Oasis of the Seas in Port Today
Port St. Maarten in Philipsburg is amongst the busiest of the Caribbean. Almost every day, different ships make a cal, some even starting their itinerary on island. Whether spending a day on Great Bay Beach or doing a fun St Maarten excursion, the destination has many times ranked first in popular destinations for cruise visitors.
Frequently visiting ships deserve a focus, as they are iconic parts of the St Maarten skyline. For both the stayover visitor and the passenger on board, here are some interesting features about a landmark cruise ship visiting port St Maarten today: Oasis of the Seas.
1. A Class Of Its Own
The Oasis of the Seas is not just a large cruise ship. At the time of its launch in 2009, it was not just the largest cruise ship globally, it also reset standards for the industry for years to come. Under the codename “Project Genesis”, Royal Caribbean pushed the boundaries of cruise ship size. Whereas its most recent vessels before the new “Oasis Class” dealt with over 4000 visitors, the new series of ships was designed to lodge passenger amounts in between of 5400 and 6296.
2. A Lot Of Sister Ships
The Oasis class is a large family, with one sister still to be born. After Oasis of the seas launched on December 5th 2009, Allure of the Seas took over the title of worlds largest cruise ship in 2010. The same would happen when Harmony of the Seas left port for the first time in 2016, Symphony of the Seas in 2018 and Wonder of the Seas in 2022. Though Utopia of the Seas also saw action as of July 2024, it was the first ship in the Oasis-class never to receive the title of biggest cruise ship in the world – even though it was bigger than the other ships in the class. By now, Royal Caribbean had released the Icon of the Seas in a new Icon class of ships, pushing potential capacity even beyond 7000 passengers. A 7th ship in the Oasis class is still in the making for 2028.
3. New Neighborhoods
Oasis was also a landmark in cruise ship design. The ship was to be divided in 7 themed neighborhoods, all with a distinct experience for the passenger. This tradition was later expanded to 8 for the Icon class ships.
4. 7 Mothers
No less than seven famous women gave their blessing to become godmother of the massive vessel in 2009: Gloria Estefan, Michelle Kwan, Dara Torres, Keshia Knight Pulliam, Shawn Johnson, Jane Seymour and Daisy Fuentes.
5. Close call
Before the ship could make its move from its place of birth Turku (Finland) to its Caribbean itinerary, Oasis of the Seas had to go under the 65 meters high Great Belt Bridge in Denmark. It managed to pass underneath with 60 cm of space left under the bridge – and only after adjustments were made to the ship.
6. First On-Board Park
“Central Park”, with over 20,000 tropical plants, was to become the first living park on the ocean. When in Philipsburg or Great Bay Beach today, you might be able to catch a glimp of this nautical oddity. A suggested spot to see this unique construction is Grumpy’s bar, looking all the way to the ship.
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