Royal Caribbean Worldwide’s Oasis of the Seas has made her inaugural go to to the attractive vacation spot of Aruba – greater than 14 years after the ship first set sail.
It actually isn’t uncommon for brand spanking new cruise ships to go to ports for the primary time, however it’s extra distinctive for an older vessel to have new locations on her itineraries.
Oasis of the Seas Visits Aruba for the First Time
Oasis of the Seas made her very first-ever go to to the beautiful island of Aruba on Wednesday, January 2, 2024 – greater than 14 years after the ship debuted. The cease was a part of the ship’s present crusing, a 9-night Southern Caribbean Excellent Day itinerary that departed Miami, Florida on Friday, December 29, 2023.
“We couldn’t be happier in the present day with one other first name in our Port of Oranjestad. Welcome to Oasis of the Seas’ first go to,” mentioned Aruba Ports Authority (APA) whereas commemorating the event.
Inaugural visits are sometimes marked with particular ceremonies and greetings. Port officers will ceaselessly current the ship’s grasp with a token to mark the event, resembling a plaque, photograph, or small sculpture. This stuff are sometimes displayed onboard in a gallery of types, which could be a enjoyable exhibit for passengers to browse.
Equally, the ship’s officers can also current port officers with a commemorative merchandise, cementing the connection between the ship and the port and guaranteeing a very good relationship for future visits.
Additionally in port throughout Oasis of the Seas‘ first go to was P&O Cruises’ Britannia. Further Royal Caribbean Worldwide ships can even be calling on the port this month, together with Rhapsody of the Seas, Odyssey of the Seas, Symphony of the Seas, and Grandeur of the Seas. Much more ships will go to all through 2024.
Aruba was the third of 4 ports of name on Oasis of the Seas‘ present crusing. Previous to arriving in Oranjestad, the ship loved visits to CocoCay within the Bahamas and Willemstad in Curacao, and afterward, is visiting Falmouth, Jamaica, earlier than returning to Miami on Sunday, January 7.
Why Hasn’t Oasis of the Seas Been to Aruba But?
Oasis of the Seas debuted along with her maiden voyage on December 5, 2009 as the primary within the revolutionary Oasis class of ships. Throughout the 14 years the ship has been in service, she has sailed to many ports worldwide, together with all through the Caribbean, Mexico, Europe, Canada, and extra.
The ship has been homeported in numerous places to supply such various itineraries, together with Miami, New York, Fort Lauderdale, Barcelona, and Rome.
It isn’t unusual for cruise strains to maneuver new ships round to varied homeports of their first few years, particularly when a ship is debuting a brand new class with all new options. This brings the brand new vessel to extra vacationers and generates better curiosity and extra bookings.
As a result of Oasis of the Seas has been homeported a number of instances from Fort Lauderdale and Miami, it’s uncommon that the vessel had not visited Aruba till this yr. The tropical island – a part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands – just isn’t as ceaselessly included on Caribbean itineraries as many vacationers might anticipate, nonetheless.
That is due to the island’s distance from US homeports. Aruba is 1,300 miles (2,092 kilometers) of crusing distance from Miami, the southernmost main US cruise homeport, and 1,500 miles (2,414 km) from Port Canaveral, the busiest passenger cruise homeport on the planet.
Cruising to Aruba
Aruba is among the stars of what are casually referred to as the A-B-C itineraries – Aruba, Curacao, and Bonaire. It is a fashionable Southern Caribbean itinerary for cruise strains, however as a result of all three islands are simply 60 miles (97 km) off the northern coast of Venezuela and so removed from fashionable homeports, these will not be ceaselessly scheduled itineraries.
Cruises to achieve Aruba do are usually longer, with 7-night sailings typically the minimal to go to one of many A-B-C islands. Longer 8, 9, or 10+ night time itineraries usually tend to embrace a number of of the coveted locations.
Learn Additionally: Finest Issues to Do in Aruba
These itineraries ceaselessly have a number of days at sea to ensure that ships to comfortably attain the area, and can also embrace stops in different ports of name resembling Jamaica, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, or the Bahamas, relying on the cruise line and crusing route.
Along with Royal Caribbean ships, vessels from Princess Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, Carnival Cruise Line, TUI Cruises, AIDA Cruises, Oceania Cruises, Superstar Cruises, Silversea Cruises, Virgin Voyages, and extra will likely be calling on Aruba in 2024, giving cruise vacationers loads of choices to see this wonderful vacation spot.
