Oasis of the Seas, the world’s largest cruise ship, set sail this past weekend from its Finland birthplace to Florida, getting ready for its maiden voyage in December. You can get some sense of its size from this video, taken over the weekend in Finland:

Inside the world’s biggest and most expensive ever cruise ship, the £810million Oasis of the Seas

The Oasis of the Seas, which will be sailing mainly in the sunny Caribbean, catering to younger, more active passengers with children offering a wider selection of activities, including 21 swimming pools, an aqua park, a carousel and a science lab.

Here is an overview of the ship’s features and attractions:

Birthplace is in Turku, Finland at STX Europe:

View Larger Map

Oasis of the Seas journeys home to Fort Lauderdale

Quick stats:
- Length: 1,180ft
- Width: 154 ft
- “65 metres (213 feet) above the waterline”
- 16 decks
- 2,700 staterooms
- “6,360 passengers (max) and 2,160 crew members”

The ship costs on the order of $1 billion. How can they ever recoup that investment? Assume that the ticket price per person includes $500 for paying back the ship. Assume each cruise has 5,000 passengers. Assume 40 cruises per year. On each cruise they recoup $2.5 million. Each year they recoup $100 million. It takes 10 years to pay off the investment in the boat.

More info: How Cruise Ships Work

[[[Jump to previous world record - An electric car has traveled 313 miles]]]