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,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.

• 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

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 May 22,2016– a four-day taster voyage to Rotterdam, in the Netherlands – and on May 29,2016 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.