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Link: image_src * Performance Media Network * TravelPulse * Agent@Home * Vacation Agent * Travel Agent Academy * Virtual Travel Events _____________________ [ Search Button ] Formerly ModernAgent.com SIGN-IN / SUBSCRIBE * Home * News * Suppliers * Deals * Training * Videos * Marketing * Support / FAQ * EVENTS CALENDAR * BROCHURES * TRAVEL PULSE DAILY * VIEW ALL DEALS * AGENT PROMOS * CONSUMER PROMOS * REWARDS [IMG] Vacation Agent Magazine - December 2009 TRAVEL NEWS Ship Review * MGM Mirage Lenders Agree to Changing the Game Extend Loan Repayment Date * Oceania Cruises Floats Out By Theresa Norton Masek Marina, Cuts Steel on New Riviera Oasis of the Seas shatters the mold with its size and amenities * Three Crew Members Killed When Costa Europa Strikes Pier When Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. officials sat down to plan their * American Eagle to Introduce newest ship, Oasis of the Seas, "we wanted to create something First Class on CRJ-700 Jets that was game-changing," Chairman Richard Fain recalls. * YTB International's Corporate Secretary Cauthen Resigns Well, they certainly accomplished that goal, and then some. The * MSC Magnifica Holds Flag 225,282-ton Oasis, the world's largest cruise ship by far, is a Ceremony at France's STX startlingly attractive vessel. It's part theme park, part luxury Shipyard shopping mall and, yes, part land-based resort. The ship is so * Harrah's Entertainment Reports huge that at times you forget you're moving on the water. Quarterly, Full-Year Declines for 2009 The ship is one-third familiar, one-third evolutionary and * Hyatt Hotels Reports Narrowing one-third revolutionary, Fain explains, with certain features that of Quarterly Losses are well known to Royal Caribbean International fans. For example, * Wynn Resorts Reports 31.7 the nautical-themed Schooner Bar and the signature Viking Crown Percent Increase in Quarterly Lounge are familiar features that will help past passengers feel Revenue at home. The Royal Promenade on Oasis is an evolutionary feature, * U.S. Senate Passes Bipartisan much larger and more encompassing than those on earlier ships. Travel Promotion Act * View All But the revolutionary features are the amenities that are catching the eye of just about every media outlet in the world, and TravelTube Originals justifiably so. With neighborhoods-most notably Central Park with pathways winding around real foliage and the carnival-themed [EMBED] Boardwalk-joined by jaw-dropping spectacles such as the zip-line, the AquaTheater for diving and synchronized swimming shows, a TRAVEL DEALS 35-seat bar that works as an elevator, and the hand-carved wooden carousel, the Oasis of the Seas breaks all the molds. It's * Elite Island Resorts - Elite impossible to capture all its features and amenities in two pages, Island Resorts' 2010 but we'll do our best to summarize the highlights here. All-Inclusive Fams! * Delta Vacations - Save up to Royal Promenade: Guests enter Oasis of the Seas on Deck 5, via the $100 to the all-inclusive Royal Promenade, home to the Riding Tide, the bar that slowly Iberostar Hotels & Resorts in moves between Decks 5 and 8. It's actually classified as an Mexico, Jamaica & the Dominican elevator. Arched skylights allow natural light to filter down from Republic the open-air Central Park into the promenade. Guests can stroll * Delta Vacations - Save up to through the Promenade, visiting the Globe and Atlas, a typical $200 to Jamaica English pub with dark wood paneling and bar. Above the pub is a * SeaDream Yacht Club - Caribbean giant copper globe that opens and serves as a bridge above the and Trans Atlantic Yachting at promenade. The elegant Champagne Bar seats 66 people in steel blue Exceptional Value - Book Today and silver velvet couches. A bottle of the house champagne, a Jean * SeaDream Yacht Club - $200 Dorsene brut, costs $22. The Cupcake Cupboard is a cute little Bonus Commission on NEW bakery with seating for 10 and a variety of decorated cakes, Mediterranean Bookings - Click including red velvet and coconut lemon, selling for $2.50 each. thru to Customizable HTML and Sorrento's, an Italian eatery, allows guests to create their own Mail Today pizza with a variety of toppings, including artichokes, Cajun * Travel Impressions - March is chicken, salami and avocado, as well as the usual. The Schooner Sandals Month! Save up to 65% Bar is here, along with Bolero's, a Latin-theme lounge with a hot plus receive free nights! red-and-yellow decor, and On Air, which serves as a sports bar * US Airways Vacations - Save up during the day and a karaoke bar in the evening. to 40% on your Walt Disney World(R) Resort Hotel Central Park: A true highlight, Central Park on Deck 8 is open to * View All the sky, allowing the sun to nourish 56 real trees and bamboo rising up to 24 feet tall, over 12,000 plants, seasonal flower RELATED TRAVEL NEWS gardens and "living walls" entwined with flowering vines. The winding pathway is lined with benches and has a few steps, causing * Royal Caribbean Launches Online more than a few to trip or even fall, especially when they're Dining Reservation System gazing upward, admiring the surroundings. * Oasis of the Seas: A Game Changer for Cruising The most exclusive restaurant on the ship, 150 Central Park, * Royal Caribbean Tests Balloon features cherry wood panels and accents, a marble sunburst floor Rides on Oasis and mosaics with glittery tiles. The restaurant is managed by * MGM Mirage Lenders Agree to 23-year-old Keriann Von Raesfeld, who holds the title of "Best Extend Loan Repayment Date Young Cook in the World." The menu is akin to "trend-setting * Oceania Cruises Floats Out restaurants from New York and Los Angeles," with an expansive wine Marina, Cuts Steel on New list. A sample menu during a preview cruise included butternut Riviera squash soup, fresh melon salad with goat cheese, cube of halibut, * Three Crew Members Killed When wagyu strip steak with celery root puree and a banana split. The Costa Europa Strikes Pier cover charge is $35. * Curacao Tourist Board Names Rojer Marketing Manager, North Chops Grille offers white tablecloth dining both inside and America "outdoors" on black wrought-iron chairs on the terrace facing * View All Central Park. Cover charge is $25, and menu selections include broiled veal chops, a 10-ounce filet mignon, 12-ounce New York ARTICLES Strip steak and the usual accompaniments such as baked potatoes and bearnaise sauce. The Park Cafe is a casual eatery serving up * Changing the Game panini, carved meat sandwiches, soup and a salad bar; there's no * New Adventures cover charge here. Giovanni's Table is an Italian eatery, of * Dreamy at Sea course, with a faux wooden floor, vintage pictures of Italy, and * Colossus of the Seas flickering flameless candles on the tables. Menu items include * Carnival's Theory of Evolution cioppino, antipasti, gnocchi with light blue-cheese sauce, veal * The Big Day osso bucco and more. Cover charge is $10 for lunch and $15 for * Fam Favorites dinner. Vintages is a cozy wine bar with `a la carte-priced tapas and wines, and some seats tucked behind a garden. Picture This is a photo studio at which guests can book a photographer for one hour to take portraits throughout the ship. There's no charge for the photo shoot, but the portrait packages start at $575. Other features in Central Park include small bars, an art gallery and a Coach leather goods retail outlet. Boardwalk: This fun neighborhood really does evoke the feel of a Coney Island or other coastal beach resort. Guests trod on a wooden floor and look up to see fellow passengers whiz by on the zip-line, nine decks above. There's no charge to ride on the full-sized carousel, which was hand-carved from poplar wood. The merry-go-round features 18 figures, including a zebra, frog, lion and giraffe in addition to the traditional horses. Nearby is Candy Beach, which sells retro faves such as candy necklaces and bulk candy for $11.96 per pound. The Boardwalk Donut Shop offers doughnuts at no additional cost and coffee drinks from Seattle's Best Coffee for a few dollars. The Seafood Shack is another retro venue, with red-and-silver metal chairs, decorative buoys and clapboard walls. Cover charge is $8.95 for lunch and dinner for adults, and $4.45 for children under 12. The Johnny Rocket's burger stand is also here; cover charge is $4.95 for lunch and dinner. The Boardwalk is also the locale for the two 43-foot rock-climbing walls, which flank the impressive AquaTheater, the venue for high-diving and synchronized swimming shows. The pool is just under 18 feet deep, allowing Olympic and NCAA divers to perform from platforms and springboards. Other highlights: There's a wide variety of entertainment on board, headlined by the Broadway musical "Hairspray" performed in the Opal Theater, which seats 2,161 people on three decks. The beach pool has a gentle sloped entry. There are two FlowRider surf simulators; a lovely solarium with its own bistro serving healthful cuisine ($20 cover charge for dinner, complimentary for breakfast and lunch); an expansive Windjammer Marketplace for casual buffet meals; a main dining room on three decks with traditional set dining times or restaurant-style open seating between 6 and 9:30 p.m.; shows on the ice rink; an expansive spa with 29 treatment rooms; and elaborate children's facilities and programs, including new paging systems that allow parents to track their kids' location throughout the day. Accommodations: The 37 stateroom and suite categories start with the 147-square-foot interior staterooms and range up to the 1,524-square-foot Royal Loft Suite with Balcony, a two-deck-high suite with four convertible-to-queen twin beds, a double sofa bed, two baths and an 843-square-foot balcony with whirlpool and dining area. Several interior balcony rooms overlook Central Park or the Boardwalk; they range in size from 181 to 271 square feet. These balconies directly face those of the room across the way, so beware that others can see in, especially if the lights are on. Family staterooms that sleep up to six range from 260 to 271 square feet of space. Itineraries: Oasis of the Seas offers alternating Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries departing Saturdays from the new and efficient Terminal 18 at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale. The eastern itinerary visits St. Thomas, St. Maarten and Nassau, while the western route calls at Labadee, the private beach resort at Haiti; Falmouth, Jamaica; and Cozumel. Selling Tip: To best sell Oasis of the Seas, make sure you have the eight-page foldout that details all the dining options, cover charges and other options that can be reserved up to 90 days in advance. Also extremely helpful is the "We Build Incredible" brochure that reviews the neighborhoods and details all the various stateroom and suite choices. For more information www.cruisingpower.com, www.oasisoftheseas.com Link to VacationAgentMagazine site Reader Comments login or register to comment Printbutton Emailbutton Share: Send to Facebook Send to Twitter * Terms of Use * Privacy * Feedback or Questions * Support * About Us Copyright (c) 2010 Performance Media Group, LLC, All rights reserved Performance Media Group, LLC, is an Inc. 5000 company Web Analytics