Imagine a Las Vegas block that floats from city to city. Imagine a ship for 7,500 people, of which 2,500 are employees and staff. Add to them an ice skating rink, volleyball and basketball courts, a golf course, a bowling alley, climbing walls, a fitness center, a spa, infinity pools and you have the largest cruise ship in the world - Allure of the Seas.
A cruise liner is, in fact, several independent enterprises. One team is engaged in navigation, another in hotel and accommodation, the third feeds thousands of people every day, the fourth arranges and conducts entertainment, and so on. The life of such a sea monster is very complex and interesting.

1. This was my 15th or 16th cruise. I remember, even on large "/>

Photos and text by Sergey Doli
1. This was my 15th or 16th cruise. I remember that even on large ships I sometimes got sick. Here, there is no feeling at all that you are in the open sea. The colossus is so huge that no pitching is felt at all. We went into a six-point storm, the waves were 4.2 meters high. The ship was motionless, like an Egyptian pyramid.

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3. There are original maps and signs on each floor and in each lobby. All that is highlighted in white is the hotel, purple areas are public.

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4. Upper deck:

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5. There are a lot of public places. It is impossible to bypass everything at once.

6. The liner consists of two parallel houses connected to each other by jumpers - in front and behind. Between them is an empty space with a green zone. On the roofs of the "houses" pools and deck chairs.

7. There are a lot of pools, for every taste and color. There are adults, children, with slides, fountains, jacuzzis, etc.

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8. Mini Golf:

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9. Basketball and volleyball court:

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10. Zip Line - downhill on a cable from one side of the ship to the other:

11. There are two "waves" that you can surf on. One for beginners, the other for more or less advanced.

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13. On the upper deck there are "wings" that protrude from the hull of the liner to the sides. There are 2 large jacuzzis in the wings. You lie in warm water 18 floors above the sea and look at the waves below you. Very cool.

14. The nose of the ship. Several decks have been given over to public areas. The design of the canopies is such that it protects from the wind as much as possible, while maintaining the feeling of open space.

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15. There are three pools on the bow of the ship.

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17. Now let's see what is between the "houses" of this liner. At the stern there is a carousel, a bar, a park, in the distance - a cinema:

18. In the evening, acrobats perform shows like the Cirque du Soleil in the cinema. Very cool. I thought about stopping by and taking a couple of photos for the report, but I sat open-mouthed until the end of the show.

19. On the other side of Central Park - an open space with trees and plants at the level of the 8th floor.

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20. The green zone is divided by a jumper into two sections:

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21. Let's go down to the 8th floor.

22. Glass roofs are provided for the walking area, which is located three floors below. There are streets here, birds sing - a complete feeling that you are walking in the city.

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23. Famous international restaurants and shops are located in this zone.

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24. The stern of the ship. There are two walls for climbing. Mountaineering, Carl!

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25. Bars in Central Park:

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26. Cinema of the largest cruise ship in the world:

27. The deck at the level of the fifth floor goes to lifeboats. It goes all over the liner, and people are brought here in emergency situations. So that the place does not go to waste, it is used as a treadmill. This is what passengers often do. big ships, but only here they specially marked the paths for running and walking. We even agreed on the direction so as not to collide with each other. Full circle - 700 meters.

28. The nose of the ship is occupied by a helipad, passengers are not allowed there. You won't be able to play the scene from Titanic.

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29. Fifth floor under Central Park. Shops, karaoke bars, even Starbucks.

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30. Rare car to give the space chic and luxury:

31. Fourth floor - casinos and nightclubs. Gambling establishments open only when the liner leaves the territorial waters of a state. The port does not work.

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32. Central hall for shows and concerts:

33. There is no excursion to the captain's bridge, but I was lucky to sail with a group of Spanish journalists. Their visit was agreed, and I managed to cling to this company. The captain's bridge looks empty. Huge area, but the controls occupy only a small area in the center.

34. The ship is not controlled by the captain, but by the first officer. He gave us a tour. The officer's name is Gennady. He is from Odessa. Our boy. The ship has no rudder. The three propellers of the engine rotate 360 ​​degrees and are set either manually using three rotators (in the foreground of the photo) or using a computer. The system monitors the course and taxis:

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39. The command headquarters is located nearby and can be fenced off from the captain's cabin with a partition. All the controls of the liner are duplicated here.

