Largest cruise ships ever called Oasis and Allure
The largest cruise ships ever built will be called Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas — thanks to names dreamed up by a USA TODAY reader who lives near Detroit.
Royal Caribbean today said that George Weiser, 53, of Livonia, Mich., has won its four-month-long Name That Ship Contest to title the next two Royal Caribbean vessels.
The automotive designer for Ford Motor Company was the first USA TODAY reader to submit the pair of names during the contest, which was held here at The Cruise Log.
In all, more than 91,000 newspaper readers submitted names during the contest to name the next generation of Royal Caribbean ships — to be called the Oasis class. A panel of five judges named Mr Weiser the winner.
The contest marks the first time that a cruise line has invited the public to name a vessel.
“I don’t think we would have come up with Oasis and Allure on our own,” said Royal Caribbean CEO Adam Goldstein. “They were great names.”
The names of ships traditionally are chosen by top executives in consultation with marketing and sales experts, and Mr Goldstein said opening the process to the public was a risk. The only requirement was that entries end in “of the Seas,” a tradition at the 21-ship line.
The most popular names? Serenity of the Seas, sent in by 2,457 readers, and Paradise of the Seas (2,447). Both of the names already are used by other cruise lines.
The prize-winning names earned a seven-night Caribbean cruise for two on one of the new ships, among other prizes.
David
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