Seagoing giant like a floating city

THE biggest cruise ship to call Australia home arrives this week - and it comes complete with an ice rink, basketball court and wedding chapel.

voyager of the seas 28 escape

WHEN the biggest cruise ship to call Australia home arrives this week, it comes complete with a scooter.

Captain Charles Teige, a Norwegian who oozes the competence and confidence you want in a sea captain, was presented with a scooter to use on the bridge of the massive Voyager of the Seas by authorities of the Port of New York, who thought it was a neat symbol of the size of the ship.

Teige occasionally whizzes around the bridge on the scooter to impress visitors, but its symbolism is apt.

This ship is big. Huge. It is one of the 10 biggest ships in the world, and when it arrives in Port Hedland on Friday for its maiden season based in Australia until March, the ship's sheer size and range of facilities will recalibrate cruising in Australia.

The arrival in Port Hedland is part of the final leg of a repositioning cruise, while the Australian season proper will start the following Monday when Voyager cruises out of Fremantle on its debut local season that will last until March 12 next year.

Some of the facts about the ship will impress guests and onlookers alike as it calls into ports around the nation:

At 311m long with 15 passenger decks, the ship is almost double the size of other cruise ships now based in the region.

It was the world's largest cruise ship when it entered service in 1999 and has been refurbished three times since then, including earlier this year.

Taking up to 3840 guests, it will easily be the largest hotel in Australia; the main dining room, seating 1920 people, will be Australia's biggest restaurant; its multiple dining venues serve 17,000 meals a day; and the debut season will see about 40,000 guests enjoy its pleasures.

So much for the statistics  - to really get a sense of the ship's size you need to be on board. Little things hit home.

There is an indoor "main street" mall full of shops, cafes, bars and more. It is so big, so busy, that I walked through several times before I realised there was a gleaming red Morgan sports car parked outside the pub.

Characters from Kung Fu Panda were parading down the mall thoroughfare, much to the delight of assorted children. And AFL and NRL games were on the multiple TVs in the sports bar, even though this particular cruise trip was in waters off China.

There is a rock-climbing wall, in-line skate track and a basketball court and an ice-skating rink.

Yes, on an ocean-going liner there is an ice-skating rink where you can skate or enjoy lavish ice-dancing shows in the 900-seat arena.

Keep wandering and you'll come across the two-storey nightclub, the 1350-seat Broadway-style theatre, the 14 bars ranging from a champagne bar to a sports bar, and the 11 dining options on a ship where the quality and quantity of food is excellent.

A favourite is the 1950s-style American diner Johnny Rockets -  the burgers and onion rings are superb, but it is the singing staff and Happy Days nostalgia trip that really makes this worth a visit. The megaliner even has a florist  - handy if you decide to use the wedding chapel.

There are kids' and teens' clubs, three swimming pools and six whirlpools, shops and casino, decadent day spa and well-equipped fitness centre, 1556 cabins and internet centre, mini golf course and golf simulator ... the list goes on.

While the ship will visit plenty of interesting ports during its maiden season here, a vessel this size and with so many facilities is truly a destination in itself, one that takes time to explore. It is so big it can actually get tiring walking around  - it can be a long way back to your cabin if you forget sunglasses or sunscreen when relaxing by a pool.

However, there is always something to grab your attention for a pit stop along the way, from live bands to a chat with new friends.

During a season largely focused on cruises from Sydney to New Zealand, Voyager will have maiden calls at Port Hedland on Friday, Fremantle the following Monday, Adelaide on November 9, Melbourne on November 11, Hobart on November 13 and Sydney on November 22, each visit certain to attract camera crews and curious onlookers.

Among the itineraries  - which are mainly 14-night cruises and also include South Pacific island cruises -  there is a one-night "sampler" cruise next month from Sydney.

Sounds fine in theory but seriously, this ship is so big, and with so much to see and do, a two-day trip would barely scratch the surface  -  even if you had a scooter on which to zip around.

 The writer was a guest of Royal Caribbean International.

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VOYAGER OF THE SEAS

Cruising there

Voyager of the Seas will have four 14-night New Zealand cruises sailing round trip from Sydney. Also shorter cruises to Tasmania (eight nights) and Fiji (nine nights) plus two 18-night cruises between Fremantle and Sydney taking in cities in southern Australia and New Zealand. A 14-night cruise from Fremantle to Singapore will end the season.

A 14-night NZ cruise departing Sydney on January 27 next year is priced from $1395 a person, twin share; a nine-night South Pacific islands trip departing Sydney on February 10 is priced from $999.

Ph 1800 754 500 or see www.royalcaribbean.com.au