'cruise liner'. As far as I'm concerned there are 'cruise ships' and 'ocean liners'. Mr. cruiseliner, do you know the difference. If/when you do, you will understand why many of us rate the 'Queen Mary 2' so highly.[...]

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Well, Malcolm, can you explain the difference?

The term cruise liner is perfectly fine giving that cruise ships gradually evolved from liners and that there are NO technical features that distinguish a liner form a cruise ship.

A 'liner' is defined as a ship that serves on 'line voyages' - nothing more and nothing less.

Of course a ship built for that purpose will be different than a passenger ship intended for cruise vacations BUT there is no principal difference - both are passenger ships.

The recent use of the term 'liner' is a bit odd. Actually, there are still many 'liners' around these days - most ferries certainly full-fill the criteria of that definition but as you know, the term 'liner' is usually not used for these ships. It actually applies more to passenger ships of the past when there was still a strong emphasis on traveling and not so much 'pleasure'. As you know, passenger ships specifically dedicated to 'pleasure travel' - cruise ships - gradually evolved from these 'liners'. However, today many ship enthusiasts use the term 'liner' to distinguish a well built, fast ships from 'cruise ships' which seems to be the direct consequence of Cunard marketing and some coffee table book. It seems as if these days the term 'liner' is often confused with what would be an 'express transatlantic liner'. Many people are very ignorant of the fact that there were other 'liners' beside those serving in the Atlantic!

QM2 is of course a fine ship, and yes, she is fast and specifically built to serve on the Atlantic. However, not every 'liner' was built for that purpose (fast transatlantic service) and in fact many cruise ships would easily 'outdo' many of the historic liners - even those meant to be express transatlantic liners.

On her westbound crossing a couple of weeks ago she encountered such a fierce storm that she detoured over 200 miles to avoid the worst of it and still had 30-40 ft waves to contend with for several days. I had friends onboard..they said it was "interesting". The weather cleared and she turned on that awesome speed she is capable of....no cruise ship can do that....and she docked in NY exactly on time...as a liner is expected to do. Not 2 days late as Oasis did.

I just spoke to friends who were on the westbound crossing that landed in NY today...after the same storm that Oasis encountered it would seem. They were in the bridge observation area and watched 2 huge waves sweep up her bow and wash over the bridge windows...then she went down a trough that had their stomachs around their feet at the end. And she kept going, and not at 7 knots as was reported I believe that Oasis did in the storm. And this morning, on schedule, she arrived in NY...right on time.

That is a liner....and one of the reasons I love that ship and will take my 7th voyage on her next year. My crossing history is in liners from the past....for as many years as I am able I will sail on QM2 as often as I can afford.

Oasis, in my opinion, is a floating resort....innovative no doubt but not something that would ever entice me. I go to sea to be on the sea...to see it, to walk the promenade and feel the essence of the ocean envelop me, and to know that I am on a ship for the ages.

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Originally posted by bearbuns:
Right up front I have to say I am QM2's biggest fan. She is an amazing LINER...not a cruise ship...not a cruiseliner.

On her westbound crossing a couple of weeks ago she encountered such a fierce storm that she detoured over 200 miles to avoid the worst of it and still had 30-40 ft waves to contend with for several days. I had friends onboard..they said it was "interesting". The weather cleared and she turned on that awesome speed she is capable of....no cruise ship can do that....and she docked in NY exactly on time...as a liner is expected to do. Not 2 days late as Oasis did.

I just spoke to friends who were on the westbound crossing that landed in NY today...after the same storm that Oasis encountered it would seem. They were in the bridge observation area and watched 2 huge waves sweep up her bow and wash over the bridge windows...then she went down a trough that had their stomachs around their feet at the end. And she kept going, and not at 7 knots as was reported I believe that Oasis did in the storm. And this morning, on schedule, she arrived in NY...right on time.

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Nobody denies that QM2 is a marvelous ship with fantastic capabilities. However, she is still a passenger ship. Of course Oasis of the Seas can not go as fast as QM2 (generally and trough a storm) and she had to slow down more than QM2 has to slow down (and of course QM2 also reduced her speed). However, I very much doubt that Oasis of the Seas behaved badly in that storm. I would assume that for those aboard there was no significant difference between QM2 and Oasis of the Seas - in such a storm you can get seasick aboard both ships. Also, let's not forget that work was underway aboard Oasis of the Seas - they had to keep her as calm as possible.

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Originally posted by bearbuns:

Oasis, in my opinion, is a floating resort....innovative no doubt but not something that would ever entice me. [...]

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Yes, she is a floating resort but like it or not QM2 is also a floating resort - it's just a different theme. And as said, from a technical point of view both Oasis of the Seas and QM2 are passenger ships - different (!) passenger ships but still passenger ships.

