Allure of the Seas and Twin Funnels

By guest blogger Steve Newman

With its twin funnels lowered for the first time, new cruise ship Allure of the Seas has passed under the Storebaelt Bridge with a tiny amount of breathing space. The 18km-long Storebaelt Bridge stretches between the Danish islands of Zealand and Flynn and towers to a height of 254 metres (833ft) with the road it carries at 65 metres (213ft) above the sea.

Allure of the Seas also stands at 65m at its highest point – the twin funnel stacks. The architects from Royal Caribbean behind the design of the new ship developed funnels that retract inside the stack to reduce its height by one metre, thus allowing the vessel to pass under the bridge. The tight manoeuvre took place as Allure made its way to its new permanent home, Fort Lauderdale in Florida via the North Sea, Dover Straits and English Channel having left the STX shipyard in Turku, Finland, on October 29.

The first paying guests will join Allure on December 1 when the ship begins offering cruises in the Caribbean for the first time. Prices for a nine-night fly/cruise, including flights from the UK for a seven-night voyage, start from £1,470 per person.

At 225,282 gross registered tonnes, Allure can accommodate over 6,200 guests and is 360 meters and 5mm long (1,187ft). If stood upright, bow to stern, the ship would dwarf the One Canada Square building at London’s Canary Wharf and New York’s Chrysler building.

Featuring huge outdoor spaces, highlights include an open air park – Central Park – longer than a football pitch, a two-level shopping street, 17 different bars, over 20 restaurants and cafes, two rock climbing walls, two FlowRider surf simulators, a zip-line ride and even a large outdoor AquaTheater for high diver performances and water shows.

For more information, see http://www.allureoftheseas.com/. (Photo: Simon Brooke Webb)

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