'Allure of the Seas' becomes biggest ship on earth by just 5mm

Sydney, Oct 2 (ANI): Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas, has become the world's biggest cruise ship after it measured 5 millimetres more than its sister ship, Oasis of the Seas.

The 1.48 billion dollar ship is 360 metres long, weighs 225,000 gross tonnes and can carry 8565 passengers and crew on 16 decks totalling 25 hectares.

It also includes 21 swimming pools, 24 restaurants, a floating park with 12,000 plants and a 1300-seat theatre.

"That's enough for me," the Sydney Morning Herald quoted Argentinean captain of Allure, Hernan Zini, during a tour at shipbuilder STX Europe's shipyard in Turku, Finland, as saying.

"I'm happy to claim it. It gives us a point of difference," he stated about the size.

Royal Caribbean is optimistic about finding the 300,000 passengers a year needed to fill Allure's 2700 staterooms.

The ship's most expensive accommodation, the Royal Loft Suite, costs 11,296 dollars a person for a seven-night cruise and is already booked out until 2012. An inside room costs from 907 dollars a person for the cruise.

Allure's deck space has been divided into seven entertainment zones, known as "neighbourhoods".

Passengers can surf on two wave-riding machines 65 metres above sea level in the water park, ride the carousel and eat hot dogs along the Coney Island-themed boardwalk, or escape to the adults-only deck.

The nightclub, jazz and comedy clubs have all been replicated on Allure, as has the ice rink, shopping promenade and theatre, which has the multimillion-dollar Broadway production of Chicago. (ANI)