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40. When the ship is moored in the port, the officer uses the exits on the "wings" to the left and to the right:

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41. There is also a control system here:

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42. The side of the liner is perfectly visible from here and this allows you to “park” without incident.

In contact with

Most of those who are on a large cruise ship (like this) for the first time often have the same question: "How does so much fit in here?"
That's a good question. But, in fact, there are no special miracles, all this is engineering. Which in our time has reached dangerous heights. We have not achieved much, so our lot is to enjoy the journey and make sure that the head does not turn away. And there is a whole bag of interesting things on a modern cruise liner. And I will definitely tell you about everything. You, dear reader, have a wonderful opportunity to walk with me through this gigantic structure. As I said, you experience something special at the same time ... Considering that not everyone was there, but many would like to know ... Especially now, when everything outside the window is littered with snow - I especially want to go on a trip across the blue sea ... Under blue skies. Well, cruises are now available like never before... Welcome aboard Costa Concordia!

our story was interrupted by the fact that we Maria decided to take a nap. But the thirst for knowledge did not allow me to sleep a wink, and I set off to explore our houseboat ...

Here he is - our handsome man (or is it still a beauty?) In the context. Yes, the bowl is not small. I look at her like my own...

And such a scheme hangs already on every floor. Passengers are also given a special book-scheme. To not get lost.
Each deck has its own name. On Concordia, these are the names of countries. The main deck, as you might guess, is called Greece. It has a lot of things and from here you can go almost anywhere. Except perhaps the upper deck... Well, let's take a walk...

However, I remembered that for Russian-speaking travelers - a meeting with our hostess - Rita. So I quickly ran up the stairs to the floor above...

Rushed past the arcade...

In addition to me and my wife, among the thousands of foreigners, there were still Russians - seventy people. Unfortunately (or fortunately) we almost did not communicate with them. There was a certain element of closeness among compatriots or something ... We did not impose ourselves.

To the question of translation difficulties... In the Cruise there are practically no problems with the language. All staff will be happy to accommodate you. Moreover, for the majority English language also not native...
In addition, you can always turn to the good Rita. She really does look a lot like a fairy. We really liked her ... And our first acquaintance looked something like this:

With great interest, I listened to all the rules, once again noted to myself how everything is thought out here over the years of working with people ... I was a little sad for the domestic level of service ...
He drove away sad thoughts and looked around ... Everywhere - it was very good. Almost at every step there were smiling uncles at the piano ...

In other places it smelled of delicious coffee ...

Something like a dance floor - I decided. As it turned out later - I was not mistaken. Berlin Grand Bar. It is here that various evening contests are held, which, if you look at the right angle, you can get a lot of pleasant minutes. And even participate...

Domino players and in Italy - domino players.

As I continued to view the ship, I was very impressed with the liner's lights in the main foyer.

It is easy to guess that in the heart of Costa Concordia there is a bar called Europa bar. There are central elevators, live music and the main entrance to the ship.

The chandeliers constantly changed their color... For some reason, I got green all the time...

The Italians are the masters of lighting fixtures.

Everything is designer handmade.

Seeing such handles on the doors, one cannot but enter the room in front of which they are installed...

And of course it's a library!

It's nice to know that on any cruise ship there is always a library. In which you can always retire. Escape, so to speak, from the hustle and bustle...

Somehow, by themselves, my legs led me to a souvenir shop ...

Everything here is on a level - everyone can find their own piece of Concordia...

Branded paraphernalia is present even on sleeping bags.

Toy liners fly like hot cakes...

The hall is equipped with the latest technology...

It can be seen that they are accustomed not to save on spectacles ...

It is understandable - the traveler should not be bored ... The stairs are wide ...

About a thousand people fit in the hall. Not bad for a performance on the high seas!

The show goes on every evening. Twice. For everyone to be able to see. The performances are different - dancing, singing, tricks, ventriloquists - everything is very cool! I'll touch on this one more...

In a word, it is very, very difficult to get bored on Concordia. Everything here is grown-up!

Another design decision on the wall. Theatrical theme...

The staircase next to the auditorium is decorated accordingly.

In general, walking along the corridors, you have to get used to the idea that you are hundreds of kilometers from the coast...

Very strong feeling of comfort throughout.

A perfume shop or a toilet is no different from the same as, say, in any large shopping mall. Well, except that the toilets are arranged in a special way and the cleanliness around ...

