D Friday, November 27, 2009 METRO 21 Ship with a little zipCruise holiday: The giant Oasis Of The Seas was unveiled to the international press this week. Metros cruise writer DAVE MONK reports from Florida on his three days on board Floating paradise: The activity-packed Oasis Of The Seas even offers zip lining (top) but if the excitement is too much, you can just lounge by a pool (far left), take in a show at the Aqua Theater (above) or retire to one of the 2,700 cabins (left) activity-packed Oasis Of The Seas even offers zip excitement is too much, you can just lounge by a Pictures:AP,SimonBrooke-Webb Worlds biggest cruise liner has surf machines and even a levitating bar THE zip line nine storeys above deck isnt the only dizzying thing about the worlds biggest passenger ship. Theres also the sheer scale of a vessel that can hold a park, shopping mall, boardwalk, water theatre, ice rink and levitating bar. Your head spins with the number of res- taurants, bars and food stalls as well as the array of activities. Will you try out the surf machines, the basketball court or min- iature golf course? Go to the gym, run the jogging track or paddle into the beach pool? Maybe spend the evening watching Hairspray in the 1,350-seat theatre, visit the comedy venue, relax in the jazz bar or go to a nightclub? For those exhausted by all the choices, theres always the spa, the solarium or a good old-fashioned sunlounger. The most astonishing thing about Royal Caribbeans Oasis Of The Seas is the amount of space everywhere, from the width of the shopping street tothe height of the loft apartments towering above the boardwalk. The ship, which cost more than 927mil- lion and can carry 6,296 passengers along- side its 2,165-strong crew, is 16 storeys high but has a hollow middle, so that the aptly named Central Park on deck eight is open to the Caribbean sunshine. Towards the back of the ship is the board- walk, complete with an authentic carousel, leading to the AquaTheater, which offers high diving and syn- chronised swim- ming shows. Above loom two climbing walls, the sports deck and zip line. The ship 40 per cent bigger than any previous cruise liner is built for families. The area dedicated to children and teenag- ers covers nearly 3,000sq m (30,000sq ft). Youngsters can take part in scavenger hunts and put on talent shows. There is also a video arcade and a sci- ence lab. Teens can hang out at the Fuel disco and Living Room bar and drink non- alcoholic mocktails as they learn to mix music in DJ classes. If all this activity is making you hungry, there are 25 food areas, everything from a doughnut stand, sweet shop, ice-cream par- lour and cupcake hut to fine dining on bone china. Among the 37 bars is one that rises and descends between three decks. Having watched Oasis grow from blue- print to artists impressions to construction, it still took my breath away to see it com- plete. Its hard to imagine how something this large not only floats but can move along at 23 knots (42.6kmh). The only question is, does it even need to move? Oasis is so big there are few places it can dock. Besides, would you want to join 6,300 other people trying to disembark at a port, especially when theres so much to do on board? Perhaps the only loss in this gleam- ing resort on water is some of the romance of cruising. As one seasoned traveller said to me: Whatever happened to just standing on deck, looking at the stars? Asbo: Gabriel Tabar Stalker banned from looking at women A SERIAL stalker has been given an Asbo which bans him from looking at women. Gabriel Tabar, from Maidenhead, Berkshire, UK, was handed the order after traumatising more than 30 women over six years. If the 64-year-old stares at, follows, approaches, communicates with or confronts women in the next five years, he could be hauled before a judge. His tactics included following women around before deliberately cutting them up by suddenly walking in front of them. TWO men who savagely beat a pregnant crocodile have been sentenced to two years jail with hard labour. They attacked the crocodile, named Pipil, with bamboo sticks because she refused to show herself to tourists at an Islamic shrine. She was seriously injured and lost one eye in the beatings. Five crocodiles have died in ten years at the shrine 135km (85 miles) from Dhaka where 24 crocodiles live in a big pond. Hard labour for men who beat crocodile A CAVER who was stuck upside down in a cave for more than 24 hours has died. John Jones became trapped in a narrow crevice about 46cm (18in) wide in a cave known as Nutty Putty in Utah. More than 50 rescuers were involved in the effort to free the 26-year-old but he died before he could be pulled out. Trapped caver dies after getting stuck index.html2.html3.html4.html5.html6.html7.html8.html9.html10.html11.html12.html13.html14.html15.html16.html17.html18.html19.html20.html21.html22.html23.html24.html25.html26.html27.html28.html29.html30.html31.html32.html33.html34.html35.html