Following a 17-month pause, RCI-Royal Caribbean's cruise liner Oasis of the Seas returned to service.
The first post-COVID commercial voyage was launched on Sunday, September 5, from NYC New York (Cape Liberty Bayonne NJ).
For the first time homeported in NYC, the boat offers a series of 7-night sailings to the Bahamas.
Oasis OTS will make weekly calls at Nassau, Port Canaveral-Orlando Florida and CocoCay Bahamas (Royal Caribbean’s private island) through the end of October. Home to the highest water slides in North America, CocoCay boasts unique attractions and saw a USD 250 million transformation back in 2019.
After the New York City program, Oasis OTS will be relocating to PortMiami Florida for the winter 2021-2022 season. The vessel will be sailing on different itineraries to the eastern/western Caribbean by December, including to Mexico (Cozumel and Costa Maya), Honduras, St Maarten island, Puerto Rico.
One of the world’s largest cruise vessels, the 2009-built Oasis OTS has 17 decks (11 with cabins) and max passenger capacity 6431 (all berths). Oasis is the 14th RCI boat to restart service (since the COVID crisis break) and also the 10th USA-homeported to restart passenger shipping - after Freedom of the Seas started in July 2021.
With a fleet of 25 ships, RCI plans to have a total of 21 in service by the end of 2021.