Oasis is a class of luxury cruise ship designed by Royal Caribbean International – the biggest passenger ships in the world. Two such ships were ordered in early 2006, and Royal Caribbean began production on two of the world’s most impressive cruise liners, Allure of the Seas and Oasis of the Seas. Allure is currently under construction, but Oasis was finished in 2009.

Oasis is expected to join up with her sister ship by 2011, but for the moment, she stands alone as the largest vessel at sea and certainly the jewel of the Royal Caribbean fleet. The previous largest cruise liner was the Freedom-class cruise ships of Royal Caribbean. The Freedom-class ships were 1,111 feet long and 208 feet high and were like towns at sea.

Coming in even larger and with more room, the Oasis of the Seas is like a floating city. The ship’s displacement is about 100,000 tons, and its weight is astonishing at over 225 thousand gross tons. This ship was created for stability. Amazingly, only 30 feet of the ship sits beneath the water. It’s so wide that the displacement is well distributed, helping the ship to handle waves.

1,181 feet of length, 236 feet in height, more shops and restaurants than your average mall, and a weight close to an aircraft carrier means that it takes a lot to power the Oasis of the Seas. In order to power this beast, six separate diesel engines are used – they’re combined into three 16-cylinder diesels producing over 25,000 hp each.

Not only do the engines have to power the cruise liner’s movements, but Oasis needs massive amounts of electricity generated to power the many electronic components, elevators, a water treatment plant, and much, much more.

The features onboard are simply incredible. For everyone who’s never been on a large cruise liner, the experience is like visiting a portable shopping mall. You’ll find a karaoke club, a comedy club, volleyball and basketball courts, four pools, a casino, a mini-golf course, and more.Oasis has all entertainment and athletic zones broken down in seven “neighborhoods.”

The first part is called Central Park. Within this zone, you’ll find various restaurants and bars, stores, the Rising Tide bar that covers three different levels, and a living, breathing park with over 12,000 plants. The second zone is the Pool and Sports Zone featuring a large pool and surf simulators. Zone three is the Vitality at Sea Spa and Fitness Center.

The fourth zone is an impressive area called the Boardwalk, and it features rock-climbing walls, a tattoo parlor, an aqua theater, restaurants, shops, and much more. Zone five is the Royal Promenade and features the high-class shops and restaurants. Zone six is the Youth Zone with computers and a science lab, and zone seven is called the Entertainment Place.

Oasis of the Seas has 16 decks and can carry a total of 6,300 passengers at speeds of up to 22.6 knots. There are even two-story loft luxury suites on board, providing guests with 1,600 square feet of living space.