Royal Caribbean Announces The World's Largest Cruise Ship

Royal Caribbean has announced its fourth Oasis-class ship Symphony of the Seas as the world's largest cruise ship, which will sail throughout Europe and the Caribbean starting in April 2018. The vessel encompasses 230,000 gross registered tons and offers 28 more staterooms than its sister ship Harmony of the Seas. Here are three reasons to get excited about Symphony of the Seas.

Symphony of the Seas will spend her inaugural summer season in 2018 throughout Europe exploring the Mediterranean, stopping at ports like Barcelona, Spain; Provence, France; and Florence, Italy. The cruise arrives to Miami in early November to begin seven-night Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries with new stops for Oasis-class ships in Costa Maya, Roatan and St. Kitts and Nevis.

Royal Caribbean is building an all-new cruise terminal for Symphony of the Seas and sister ship Allure of the Seas at PortMiami's Terminal A (nicknamed "Crown of Miami"). The cruise terminal is 170,000 square-feet and is scheduled for completion upon the arrival of the two ships in 2018. Crown of Miami will serve as the homeport to several Royal Caribbean cruise ships with a spacious dock with capacity for a 1,300-foot-long ship (the Oasis-class ships are nearly 1,200 feet long).

"This is an exciting collaboration with Miami-Dade County and PortMiami to create not just another cruise terminal but an iconic state–of–the–art facility," says Richard D. Fain, CEO and chairman for Royal Caribbean Cruises. "Terminal A reinforces our unwavering commitment to our hometown, the city where our company first started nearly 50 years ago."

Royal Caribbean will offer an array of fun-filled activities, including the FlowRider surf simulator, Splashaway Bay aqua park, Perfect Storm water slides (a trio of water slides called the Typhoon, Cyclone and Supercell) and the Ultimate Abyss, which is a 10-story thrill slide — and the tallest slide at sea.