Gigantic Cruise Ship Buoys Company's Hopes

Gigantic Cruise Ship Buoys Company's Hopesby Greg Allen

November 22, 2009

Listen to the StoryAll Things Considered

[4 min 36 sec]Add to PlaylistDownloadTranscript text sizeAAANovember 22, 2009We're headed into the year's biggest travel week, and there's not much bigger than what's sitting in the port of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., right now. It's called the Oasis of the Seas, and it's the largest cruise ship ever built -- five times the size of the Titanic, with a price tag of $1.5 billion.

That's a lot to gamble in the middle of a cruise industry slump. Royal Caribbean, which commissioned the Oasis, has seen its sales drop by 15 percent from last year.

The Oasis is the first ship to offer two-story, loft-style cabins priced as high as $34,000 per week. It has room for 6,300 passengers. Royal Caribbean CEO Adam Goldstein says it's not just about being big; it's about giving the guests more options -- in dining, recreation, even cabins.

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