MS Oasis of the Seas

The MS Oasis of the Seas is a cruise ship built for the American cruise line Royal Caribbean International, entering service in 2009 as, at the time, the largest passenger ship ever built by gross tonnage, a record it held until surpassed by later ships in the same Oasis class built to the same basic design. Built with an open central corridor running much of the ship's length, called the Boardwalk and Central Park zones, that brought outdoor park-like and street-like public spaces into the middle of the hull rather than confining them to the upper decks, the Oasis of the Seas represented a substantial departure in cruise ship layout from earlier, more conventional designs. Its scale and amenities, including multiple theaters, an ice rink and a full-size zip line, marked a new stage in the decades-long growth of cruise ship size that began well before her construction.