ENCHANTMENT OF THE SEAS will have hinged bow, flying arches

As some of us have speculated, ENCHANTMENT OF THE SEAS will have a
hinged bow which will enable her to transit the Panama Canal.

There are also some other rather spectacular refinements to this
ship. In general, I think Royal Caribbean is doing an amazing job
keeping their relatively older ships in the fleet updated with the
latest innovations. I wish all cruise lines were so proactive.

Ernie - impressed with Royal Caribbean as always.



From Seatrade Insider:
=============================================
Enchantment to gain hinged bow, flying arches
27/9/2004

Enchantment of the Seas' lengthening will consist of much more than
adding a 151-cabin midsection, Seatrade Insider has learned. The
ship will gain a number of `wow' features, including a fold-up bow
tip, dramatic arches that flank the upper pool deck, new activities
including bungee trampolines and new lounges and dining venues.
Weight-bearing steel suspension arches will fly above the midsection
over two new pool deck features: an Island Bar and a telescoping
bandshell. Six-meter-tall glass windows will enclose the area, which
also will hold a splash pool with spray jets. Passengers will be
able to walk or jog over the arches high above the sea. Four bungee
trampolines will be positioned forward on Deck 10.

`This is going to be spectacular,' predicted Richard Fain, chairman
and ceo of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., who gave Seatrade Insider a
sneak preview. In what Fain described as `a massive undertaking,' a
73-foot (22-meter) midsection built by Kvaerner Masa-Yards will be
towed from Finland to Rotterdam and inserted into Enchantment of the
Seas in Keppel Verolme Shipyard. Enchantment's length will increase
to 990 feet (301.8 meters) and its gross tonnage from 74,140 to
80,700. The new midsection cabins will boost lower-berth occupancy
from 1,950 to 2,252.

`The beauty of the extra cabins is you need no more fuel. The
incremental operating costs are very small and the incremental
revenue is large,' Fain said. Project manager KMY priced its charge
for the stretch at ?40-?45m ($49m-$55m). The 1997-built
Enchantment's original cost was $300m.

It's not the first cruise-ship lengthening (see next story) but,
according to Fain, it will be the first carried out in a drydock.
After the vessel and the barge-mounted midsection float into the
dock, it will be drained. With the Enchantment secured on keel
blocks and cut in half, the bow will move forward on heavy-load skid
shoes and the midsection shifted into place.

Keppel Verolme was selected because it's the only yard in Western
Europe that's wide enough to handle the operation, Fain said. As
part of the project, the tip of Enchantment's bow will be hinged so
it can fold up during Panama Canal transits.

Enchantment will also gain new public rooms, including Boleros, a
Latin nightclub; expanded shopping, photo and art galleries; a
Latte'tudes coffee bar; a Concierge Club for suite passengers; and a
larger spa. A new specialty restaurant will seat about 110 guests
and `grab 'n' go' food stations will pop up near the pool, while the
main dining room will be enlarged and upgraded, said Kelly Gonzalez,
Royal Caribbean's director of fleet design and newbuilding.

Enchantment will be out of service from early May until early July
for the stretch. `The project is more demanding than newbuilding,'
according to Harri Kulovaara, Royal Caribbean's svp fleet
operations, who said more than a year and a half of planning took
place before the contract was signed. The most challenging part was
designing the weight-bearing arches. The blueprint is by Atkins, the
UK-based engineering giant behind Dubai's iconic Burj al Arab, the
world's tallest hotel.

Is this stretch a one-off? Royal Caribbean won't say. However,
Kulovaara noted that of the six Vision-class vessels, the Finnish-
built Enchantment and Grandeur of the Seas are best suited to
lengthening.

This is what they do with an out of date ship. Interesting (maybe).

MM

---------------
On Mon, 27 Sep 2004 09:47:16 -0400, E.k.R. wrote:

As some of us have speculated, ENCHANTMENT OF THE SEAS will have a
hinged bow which will enable her to transit the Panama Canal.

There are also some other rather spectacular refinements to this
ship. In general, I think Royal Caribbean is doing an amazing job
keeping their relatively older ships in the fleet updated with the
latest innovations. I wish all cruise lines were so proactive.

Ernie - impressed with Royal Caribbean as always.

From Seatrade Insider:
=============================================
Enchantment to gain hinged bow, flying arches
27/9/2004

Enchantment of the Seas' lengthening will consist of much more than
adding a 151-cabin midsection, Seatrade Insider has learned. The
ship will gain a number of `wow' features, including a fold-up bow
tip, dramatic arches that flank the upper pool deck, new activities
including bungee trampolines and new lounges and dining venues.
Weight-bearing steel suspension arches will fly above the midsection
over two new pool deck features: an Island Bar and a telescoping
bandshell. Six-meter-tall glass windows will enclose the area, which
also will hold a splash pool with spray jets. Passengers will be
able to walk or jog over the arches high above the sea. Four bungee
trampolines will be positioned forward on Deck 10.

`This is going to be spectacular,' predicted Richard Fain, chairman
and ceo of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., who gave Seatrade Insider a
sneak preview. In what Fain described as `a massive undertaking,' a
73-foot (22-meter) midsection built by Kvaerner Masa-Yards will be
towed from Finland to Rotterdam and inserted into Enchantment of the
Seas in Keppel Verolme Shipyard. Enchantment's length will increase
to 990 feet (301.8 meters) and its gross tonnage from 74,140 to
80,700. The new midsection cabins will boost lower-berth occupancy
from 1,950 to 2,252.

`The beauty of the extra cabins is you need no more fuel. The
incremental operating costs are very small and the incremental
revenue is large,' Fain said. Project manager KMY priced its charge
for the stretch at ?40-?45m ($49m-$55m). The 1997-built
Enchantment's original cost was $300m.

It's not the first cruise-ship lengthening (see next story) but,
according to Fain, it will be the first carried out in a drydock.
After the vessel and the barge-mounted midsection float into the
dock, it will be drained. With the Enchantment secured on keel
blocks and cut in half, the bow will move forward on heavy-load skid
shoes and the midsection shifted into place.

Keppel Verolme was selected because it's the only yard in Western
Europe that's wide enough to handle the operation, Fain said. As
part of the project, the tip of Enchantment's bow will be hinged so
it can fold up during Panama Canal transits.

Enchantment will also gain new public rooms, including Boleros, a
Latin nightclub; expanded shopping, photo and art galleries; a
Latte'tudes coffee bar; a Concierge Club for suite passengers; and a
larger spa. A new specialty restaurant will seat about 110 guests
and `grab 'n' go' food stations will pop up near the pool, while the
main dining room will be enlarged and upgraded, said Kelly Gonzalez,
Royal Caribbean's director of fleet design and newbuilding.

Enchantment will be out of service from early May until early July
for the stretch. `The project is more demanding than newbuilding,'
according to Harri Kulovaara, Royal Caribbean's svp fleet
operations, who said more than a year and a half of planning took
place before the contract was signed. The most challenging part was
designing the weight-bearing arches. The blueprint is by Atkins, the
UK-based engineering giant behind Dubai's iconic Burj al Arab, the
world's tallest hotel.

Is this stretch a one-off? Royal Caribbean won't say. However,
Kulovaara noted that of the six Vision-class vessels, the Finnish-
built Enchantment and Grandeur of the Seas are best suited to
lengthening.