mediately to fill the vacancy. Now the dry
Nobody knows the ins and outs of
dock which could barely contain the first
these giant ships better than Toivo Ilvonen,
Oasis – at 365 metres, the dry dock is on-
the Project Director of the Oasis-class. He
ly four metres longer than the ship – has
reports that the construction of both ves-
WELCOME TO THE
another giant occupant.
sels is proceeding well, and with regards
NEIGHBOURHOODS
to Allure, there are some benefits to hav-
The Oasis-class is very much rooted on the
ing “been there, done that”.
cruise line’s new neighbourhood concept
By December, more than two thirds
of the Oasis of the Seas had been built,
while about 20 per cent of the Allure stood
ready.
sis. The serial effect is considerable in these
types of vessels,” Ilvonen confirms.
“It is much easier to start putting
which is expected to woo even the most
Allure together, since we already did Oa-
seasoned cruise-goers. There are seven dis-
Representatives of RCCL and STX Europe
placed coins of their native countries under
the keel. This ritual is performed to bring
good luck to the ship-building effort.
seatec 1/2009
27