pic for travel
THE biggest and most innovative cruise ship to be based in Australia, Royal Caribbean International's Voyager of the Seas, has arrived at Sydney's Overseas Passenger Terminal — the first ever call at her new "home port".
Australia's historic first megaliner weighs in at 137,000 GRT, is 311 metres long, 38 metres wide and has 15 passenger decks.
At almost double the size of any ship currently based in Australia, she hosts up to 3800 guests and 1200 crew — more than the population of some NSW towns such as Bega and Bellingen.
To give you an idea of her size, if Voyager of the Seas was stood up vertically she would be two metres taller than the Centrepoint Tower and with 1557 staterooms, Voyager of the Seas has twice as many bedrooms as Australia's largest hotel — the Sheraton Four Points Darling Harbour.
Voyager of the Seas is big enough to have her own street on board which runs the length of a football field and is lined with shops, restaurants and bars; an ice skating rink. The liner also offers a 1350-seat La Scala theatre; a restaurant which seats 2000 guests; a 9-metre rock climbing wall soaring 61 metres above sea level; three swimming pools and six whirlpools; a nine-hole mini-golf course; a golf simulator for perfecting that swing and full-size basketball court.
Voyager will remain in Sydney for five months with itineraries planned for Australia, NZ, and the South Pacific.
■ Details: For more information on Voyager of the Seas, visit www.royalcaribbean.com.au
■ Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises are owned by Royal Caribbean Cruises Limited.