The already mentioned Bar Europa. In the evenings, Italians gather here and sing along with the artists. A very vocal nation. It is no coincidence that until recently their passports even had a heading "voice".

And if you lift your head up, you can see a huge map of Europe. Even the Motherland can be completely seen ... And Moscow, and St. Petersburg, and Odessa ...

Somewhere in the sky you can see a piece of the sky... We will go up there again...

Meanwhile, in the central foyer, there is a brisk trade ...

Here is gold. But not in weight, but in length. As much as you need, so much will be cut off. Wear on health - eternal metal!.

Here's the damn tobacco. Two euros - for a pack of poison ..

A sea vessel is a duty-free zone, so duty free lovers stock up on booze and smoke here. Profitable.

What is nice - a pretty decent place in terms of area is allotted for photography. You can see how people respect frozen moments. By the way, it was here that we met Mashin, a countryman - a boy from Odessa. Helped us a lot...

The scheme of work of the local photo center, however, is quite typical: the photographer guards the vacationers, and then the pictures are put on display. Have to buy...

So-so ... What do we have here .. Let's take a closer look ...

Oops! Just some sea wolves!

How the largest cruise ship in the world works aslan wrote on July 4th, 2016

Imagine that you are going on a free cruise on the big liner in the world. Inside is a whole metropolis of entertainment and services, and everything is free. Fantastic? Yes. But one day, when the parade of planets takes place, the company launches a new ship, this fairy tale becomes a reality. Tour operators, the media and everyone who will subsequently sell tickets to this liner are invited to the first flight.

Harmony of the Seas is by far the largest cruise ship for 8200 people, of which 2200 crew members. The height of the ship is comparable to the height of a 20-storey building. The length is 362 meters, which exceeds the length of Red Square in Moscow. The construction of the liner cost Royal Caribbean more than 1,000,000,000 euros.

But the most impressive thing is not measurements, but the filling of the liner - a helipad, swimming pools, water slides, a casino, a theater, an ice rink, a garden with 12 thousand different plants and much, much more. There is even a Bionic bar on board, where robots work as waiters. Let's see what it looks like inside...

General plans of the liner. This is really a huge thing, a giant Noah's Ark with a displacement of 227,500 tons:

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We left the port of Barcelona. We were escorted by two fire ships: in honor of the first voyage, they staged a "salute" of water cannons:

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The first place you get on a cruise is, of course, the cabin. I will not give the footage, I will only mention that in my cabin there was a separate dressing room:

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General areas of the liner. On the right in the photo is a giant head sculpture that rotates in layers in different directions:

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There are pedestrian streets on board. A complete feeling that it was not a ship that went into the sea, but a piece of the mainland. There are a lot of people. After a series of accidents on cruises, Royal Caribbean installed an advanced facial recognition system that can, if necessary, identify each passenger in the crowd:

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Many sculptures and works of modern art:

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Let's go up to the upper decks. There are two types of decks - indoor, comfortable in windy weather, and outdoor:

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There are 16 decks on board. 6 main pools and 10 giant jacuzzis:

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The upper deck is replete with public areas:

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Lots of loungers. Pay attention to the slides behind the pool:

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On the other side of the golf course:

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Waves for boarding:

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Rope crossing at the level of seven floors:

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At the stern of the ship is a huge aquatic theater. Two pipes lead down from the upper deck, through which you can go down in clothes. Feels very fast, very scary and very dark. You overcome almost 30 meters of height in 13 seconds, making two 360-degree turns along the way:

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To the right of the water theater is a pedestrian area called Central Park:

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Naturally, there is a gym, and it is gigantic. Many simulators and shells:

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There are 20 restaurants on board the Harmony of the Seas. The main one occupies three floors, it is there that daily dinners are held:

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And this is the same Bionic bar where robots work. There are 30 alcohol components in the arsenal of mechanical hands. The range of cocktails they can make is endless. One cocktail takes 30 seconds. Looks fantastic:

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Another memorable restaurant is called "Wonderland" and is based on the famous work of Lewis Carroll:

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Hall decoration:

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Instead of a menu, they bring an empty picture that needs to be painted with water. After these manipulations, words appear. It would seem a trifle, but leaves an indelible impression:

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Molecular cuisine restaurant. The dish is called "Garden", and the "earth" is made of bread with the addition of cuttlefish ink:

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Balloon dessert topped with hot chocolate. After a minute, the ball melts, revealing the ice cream inside. Delicious:

