Harmony of the Seas joins Royal Caribbean’s fleet

Royal Caribbean on Thursday took delivery of the Harmony
of the Seas, the world’s largest cruise ship, in Saint Nazaire, France.

Spanning 16 decks, the 227,00-gross-ton Harmony has 2,747
cabins and capacity for 5,479 passengers at double occupancy.

The $1 billion ship surpasses sister ships Oasis and
Allure of the Seas as the world’s largest. The Oasis and Allure, which entered
service in

2009 and 2010, respectively, each are 225,000 gross tons
and have 2,706 cabins for a double-occupancy capacity of 5,412.

The Harmony will have a few features that its sisters
don’t, most notably the Ultimate Abyss, a slide with a 100-foot drop. Riders
plunge from Deck 16 to the Boardwalk on Deck 6.

There will be thrilling waterslides, too, three of them;
Royal Caribbean has collectively named them the Perfect Storm. Altogether, 4.7
million pounds of water will fill 23 swimming pools, hot tubs, two FlowRider
surf simulators, the waterslides and the Splashaway Bay water park, Royal
Caribbean said. 

Wonderland, the molecular gastronomy
experience that made its debut on the Quantum of the Seas in 2014, is a
two-story restaurant on the Harmony.

The Harmony’s first cruise, a four-day sailing, departs
Southampton, England, on May 22. The ship will spend the summer in Europe,
sailing seven-day cruises from Barcelona. In November, the Harmony will arrive
in Fort Lauderdale’s Port Everglades, from where it will operate seven-day
Caribbean cruises.