If your ideal vacation includes ice-skating, hitting the spa to get a massage, climbing a rock wall, surfing or shopping, all while you are sailing to the Caribbean, then get out your credit card and book a spot on the world’s largest cruise ship.
Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas, which recently arrived in New York Harbor, is 237 feet tall and 1,112 feet long with 15 passenger decks. Standing upright on its bow, the 160,000-ton ship would be taller than the Eiffel tower. The ship can accommodate more than 4,000 passengers, about 1,000 more than the world’s previous largest ship, the Queen Mary 2.
The Today Show gave viewers a tour of the history-making vessel last week. The show’s hosts and contributing reporters explored the ship’s fitness center, which is almost 10,000 square feet and includes a boxing ring. The show also spotlighted the ship’s mall-like promenade, with shops, a pizza place and wine bar that also includes a bridge used for small circus acts. The ship also has a party room called Pharaoh’s Place, which is decorated with Egyptian-looking statues and columns painted in yellows, oranges, blues and greens.
Sounds tempting, but how much will a trip on this floating “city” cost you?
Prices for seven-day voyages range from $1,900 per couple for an interior room during the low season to nearly $2,500 for the same-size cabin with a balcony during high season. If money is not a factor, then consider hosting a “cruise party” for a dozen of your closest friends–a deluxe room that sleeps 14 will only put you back $22,000 during peak season.
In previous blogs, I mentioned that I have never taken a cruise, but I can see why some loyal cruise fans may be a bit put off by the Freedom of the Seas’ grand scale. Some say that the ship’s enormous size can be overwhelming and impersonal. Not to mention that with 4,000 people on board you may find yourself standing in long lines. In addition, travel experts say that on a ship of this scale, there is so much to do you really don’t have to get off, consequently some passengers may be tempted to skip some of the ports. However, if you have the desire and the means, then a trip on the Freedom of the Seas may be the ideal vacation.