Most Luxurious Cruise Ships - Royal Caribbean's Oasis of The Seas

Oasis is a class of luxury cruise ship designed by Royal Caribbean International - the biggest passenger ships in the world. Two such ships were ordered in early 2006, and Royal Caribbean began production on two of the world's most impressive cruise liners, Allure of the Seas and Oasis of the Seas. Allure is currently under construction, but Oasis was finished in 2009.

Oasis is expected to join up with her sister ship by 2011, but for the moment, she stands alone as the largest vessel at sea and certainly the jewel of the Royal Caribbean fleet. The previous largest cruise liner was the Freedom-class cruise ships of Royal Caribbean. The Freedom-class ships were 1,111 feet long and 208 feet high and were like towns at sea.

Coming in even larger and with more room, the Oasis of the Seas is like a floating city. The ship's displacement is about 100,000 tons, and its weight is astonishing at over 225 thousand gross tons. This ship was created for stability. Amazingly, only 30 feet of the ship sits beneath the water. It's so wide that the displacement is well distributed, helping the ship to handle waves.

1,181 feet of length, 236 feet in height, more shops and restaurants than your average mall, and a weight close to an aircraft carrier means that it takes a lot to power the Oasis of the Seas. In order to power this beast, six separate diesel engines are used - they're combined into three 16-cylinder diesels producing over 25,000 hp each.

Not only do the engines have to power the cruise liner's movements, but Oasis needs massive amounts of electricity generated to power the many electronic components, elevators, a water treatment plant, and much, much more.

The features onboard are simply incredible. For everyone who's never been on a large cruise liner, the experience is like visiting a portable shopping mall. You'll find a karaoke club, a comedy club, volleyball and basketball courts, four pools, a casino, a mini-golf course, and more.Oasis has all entertainment and athletic zones broken down in seven "neighborhoods."

The first part is called Central Park. Within this zone, you'll find various restaurants and bars, stores, the Rising Tide bar that covers three different levels, and a living, breathing park with over 12,000 plants. The second zone is the Pool and Sports Zone featuring a large pool and surf simulators. Zone three is the Vitality at Sea Spa and Fitness Center.

The fourth zone is an impressive area called the Boardwalk, and it features rock-climbing walls, a tattoo parlor, an aqua theater, restaurants, shops, and much more. Zone five is the Royal Promenade and features the high-class shops and restaurants. Zone six is the Youth Zone with computers and a science lab, and zone seven is called the Entertainment Place.

Oasis of the Seas has 16 decks and can carry a total of 6,300 passengers at speeds of up to 22.6 knots. There are even two-story loft luxury suites on board, providing guests with 1,600 square feet of living space.

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Worlds Most Luxurious Yachts - Fountaine Pajot Summerland 40

Fountaine Pajot has been designing some impressive and unique yachts for years now, and their 2009 Summerland 40 Trawler Cat is no exception. This 40-foot power catamaran isn't like the typical yachts you see in the water everyday.

Catamarans are a completely different design and made more for long, slow cruises in medium-depth waters. Even still, the market is huge.

The Summerland 40 catamaran was specifically engineered to hold up very well on long cruises. The boat was designed to carry a large family safely, and there is plenty of room onboard to have a family outing chocked full of activities.

One of the most important aspects Fountaine Pajot decided to include on this yacht was a high-tech infusion-composite material for the hull that would result in a very low-maintenance, high-strength and long-lasting body. The design definitely takes a no frills approach, but the care that went into building the Summerland 40 shows the company's dedication to yachting.

Cruisers can certainly appreciate the way this trawler moves in the water. Not only is it one of the most efficient catamaran models on the market, but the interior of the yacht is comparable to any motoryacht or sportscruiser of the same length. The open space construction provides the equivalent of 60-feet of space aboard a 40-foot vessel.

There are no obstacles onboard the Summerland to contend with. The sheltered cockpit is completely open inside and provides easy access to the expanded flybridge directly behind it. The saloon area of the Summerland is also very practical and modern. Since they're on the same level, other areas of the ship, like the chef's galley and dining area, are able to stand alone.

Larger catamarans are certainly known for their space. However, smaller trawlers are sometimes cramped and don't feature spacious rooms of any type. This is yet another area where the Fountaine Pajot designers really went to work on creating a roomy and comfortable yacht.

This attention to crucial detail is reflected in the larger owner's suite that features a large bed, a lot of storage space, a bathroom and wonderful views from the large, oval-shaped windows. On the opposite side of the yacht, two smaller suites, perfect for children, offer up twin beds, a shower room and ample storage space, as well as great views.

Fountaine Pajot's Summerland 40 is also a good choice for environmentally friendly yachters. Because of the unique trawler system on this catamaran, the yacht consumes 40% less fuel while operating. The cutting-edge composite structure and the large size work together to help the boat travel at the same speed over long distances without consuming much power at all.

