Allure of the Seas debuts in Ft. Lauderdale

Allure of the Seas arrives for the first time in Port Everglades

(Ft. Lauderdale), Florida on November 11, 2010. 

Photo courtesy of Royal Caribbean

Royal Caribbean made headlines again this past Thursday as Allure of the Seas completed her first arrival to the United States.

Watching the online video of Allure's arrival into Port Everglades, it's difficult to not be swept up in the obvious enthusiasm the executives at Royal Caribbean and the crew oboard feel about the newest addition to the fleet.

At 225,282 GRT and measuring 1,187 feet in length and with a maximum breadth of 208 feet, Allure of the Seas boasts the same impressive dimensions as her sister, Oasis of the Seas.  In short, she is gargantuan, larger than even Cunard Line's flagship, RMS Queen Mary 2.  Interestingly, QM2 is taller by .2 feet and boasts two additional feet of draught.

Allure of the Seas is far from being a carbon copy of her sister, though.  Several improvements and additional features have been added that differentiate her from both Oasis as well as other ships in the industry.

She boasts a full-fledged Starbucks Coffee kiosk aboard, as well as a 3-D movie theatre - both firsts for the industry.  iPod docks are also included in every stateroom, and the enormous vessel is equipped with interactive, digital signage - allowing passengers to know where they are, wherever they are.

The innovative ship can play host to a maximum of 6,296 total guests and 2,394 crew hailing from over seventy-one different countries.  With all those people, it's important to have suitably numerous public rooms.  Allure of the Seas still retains small, intimate public rooms like the Library, capable of seating eight guests.  On the other hand, the ship's Opus Dining Room can hold a whopping 3,056 passengers - the entire guest capacity of some of the line's smaller vessels.

The coming week will provide time for last-minute touches to Allure of the Seas, including the addition of 12,000 live plants which will be added to the ship's Central Park open-air promenade.  The ship will feature prominently on The Today Show on November 19, and will be officially named on November 28th. A special four-night "preview" sailing will depart on December 1st, with Allure beginning her first, week-long Caribbean revenue voyages on December 5, 2010.

Interested cruisers should be sure to check out the many video galleries shot aboard Allure of the Seas, which are some of the most interesting and best-produced videos in the industry.