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Every week, 4,500 kg of chicken and almost 7,000 kg of beef are consumed in the liner's restaurants. In total, there are 4,900 seats on board in restaurants and bars. The assortment of desserts again confused me:

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There are dozens of shops in Central Park for every budget:

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You won't be bored in the evening. Rather, on the contrary, you will need to run from one view to another:

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In the theater - a Broadway production of "Grease". The film of the same name, based on this musical, made Travolta a star already in 1978:

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Ice show. Just pay attention to the quality of the costumes that were prepared for the performance:

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Actors either swim, or fly, or something else. Looks stunning:

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The actor fell off the rope a couple of times right above the audience, making the audience scream in surprise:

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Our team from Russia:

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It is often said that cruises are the lot of European pensioners. However, the situation is changing, and companies are increasingly targeting middle-aged and young people. Discos, good restaurants, fitness, shopping and beach holiday- it's really boring and intense.

By the way, last year I

The MSC Seaside cruise liner is a 20-deck hulk designed for year-round sea travel in the Caribbean.

chic pools

On deck 16, Miami Beach's long, narrow pool is surrounded by chic sun loungers that give the impression of a glamorous beach, albeit without sand. Nine decks below is the smaller South Beach pool. Not far from it is a spacious hall where you can drink a cocktail, listen to music and dance.

Panoramic glass elevators

Two panoramic glass elevators will take you up to deck 16, where there is a nearly 30 meter glass walkway called the Bridge of Sighs. The ocean view from here is amazing.

Water park and nightclubs

The highlight of the entertainment on the liner is one of the largest and most interactive water parks on the high seas. Despite the fact that the water park has only 4 slides, there is something to admire when you fly down the 160 meter transparent tube and jump out of it in the middle of the jungle, where all kinds of adventures await you.

You can't help but like surfing on a board equipped with an electric console. On it, surfers plunge into the abyss, where bright lights pulsate to the rhythm of electronic music. If not for splashes in the face, one would think that this is not boarding, but walking in a nightclub. In the water park, as elsewhere on the liner, instead of traditional key cards, bracelets are used that allow passengers to open their cabin, book a table in a restaurant and spa treatments, make payments and track children on board by geo-search, and most importantly save them from having to stand in line.

Jungle with swimming pool

Next to the water park is another pool, surrounded by tropical jungle. If you do not pay attention to the children squealing with delight, then here you calm down, comfortably sitting in a sun lounger among ferns, palm trees and bamboo trees. There is a bar with a rich selection of cocktails and hot tubs. When it rains, a large glass roof closes over the pool and jungle, and you continue to relax in the greenhouse with exotic plants and pool.

Rope attraction

From the 19th deck to the 16th you can go down the 105-meter cable car. During the descent, you can admire the heliport below and wave to all the sunbathers near the Miami Beach pool.

formula one

The ship has an F1 simulator on board. You get into a replica of a famous racing car, fasten your seat belt and go through a given track on a video monitor. During the passage, you forget that you are driving a simulator to such an extent everything is authentic. Of course, missing the corner here doesn't end in tragedy and the worst that can happen is your friends taunting you about your terrible driving.

Restaurants

On board the ship you will find bars and restaurants for every taste, which amaze with a wide range of dishes and drinks. There is an Asian restaurant, created in collaboration with chef Roy Yamaguchi, a seafood-only restaurant, and a meat steakhouse restaurant. Prices will please you, lunch in any of the restaurants will cost about $39.

Promenade

The liner is framed by a magnificent panoramic promenade 323 meters long. It is designed for leisurely walks in the fresh air. You pass bars, restaurants, shops and sun loungers. The most impressive thing during the walk is the skywalk - a transparent glass floor along the side, through which you can see the ocean right below you.

XD Cinema

Fasten your seat belt, pick up a "gun" and go on a "fun" mission to save the world from terrible zombies. Creepy creatures will "eat" you and will not choke if you do not have time to pull the trigger in time. Don't want zombies? There are 3 other scenarios for the development of events.

luxury cabins

Cabins are located in two towers of passenger accommodation superstructures - at the bow and at the stern. They are spacious with huge floor-to-ceiling windows.

Price for accommodation during a 7-day cruise on caribbean starts from $449, the price of cabins with access to the balcony is about $900.

design, food, waterslides, attractions and much more on the liner suggests that it is worth going on a cruise and enjoying proximity to the sun and the ocean.