Like an entire water-going city, Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas is the largest cruise ship ever built. But this colossal vessel started on a humble drawing board, when a group of international architects were given a simple brief: to design something completely new. World Record Cruise Ship follows the project from the early planning stages right through to the vessel's completion as the team creates the goliath of all cruise ships with the biggest measurements in the world. At 360 metres in length and 16 passenger decks high, it can accommodate 8,500 passengers and crew members at the same time. And to ensure that guests are afforded the most luxurious stay possible, the team had to conduct rigorous tests to ensure that every part of the ship passed the catalogue of strict environmental and safety tests needed before the maiden voyage. Dwarfing all other cruise ships, prepare to join the crew and set sail as this self-proclaimed 'architectural marvel' takes to the water. Oasis of the Seas: Incredible facts about the leviathan of luxury which is the world's largest cruise ship---------------------------------------------------- Taller than Nelson's Column, longer than four football fields - the Oasis Of The Seas, now preparing for her maiden voyage, is the world's largest cruise ship. It has every imaginable facility, from basketball courts to a wedding chapel, not to mention a spa offering Botox treatment. 0.43 miles is the length of the onboard running track. It's found in the Spa and Fitness Centre, alongside kickboxing classes, tooth-whitening treatments and 24-carat gold facials. 3 years is how long the boss of STX Europe shipyard in Turku, Finland was given to build this mammoth ship. His brief was very particular: a ship large enough for 8,000 passengers and crew, complete with a landscaped park (12,000 plants and tree), whopping theatres, an 18,000 sq ft casino worthy of Monte Carlo and ice rinks, even an onboard hospital. All to be completed in 1,095 days. 6 weeks is how long it took to carve each of the 18 wooden animals on the fairground carousel to include zebras, giraffes and even lions as well as 7 is the number of 'districts' the ship is split into. In the middle is Central Park, a 350ft-long grassy spot with plants, trees and bamboo. The Boardwalk houses a carousel, carnival games and even a fake tattoo parlour. There's also the Royal Promenade, or shopping street; a Pool and Sport Zone; an Entertainment Place and a Youth Zone. 17.9 feet is the depth of the swimming pool in the AquaTheatre. It was built with a 750-seater arena, two surf machines and fountains. Suspended above it are two climbing walls, diving towers and even a trapeze. 32 inches is the size of the screen of the smallest television set onboard. In fact, every cabin (both staff and passenger's) has a high definition set that you can use not only to watch films and programmes - but to book spa treatments and on-shore excursions. 22.6 knots is Oasis Of The Sea's cruising speed - not easy given that she often has to change course rapidly and, on occasion, perform the maritime equivalent of a handbrake turn. 50 tonnes of ice are produced onboard every day by special ice machines for 37 bars and more than 20 cafes and restaurants. 208 feet is the width of the ship - wider than the wingspan of a Boeing 747. 93 different plant varieties are to be found on the ship. There is even an onboard nature guide for botanically inclined passengers. 37 bars, 50 tons of ice: incredible facts about the leviathan of luxury 130 square feet of real gold leaf gilding were used to make the decadent carousel on the Boardwalk. 131 is the number of feet above sea level of the four Jacuzzis, suspended high above the ocean on either side of the ship. 150 miles of pipework run through the ship - and that's not even counting the 3,300 miles of electrical cabling and 100,000 lighting points that all have to be rigged up. 460 slot machines are found in the casino - where better to blow all that holiday cash burning a hole in your pocket? 1,187 feet is the ship's length from bow to stern. That's one and a half times the length of Tower Bridge - 800ft - or equivalent to four football pitches. At 240ft, the ship is taller than Nelson's Column. 6,360 is the maximum number of passengers that can fit onboard at any one time - that's more people than can fit in the Royal Albert Hall,which has a comparatively meagre 5,544 seats. 7,500 is the horsepower of each of the four bow thrusters that manoeuvre the ship. Each of them has ten times the horsepower of Jenson Button's Formula 1 racing car. 8,000 man years of labour were painstakingly ploughed into building this ship - which is more like a mini country than a boat. But with the combined effort of 3,200 hard-grafting shipyard workers, it only took three years to complete - amazingly on schedule.

• published: 05 Sep 2013
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