Ships of the Year

SHIPS OF THE YEAR
Sun deck with the children’s pool.
Ergonomic aspects have been important in the design of the bridge.
The diesel-electric machinery includes six diesel engines.
turnaround port, cruising to the Canary
Islands and the Western Mediterranean.
The vessel has now been repositioned to
the Caribbean market for the winter season,
but she is returning to Europe next
spring.
Meetings at the promenade
A main feature of the Independence of the
Seas is the large Royal Promenade, which
originally was introduced in the Royal Caribbean-fleet
on the Voyager-class.
The 150 metres long promenade is
the ultimate meeting place and the place
where the passengers may stroll about and
make their shopping. This large promenade
makes it easy for the passengers to
find the way on board the ship and in the
night it is used for various types of entertainment.
However, the general arrangement of the
Independence of the Seas is quite simple
despite the fact that the distance from the
bow to the stern is close to 340 metres.
14 decks for the passengers
There are two atrium type main staircases
in each end of the promenade, vertically
connecting the 14 decks available for the
passengers.
In the lower parts of the vessel, on deck
4 and deck 5, there are mainly public spaces,
lounges and restaurants. In the aft part
is the main restaurant, spanning over three
decks with capacity for all passengers in
two seatings.
The fore part of the lower decks is dominated
by the Alhambra Theatre, seating
1,320 guests. Deck 11 houses the popular
Windjammer restaurant, that offers casual
dining in addition to breakfast and lunch.
There are also other distinctive features
on board the ship, such as the ice-skating
rink, the rock-climbing wall and the flow
rider surf simulator.
The passenger cabins are located mainly
on deck 6 to deck 10, but there are also
passenger cabins on deck 2 and deck 3. The
total number of cabins is 2,850, providing
a capacity of 3,648 lower beds.
Cabins with sea view
Including additional Pullman beds the
maximum number of beds is 4,375. A
total of 1,256 cabins, or 69 per cent, are
equipped with windows facing either to
the sea or to the promenade.
The diesel-electric machinery includes
six Wärtsilä 12V46 medium speed engines,
46 SCANDINAVIAN SHIPPING GAZETTE • DECEMBER 19, 2008