The $1billion boat arrives in Britain: World’s biggest cruise ship Harmony of the Seas rules the waves as it docks in Southampton ahead of maiden voyage
- Harmony Of The Seas is a 1,188 foot and 227,000-ton cruise ship - the newest and biggest the world has ever seen
- Worth £800m, it boasts the Ultimate Abyss - the tallest slide at sea - as well as seven separate ‘neighbourhoods’
- Stood on its stern the ship would soar above the Shard, the Eiffel Tower and the Burj Al Arab hotel in Dubai
- It is 330ft longer than the Titanic, and can carry a human cargo of 8,880 including 2,100 crew from 77 countries
The largest cruise ship in the world – measuring more than four football pitches in length with a maximum capacity for 6,780 passengers – has docked in Southampton for final preparations before its maiden voyage.
A small crowd of well-wishers, including some dressed in their pyjamas, welcomed the £800million Harmony of the Seas as it arrived just after dawn today, but tens of thousands of people are expected to visit the coastal city this week to catch a glimpse of the gigantic vessel before it carries paying customers for the first time.
After sailing from a shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France, and spending the day yesterday cruising the English Channel, Harmony of the Seas sailed up Southampton Water and arrived at Southampton shortly after 6:15am.
It will depart on a short cruise on Sunday – a four-day taster voyage to Rotterdam, in the Netherlands – and on 29 May will make its maiden voyage to Barcelona, where it will be based for 34 seven-night tours of the western Mediterranean this summer. It will sail between Florida and the Caribbean this winter.
Royal Caribbean International’s 18-deck ship has set new records for length (1,1188ft), gross tonnage (227,000), width (215.5ft), passenger capacity (5,479 at double occupancy or a maximum of 6,780) and staterooms (2,747).
With a crew of 2,100 from 77 countries, the floating city boasts seven 'neighbourhoods', a 10-storey slide that is the tallest at sea, 23 swimming pools, 20 dining venues, 52 trees, surf simulators, robot bartenders, a casino and climbing walls.
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Welcome: A small crowd turned out to wave in the Harmony of the Seas as it sailed into Southampton shortly after 6am this morning
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The Harmony of the Seas, pictured arriving into Southampton, is the biggest cruise ship in the world, with a length of 1,188ft
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The largest cruise ship in the world measures more than four football pitches in length with a maximum capacity for 6,780 passengers
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Stunning aerial photos of Harmony of the Seas' arrival in Southampton reveal the scale of the 227,000-ton cruise ship
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Harmony of the Seas is slightly larger than Allure of the Seas and Oasis of the Seas, two sister ships from Royal Caribbean International
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Well-wishers, still wearing their pyjamas, rushed out of bed to welcome the ship as it sailed up Southampton Water, the tidal estuary
Chanzo: Dailymail