[ 11-17-2009: Message edited by: Ernst ]

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Originally posted by Ernst:
A 'liner' is defined as a ship that serves on 'line voyages' - nothing more and nothing less.

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Agreed, but as modern cruise ships rarely tend to do 'line voyages', the term 'cruise liner' is very unsuitable as far as I'm concerned.

However as the QM2 was built for 'line-voyages' and 'cruises' (like the QE2) I suppose she could be called a 'cruise liner', but I still don't like the term.

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Originally posted by Malcolm @ cruisepage:

However as the QM2 was built for 'line-voyages' and 'cruises' (like the QE2) I suppose she could be called a 'cruise liner', but I still don't like the term.

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Originally posted by Malcolm @ cruisepage:

Agreed, but as modern cruise ships rarely tend to do 'line voyages', the term 'cruise liner' is very unsuitable as far as I'm concerned.[...]

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Actually, the repetitive itinerary of many cruise ships is very similar to what some 'liners' did.

The only thing that disturbs me is the 'arrogance' involved in using the term 'liner'. I have nothing against using the term for marketing or in an 'emotional' context but often people come up with pseudo facts and use it to e.g. imply that (other) 'cruise ships' in general are inferior.

[ 11-17-2009: Message edited by: Ernst ]

there we go again liner. ship or whatelse

guys, that's not the question/issue what it is about

you are losing yourselves in an semantical word discussion

for travel from a to b, we take the plane..
ferries still exist, lines are something of the past century

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Originally posted by buddhaJoe:

for travel from a to b, we take the plane..

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It's like calling a car an automobile, one in the same. Either ship is built of similar steel welded together, asipod or in line propulsion, swimming pools, food, entertainment, you name it there is very little difference. So in my book, the Oasis is the world's greatest Cruise Liner, Ocean Liner or Cruise Ship so far, whatever one wishes to call her.

On another note, my wife and myself spent thirty four days on the Amsterdam from Vancouver to Sydney and it was a great cruise on that Ocean Liner. We are ready to go again.

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Originally posted by Malcolm @ cruisepage:
Welcome aboard Mr.cruiseliner.

Is it just me, but I hate the term 'cruise liner'. As far as I'm concerned there are 'cruise ships' and 'ocean liners'. Mr. cruiseliner, do you know the difference. If/when you do, you will understand why many of us rate the 'Queen Mary 2' so highly.

Oasis is of course a very impressive 'cruise ship' but she will probably be superseded in size and facilities in the next 10 years. The QM2 will almost certainly continue to be the biggest Ocean Liner for decades.

[ 11-17-2009: Message edited by: Malcolm @ cruisepage ]

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The terms ocean liner, cruise liner, etc. are very subjective. Cruise ships evolved from ocean liners so to many they still are one and the same.

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Originally posted by Carlos Fernandez:
Welcome Cruise Liner, yes Oasis is an amazing ship.

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Thank you Carlos.

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Originally posted by Sutho:
You would really want to be carefull describing it as biggest, best, greatest. Isnt that what they said about Titanic and look where it ended up.

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Originally posted by CruiseLiner:
Either ship is built of similar steel welded together, asipod or in line propulsion, swimming pools, food, entertainment, you name it there is very little difference.

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No! There is a world of difference technically between the QM2 (Ocean Liner) and Oasis (a cruise ship).

The QM2 cost 50% more to build, than if she was just a regular cruise ship of the same size. The strength of the hull is double the normal thickness in places. She can achieve considerably higher speeds (around 30 knots) than any cruise ship, allowing her to cross the pond in 6 nights (or less). Oasis’s top speed is around 22.6 Knots, hence the long crosiing and having to take a 'sheltered' route.

The QM2’s superstructure has been designed to be able to withstand the rigours of the North Atlantic better. She is constructed completely of steel unlike some ships which have an aluminium upper superstructure (the Voyager class does, the QE2 dis, does Oasis?) She also has a very high bridge, a bow 'break-water' and many sheltered balcony cabins. Her lifeboats are also situated higher (at 27 metres) than on regular cruise ships to protect them.

If a conventional cruise ship undertook regular crossings of the North Atlantic, as the QM2 does, (especially in winter) structural damage would be a major risk.

[ 11-18-2009: Message edited by: Malcolm @ cruisepage ]

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Originally posted by Malcolm @ cruisepage:

No! There is a world of difference technically between the QM2 (Ocean Liner) and Oasis (a cruise ship).

The QM2 cost 50% more to build, than if she was just a regular cruise ship of the same size. The strength of the hull is double the normal thickness in places.

If a conventional cruise ship undertook regular crossings of the North Atlantic, as the QM2 does, (especially in winter) structural damage would be a major risk.

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Originally posted by Malcolm @ cruisepage:
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If a conventional cruise ship undertook regular crossings of the North Atlantic, as the QM2 does, (especially in winter) structural damage would be a major risk.

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