The world’s biggest cruise liner is to have a New York-style “Central Park” on the ship, its owners have revealed.

Royal Caribbean is building the 220,000-tonne liner with the working name Project Genesis and the announcement is the latest salvo in the intensely competitive global cruise market.

The company said the park would be “a revolutionary design in which the center of the ship opens to the sky and features lush, tropical grounds spanning the length of a football field”.

New York style: The liner will have an outdoor area on-board supposedly modeled on Central Park.

The 1,180ft long luxury liner is under construction in Finland at a cost of £700 million and dwarfs the current biggest ships – also owned by Royal Caribbean – which are 160,000 tonnes.

The builders said the space will be like a town square for al fresco dining and entertainment. The park will be located on Deck 8 of the 16 deck ship and open to the sky, with dimensions of 62ft (19m) wide and 328ft (100m) long. Trees in the park will tower more than two-and-a-half decks tall and the area is to have micro-climate control techniques to make sure the plants thrive.

World’s biggest: The 220,000-tonne cruise liner is being built by Royal Caribbean in Finland.

Richard Fain, chairman and chief executive of Royal Caribbean, said: “This ship is a quantum leap in architecture and design and will deliver an unparalleled vacation experience to all who sail with us.”

Figures from the Passenger Shipping Association predict 1.55 million Britons are expected to take a cruise holiday in 2008 – up from 1.35 million last year.

Royal Caribbean will base one of its current biggest liners, Independence of the Seas, in Southampton from next month for its inaugural season.

Al fresco: The outdoor area will have trees and plants and a special microclimate so that they thrive.

P&O Cruises has responded with a new ship – the Ventura, which is named in Southampton tonight by Dame Helen Mirren, and Cunard recently launched the Queen Victoria – also based in Southampton.

The recent credit crunch does not seem to be affecting the industry as Royal Caribbean alone is pumping £1.4 billion into two Genesis class liners over the next few years.

When finished, Genesis will be able to carry 5,400 passengers and stood on its stern it would dwarf Britain’s tallest building – the 800ft One Canada Square in Canary Wharf.

It will be longer than four football pitches and 40 per cent bigger than the existing biggest liners.

It is scheduled to enter service in autumn 2009 and its home port will be Fort Lauderdale in Florida.

Royal Caribbean link: Captain William Wright, Freedom of the Seas

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This post was written by Richard Rodriguez, Rescue Tug Captain, and US Coast Guard approved instructor for License Training. You can read more of his articles at the BitterEnd of the net.

Here’s your opportunity to name a ship! This, however, isn’t just a random ship, Royal Caribbean is asking YOU to name the world’s largest cruise ship. USA Today tells us;

Are you ready to win a cruise? Launching in 2009 and 2010, respectively, the much-anticipated, 5,400-passenger vessels will be the largest in the world — 40% larger than today’s biggest cruise ships — and cost a record $1.2 billion a piece. So the chance to name them is quite an honor.

If your suggestions are picked, you’ll win a seven-day cruise on one of the new ships, among other prizes. If you’re one of five finalists, you’ll win a two-night inaugural cruise on Royal Caribbean’s Independence of the Seas, debuting in May.

Of course, you have to come up with a winner of a name — two, in fact, that are related to each other. And that’s harder than it looks. Just ask Royal Caribbean’s president and CEO, Adam Goldstein.

“Naming ships is one of the most challenging aspects of the business,” Goldstein told us this week. “I’ve seen times when (the process of) naming a ship took longer than ordering it.”

Click HERE for our story on this amazing vessel then head over to USA Todays to enter the contest: Name That Ship.

Genesis Facts:

• The building of the biggest floating resorts in the world is a two-billion-euro assignment
• The Genesis is almost a full quartermile long
• The construction is a huge 3-dimensional puzzle
• 30.000 drawings are needed in designing this ship
• The yard is supported by a vast network of professional suppliers

Source: Aker Yards

Cunard Cruiser tells us of the recent keel laying ceremony for what will be the world’s largest cruise ship. They write;

Project Genesis, the largest cruise ship to ever make it from drawing board to production made a significant step in its journey towards the sea today (11th December) at Aker Yards ship yard in Turku, Finland.

At the milestone keel-laying ceremony, the first blocks constructing the 220,000 GRT Project Genesis were laid into the bottom of the dry dock. From here the ship will begin to take its form for the first time.
At 40% larger than any other cruise ship in the world, Project Genesis – the working title applied by cruise line Royal Caribbean International, the company behind its development – is scheduled to enter service in Autumn 2009. Project Genesis will be homeported year-round from Port Everglades, Fort Lauderdale in Florida.

Project Genesis is 1,180 feet long, 154 feet wide, and 240 feet high and will accommodate over 5,400 guests. The ship will take 5,800 man-years to complete and is expected to float on water for the first time in Winter 2008 as it nears the finishing stages. At a cost of US$230,000 per berth, Project Genesis is the most expensive cruise ship ever to be ordered. Continue Reading…

We’ll be sure to keep an eye on the official Genesis Project page for you but in the meantime… initial shipyard photos can be found HERE.