Port Everglades Expands to handle Largest Cruise Ship in the World

[Dog Walker]

I agree that the money would help, but I went on a cruise last year and our boat swamped the ports we docked in, and we had 2,500 people.

The way that thing is designed IT is a destination.  It has neighborhoods in it!  Tennis courts and multiple swimming pools, amusement parks and theaters. 

[mtraininjax]

Good move the cruises down there to the crazies in Miami. Perfect place for them. I'd rather have all the containers on the east coast of Florida.

[Lunican]

http://www.youtube.com/v/nHb3iu1h9_k&hl=en&fs=1&

[CS Foltz]

Well the ship is larger than the whole of Port Everglades........local McDonalds must really fill up quick!

[Lunican]

Day 5 of the Atlantic crossing, Oasis of the Seas has hit 60knot winds and 30 foot seas.

http://www.youtube.com/user/royalcaribbeanoasis#p/u/0/7_CRKc9Rc88

[CS Foltz]

Sure hope that with a 30' draft that low tide does not ground the big bugger............that would be a potential for a major problem! We could end up with a new city!

[Jason]

Day 5 of the Atlantic crossing, Oasis of the Seas has hit 60knot winds and 30 foot seas.

http://www.youtube.com/user/royalcaribbeanoasis#p/u/0/7_CRKc9Rc88

The damn thing is hardly even moving!

[CS Foltz]

That sucker probably has stabilizers on it.....computer controled! Land lubbers need all the help they can get and  it would not pay to get the whole boat seasick!

[Dog Walker]

ALL cruise ships have stabilizers on them.  If not people would be falling down stairs and getting hurt, not just seasick!

Supplying that thing has to be an industry in itself.  They can make their own water, but can you imagine how much food 9000 people will eat in a week long cruise?

[CS Foltz]

Dog Walker......I did not know about that...........my on board ship experience is with warships and everything I was on did not have no such thing. You either got up to speed or had a bucket on hand.......of course this is old school, for all I know all of the modern ships of war have them! Bow thrusters are something else new too.....did not have them either.....once again old school.

[mtraininjax]

I have seen some rather "green" passengers on cruise ships with swells of only 3 feet. When you are rolling like that out in the ocean, I don't know how you stabilize the ride...

[Dog Walker]

The latest generation of warships is using azimuth pods just like that cruise ship.  They don't have rudders, they just rotate the pod with the propellers on them to control direction.  They don't use stabilizers because of drag and vulnerability.  Warships go much faster than cruise ships and can't afford the additional drag.

With these rotating pods, they don't need tug boats for docking and undocking.  The pods are just turned sideways and the ship moves sideways.

Yachts are using smaller versions of the same technology now too.  Volvo and Mercruiser both make rotating pod drives.

The stabilizers are like huge fins that stick out of the sides of the cruise ships and a lot of yachts.  They are active and use gyroscopes and computers to rock the boat in the opposite direction from which the swells are trying to roll them.  It cancels out about 90% of the rocking motion.

[Lunican]

The ship arrives tomorrow morning at Port Everglades.

http://www.youtube.com/v/m2jydkl-LsE&hl=en_US&fs=1&hd=1

[Lunican]

A few photos of the ship arriving in Ft. Lauderdale today.

[CS Foltz]

I would bet dollars to donuts......that Captain was standing the whole time because if he was sitting, there would be pucker marks in the chair!