Royal Caribbean Mega-Ship to Feature Boardwalk, Water Shows

Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas will feature the Boardwalk, an area where passengers can play carnival games and ride a carousel, the line revealed on Wednesday.

The ship, scheduled to launch in 2009, will also have an amphitheater where water shows will be performed.

The AquaTheater, which Royal Caribbean is calling the largest freshwater pool at sea, will enable passengers to swim, relax on sun loungers located on tiered platforms surrounding the pool and take scuba lessons in the afternoon.

At night, the kidney-shaped pool will be a venue for theatrical performances featuring acrobatics, synchronized swimming, water ballet, professional high-diving and fountain shows synchronized to music and lights.

A previously announced neighborhood, Central Park, will be a promenade with trees and gardens, restaurants, bars and shops. Concerts and street performances will be held at Central Park, and staterooms with balconies will overlook the area. The Rising Tide bar will be the first moving bar at sea, traversing up and down three decks.

Royal Caribbean revealed a new wrinkle for Central Park: a copper globe sculpture built into the facade above the Globe and Atlas Pub. The line said the globe will “crack open to create a spectacular, surprise element for guests, as it unfurls on hinged hydraulics and becomes a bridge platform for performances.”

Royal Caribbean also unveiled one of its new accommodations on the ship: two-level loft suites. There will be 28 of these staterooms, which will offer views of the ocean through floor-to-ceiling windows. The lofts will be one of 37 accommodations categories offered on the Oasis of the Seas, said Royal Caribbean.