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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
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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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The Harmony of the Seas, pictured arriving into Southampton, is the biggest cruise ship in the world, with a length of 1,188ft
The largest cruise ship in the world measures more than four football pitches in length with a maximum capacity for 6,780 passengers
Stunning aerial photos of Harmony of the Seas' arrival in Southampton reveal the scale of the 227,000-ton cruise ship
Harmony of the Seas is slightly larger than Allure of the Seas and Oasis of the Seas, two sister ships from Royal Caribbean International
Well-wishers, still wearing their pyjamas, rushed out of bed to welcome the ship as it sailed up Southampton Water, the tidal estuary
The gigantic vessel's amenities include the 10-storey Ultimate Abyss (pictured at the back of the ship), the tallest slide at sea
Harmony of the Seas (right) dwarfs many other vessels of its kind. Royal Caribbean now has the world's six largest cruise ships
Royal Caribbean says 2,500lbs of fresh salmon and 2,100lbs of lobster tails will be eaten on board on an average seven-night cruise
Harmony of the Seas: The impressive ship will spend the week in Southampton for final preparations ahead of its maiden voyage
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3593741/The-cruise-ship-makes-Titanic-look-minnow-docks-Britain-man-braves-thrilling-terrifying-100ft-slide.html#ixzz48xqUfzIL
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It took 32 months to build Harmony of the Seas, which is the 25th cruise ship in Royal Caribbean International's fleet
Miami-based Royal Caribbean International ordered Harmony of the Seas in December 2012 and it took 32 months to build the ship
Harmony of the Seas represents a shift by cruise lines to push the boundaries when it comes to size, passenger capacity and amenities
The Ultimate Abyss, a 10-storey slide that is the tallest ever built on a cruise ship, takes thrillseekers on a 100ft plunge
Tens of thousands of people are expected to visit Southampton this week to catch a glimpse of the ship before its inaugural cruise
Harmony of the Seas will spend a few days at port in Southampton before paying customers are taking on two brief cruises
Harmony of the Seas left a shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France, on Sunday and spent the day yesterday sailing in the English Channel
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In addition to the tallest slide at sea, the massive ship boasts 23 swimming pools, 20 dining venues, a casino and two surf simulators
The 18-deck ship has set new records for staterooms (2,747) and passenger capacity (5,479 at double occupancy or a maximum of 6,780)
Harmony of the Seas will make its maiden voyage on Sunday – a four-day taster cruise to Rotterdam, in the Netherlands, and back
On its seven-night tours of the western Mediterranean, Harmony of the Seas will stop at destinations such as Marseille, Rome and Naples
After short cruises to the Netherlands and France, Harmony of the Seas will leave Southampton and head to Barcelona, its summer base
From Barcelona, the cruise ship will spend the summer sailing the Mediterranean before moving to Florida and the Caribbean for winter
Harmony of the Seas's port of registry is Nassau, Bahamas. It will make its debut there after it sails across the Atlantic in October
Stood on its stern the Harmony of the Seas would soar above London's Shard, Paris' Eiffel Tower and the Burj Al Arab hotel in Dubai
From September 2013, it took 2,500 workers at STX France a total of some 10 million work hours to complete the enormous vessel
Harmony of the Seas will go on a pair of short cruises from Southampton before its maiden voyage to Barcelona on 29 May
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