Summerland isn't exactly a speedboat. It's only able to travel at a max speed of 8.7 knots and can cruise at a speed of 7.5. Even still, for family outings on the water, it is a spacious, reliable and eco-friendly yacht.

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World's Most Luxurious Yachts - The Sanlorenzo SL100 New

The shipyard at Sanlorenzo headquarters didn't waste much time getting started with a new yacht model after releasing the SL 108 only a few short years ago. The Sanlorenzo trademark is world renowned, and the company produces some of the finest superyachts in the world. Their latest venture, the SL 100 New, was a risky joint venture.

The basic idea behind the SL 100 New was to separate it from their old model SL 100 with some unique design features and improvements. Not that building a better ship is risky by any stretch of the imagination, but when a builder decides to release an entirely new model in this market after only a few short years, a lot could go wrong.

Sanlorenzo introduced the plans for the SL 100 New at the Genoa boat show. The announcement received a mixed bag of reactions at first, but after Sanlorenzo explained what they were trying to accomplish, yacht fans became very interested in the innovative way the company was approaching the revamped edition of their famous SL model.

For starters, the exterior of the yacht features a much more modern look. The hull design is sleeker, making the boat look like a new sporting model, and the size of the windows has been increased for both cosmetic and functionality purposes.

The biggest improvements are the customizable features on the SL 100 New. Instead of yacht owners being forced to adapt to the company's tastes, owners are now free to customize their yachts by selecting from a hardtop model or an open flying bridge. The interior is also completely at the buyer's discretion.

The SL 100 New also adds more room by simply rearranging a few features. In the old model, the saloon and dining area were basically one large area that served two purposes. Now, with the improvements, the saloon is open and airy, and the starboard-side hallway has been dedicated for dining space.

With a yacht this size, Sanlorenzo thought it was important to make it feel more like a home on the water instead of a simple getaway/vacation item someone owned. The entire yacht is adorned in beautiful furniture that's both practical and stylish, and the expansive sundeck and saloon areas are able to act as indoor and outdoor family rooms.

The number of cabins was also reduced to three. This allows for the present cabins to be much larger and offer more features. Instead of places to sleep, the cabins now serve as rooms to relax in. The larger windows also play a key role in the cabin expansion by offering increased views.

Sanlorenzo's SL 100 New isn't one of the fastest ships on the water, but with twin MTUs putting out over 2,400 horsepower, the yacht can easily reach speeds of 28 knots and is able to continuously cruise at 26.

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World's Most Luxurious Yachts - Sessa Fly 54

Sessa has been one of the most formidable names in yacht building for years now, renowned mostly for their stunning line of smaller sportscruisers. Recently, the yacht company decided to take on a more upscale task by building their first ever flybridge model, the Flybridge 54. The key to Sessa's success is that they didn't stray far from their area of expertise.

Instead of taking a chance and attempting to reinvent the wheel, Sessa stuck with what they knew and simply integrated their previous sporting style into the Flybridge. Not only does this make for a sleek-looking boat, but it also allowed Sessa to produce a feature-rich product that rivals boats twice its size.

The normal size for a flybridge design is 54-feet. This leaves little room for the types of accoutrements that larger yachts come equipped with. Even still, by traveling their own path, Sessa incorporated a very large cockpit into the yacht and also kept room for a unique bathing platform that's large yet still blends in with the ship's fast look.

The areas where the size tends to lack are in the top galley and third cabin. This is a trade-off for Flybridge 54 owners. They get a larger cockpit, a larger deck area and larger main and VIP cabins, but it's at the expense of other areas.

Sessa is also providing more interior options with this model than most other yachts offer. Apart from a few decorative choices, most companies won't deviate from a set style. Sessa, on the other hand, offers a choice of saloon types, with one featuring a stylish dinette and the other featuring a large bar.

Another area in which Sessa stuck with their distinctive brand of yacht building was with the motor. In their previous models, Sessa has won awards in the past for the usage of Volvo's IPS second-generation motors. These allow for maximum maneuverability and speed while in the water - but there were questions about how this motor type would perform on a larger boat.

The Flybridge 54 has proven to handle exceptionally well with the Volvo engine, and the yacht doesn't sacrifice any speed, maneuverability or power because of the decision. It also makes the yacht more lightweight than most comparable 54-foot models, meaning a host of benefits including more fuel mileage and less wear in the long term.

Overall, this yacht is proving to be a welcome inclusion in the Flybridge world. Sessa's model has two galleys on board, a larger one downstairs and the aforementioned smaller galley upstairs. The master cabin is also a standout feature of the Flybridge 54, featuring topside windows and an all-around roomy area.

The VIP cabin is nearly equal in size. The only drawback is that it shares compartment space with the third cabin. The price of a Sessa Flybridge 54 is a bit high, though, costing around 890,000 Euro.

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World's Most Luxurious Yachts - Jamaica Bay

Over the past decade, yachts have grown from large boats with a few luxury amenities to lavish ships with state-of-the-art living quarters and everything else you'd find in a millionaire's mansion. Jamaica Bay, built by Schweers Shipyard, is one of the luxury motor yachts designed for the new age, although this yacht has been around for many years.

Jamaica Bay was constructed in the late 1980s by Schweers and has been recently refitted in 1999 (with ongoing improvements) to give it a more modern look and feel. With the high cost of materials, labor and the sheer time it takes to turn out a large motor yacht, remodeling existing yachts has become something of a trend.

The legendary Schweers build has long been a head turner. With its classic canoe stern and traditional steel hull, Jamaica Bay offers a smooth ride all around. The sundeck aboard the yacht is one of its most appealing features, but there are certainly many more aspects of the motor yacht that work to make it one of the finest in the water today.

Jamaica Bay is approximately 168-foot in length and is able to cruise at a comfortable speed of 12 knots. The yacht is the archetype of a luxury cruiser, and anyone on board this ship wouldn't be in a hurry. It's about going nowhere fast on a luxury yacht with all the bells and whistles.

Since its recent expansion, Jamaica Bay now has 6 luxury cabins that are absolutely decked out with beautiful furnishings and other amenities. They're not overly large cabins, however, as the yacht is designed for taking guests around on luxury tours and not for sole ownership. So, instead of the usual large master cabins, Jamaica Bay has six smaller cabins.

With 4 double-bed cabins and 2 twin-bed cabins, the yacht is set up more like a floating hotel. It can accommodate up to 12 guests, not including crew members, and has many activity zones and other entertainment options on board to keep guests busy while sailing the seven seas.

Overall, Jamaica Bay was redesigned with luxury in mind. Instead of the old interior of the 1980s, the yacht was made over for the new millennium and now features rich mahogany paneling, fine furnishings from France, expensive fabrics, crystal wear, and much more.

The upper decks of the yacht were also improved, creating an inviting outdoor atmosphere that's sunny without being completely exposed to the elements. The airy feel of the dining area is ideal for evening meals, and guests can be served from a bar on the opposite deck.

Two en-suite bathrooms with a Jacuzzi tub make the largest staterooms stand out as penthouse suites aboard the Jamaica Bay. The other smaller cabins also have bathrooms, although not nearly as large.

Overall, the yacht received a complete facelift, and now features an improved saloon, sky lounge with gym, dining deck, sundeck, and even the yacht's powerful engines have been upgraded. Other than the name staying the same, it's basically a brand new ship.

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World's Most Luxurious Yachts - Forty Love

Yachts are extremely hot big-ticket items these days. Nearly every wealthy person on the planet is attempting to hit the water in some type of luxurious boat.

For two yacht owners, the usually run-of-the-mill design wasn't going to cut it. They worked with their builders to create one of the best yachts on the ocean today.

Forty Love isn't your typical yacht. Most large yachts over 120-feet long do not differ very much in terms of layout and structure. This yacht, however, is the culmination of decades of ownership expertise. When West Coast Custom Yachts was commissioned to build it, the everyday playbook was tossed out.

Almost every large yacht you'll find acts like a floating mansion. There are huge staterooms, including master bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms, Jacuzzi tubs, multiple decks, entertainment centers, bars, sundecks, and much more. Forty Love isn't an exception in this category; however, the accepted idea of luxury is taken to a new level with this build.

It's is absolutely huge. Not only is the yacht 138-feet long, but it stands 5-decks high. One of the biggest challenges West Coast Custom Yachts faced when building Forty Love was finding a way to maximize the outdoor space, make the indoor space feel "homey," and to provide easy access to every location on the yacht.

This isn't so challenging for most yachts. There's a set layout used by most yacht builders. However, Forty Love's owners have plenty of boats and didn't want anything ordinary. So this presented a design and construction challenge that took West Coast six years to finalize.

The first deck of Forty Love is an expansive space, featuring a large saloon and dining area with a modern feel to it. The second deck's overhang provides the shade for the well-designed sitting area at the rear of the main deck. There's also an alfresco dining area and, on each of the upper decks, there's a large seating area where guests are served from the bar.

Having a sense of privacy on a yacht might seem like an oxymoron, but Forty Love was designed with this in mind. Although the yacht can only carry 10 guests and 7 crew members, each guest can have total privacy on this large ship.

All in all, there are four large staterooms aboard Forty Love, with a full-width master's suite. Because of the size of the staterooms, there was also a space challenge with the build. The boat's swim platform has wide steps and is movable, and the docking features on each side blend in well with the overall body style.

The bridge deck of Forty Love has a large gym and other features, while the foredeck has a Jacuzzi tub and a hydraulic roof. These many features on this large yacht do not make it cheap. It is currently for sale for around $19.5 million.

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