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Crystal creates visual magic with water for the AquaTheater on the Oasis and Allure

Details: Category: Oasis of the Seas Coverage; Published on Tuesday, 19 April 2011 13:55; Written by Teijo Niemelä

The world's biggest and grandest cruise ships, Royal Caribbean International's now famous Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas feature the first outdoor theatres of their kind – with water, light, and aerial acrobatic shows, they provide a 'complete sensory experience'. The dazzling oceanfront amphitheater-style venues are home to the most incredible shows ever seen at sea.

Crystal (www.crystalfountains.com), the international water feature specialists, assisted aquatic designers Fluidity Design in creating visual magic with water and lights for the unique AquaTheater's on board the Oasis of the Seas and the Allure of the Seas cruise ships. The AquaTheater is one of the entertainment highlights on the world's two biggest cruise ships.

Seating 700 guests and boasting the largest and deepest pool at sea (137,000 gallons), the AquaTheatre's hosts live music, themed events, stunning fountain shows, and cabarets, with the most anticipated attractions being two elaborate dive shows that take place several times during each cruise, featuring flying acrobats, synchronized swimming, and water gymnastics. The elaborate fountain shows are choreographed to music and lights.

Crystal's expertise brings to life the AquaTheater designed by Wilson Butler Architects (WBA), and the original concepts by Fluidity Design. Creating water effects of this scale and complexity on cruise ships was a first for both Crystal and the shipbuilders, STX Europe. Not surprisingly, there were challenges. "Cruise ships are built in blocks, a bit like Lego," says Ritesh Khetia, Crystal's project manager. "On both ships the block for the water effects control panel had to be installed a long time before any of the other work on the AquaTheater; we had to make a lot of assumptions and allow for the design to be as flexible as possible."

Creating magic with water and light

The awe-inspiring water effects are key to the success of the visual entertainment for the AquaTheatres'. Crystal used a combination of almost 200 water jets, including Dynamite Blasts ® that are capable of shooting jets of water up to 50 feet in the air - combined with under-water LED lights that can provide up to 16 million color combinations. The lights and water effects are choreographed to music, with 12 different shows lasting approximately 45 minutes.

Disappearing trick – with water

On both water features 'Bubbler' jets based on the pool's floor create air bubbles that rise through the perforated flooring of the three hydraulic lifts. These cleverly help to illuminate the pool by dispersing the light AND importantly they help to hide performers and divers so they seem to appear or disappear - creating further mystery and magic for the audience.

A curtain of 'rain' is a movie screen

At the rear of the stage, a 'rain curtain' devised by Crystal and specially designed for the AquaTheater, has been created to so that images can be projected on to it like a movie screen. The full span of the rain curtain is almost 150 ft and incorporates approximately 1,500 nozzles.

Programming

Programmers on-board oversee day-to-day operations and programming changes of the water features. During performances, the main show booth will discreetly control all aspects of the water feature programs. With final show programs still being created, Crystal Fountains continues to work with Royal Caribbean and the show producers to devise water programming to interact with performers.

Weather – and water

Crystal water features always operate with wind sensors, but on Oasis of the Seas and the Allure of the Seas these are more important than ever to dictate which water features can run effectively at any time of day or night. In breezy conditions and when the ships are under sail (the ship's service cruising speed ranges between 18 and 24 knots), a system of motorized wind sails are deployed aft of the AquaTheater to shelter the water effects from turbulent air - effectively placing the water show in the lee of the wind. Of course, in extremely unfavorable weather conditions, water shows will be postponed.

Health and safety

Systems have been designed to meet the strict standards of the USPH health and safety requirements. All Crystal's components are designed to be 'finger and toe friendly' so that there is no risk of toe entrapment or other dangers to children or adults. Water is circulated and cleaned 24 hours a day through re-circulating water pumps. Chemical treatment meets very strict standards.

Technical information

Crystal handled all product development, systems development and controls for the Oasis of the Seas' and the Allure of the Seas AquaTheater.

The water supply for the water features comes from the pool itself, which acts as a reservoir with the capacity of 137,000 gallons. Within the pool are three hydraulic lifts - two on each side, one runway, designed by Handling Specialty.

Using many of its standard products as a base, Crystal customized every one to make them work in a marine environment, and created new products from scratch. All products, components, and systems are designed to operate in both salt water and chlorine. Every component is made to marine-grade specifications to handle the demands of the open seas environment. Crystal manufacturing plant was completely re-tooled to manufacture all the water feature components. Many elements had to be made in UPVC plastic instead of Polycarbonate + ABS alloy. Other elements such as 316L screws were sourced from the highest quality stainless steel available, and marine-grade bronze and brass fittings.

Much of the final commissioning was handled by the Crystal team en route, as the Oasis of the Seas sailed from the STX Europe yard in Finland to her home in Florida.

"Our job was made easier with the inclusion to the team of experienced electrical contractor, Electrowave OY, and mechanical contractor, Hekes OY. Both companies, based out of Helsinki, Finland, have designed and installed the children's water park known as the H2O Zone on Royal Caribbean's Freedom-class ships. Their technical knowledge and experience was critical to the successful execution of the project."

Crystal Fountains product for the AquaTheater's

Choreoswitches® are the clever little computer-programmed technology developed by Crystal Fountains and hidden inside fountain components throughout the water features to make sure that all the jets operate in the designated sequence(s). - 128 custom Choreoswitches were used - each with a 1" interactive nozzle to provide a column effect: 32 on the Runway Lift, in a figure "8" shape - illuminated by 64 custom LED lights; 96 on the teak decking, divided into 16 different sections and illuminated LED lights.

LED lights by Crystal Fountains are all submersible, and in combination with the Choreoswitches (2 LED lights per Choreoswitch). In åll, 192 custom LED lights create the dramatic lighting that passengers will witness as part of every night-time fountain show. With the red-green-blue color combinations, it's possible to create 16 million different color combinations. Start counting!

The water jets include: 40 sequencing finger jets, 16 arching jets, and two Dynamite Blasts ® - capable of shooting jets of water up to 50 feet in the air.

Bubbler components – 34 air diffusion stations – 17 on each side of the pool – were installed at the base of the pool.

Allure of the Seas features 3D digital cinema engineered by FUNA

Details: Category: Oasis of the Seas Coverage; Published on Monday, 18 April 2011 17:41; Written by Teijo Niemelä

A stereoscopic 3D digital cinema provided by FUNA International is one of the features that distinguish Allure of the Seas, Royal Caribbean International's (RCI) new vessel and largest cruise ship in the world. Through the technical services of FUNA – a global engineering firm employing more than 200 professionals in 10 international locations – and an alliance with DreamWorks Animation, Royal Caribbean has made it possible for Allure's guests to enjoy all the current 3D DreamWorks titles as well as other 3D movies, in the ship's Amber Theater. Allure's November 28 naming ceremony honored DreamWorks' Princess Fiona, Shrek's animated life partner, as the godmother of the ship.

In addition to the Amber Theater, FUNA provided technical design, engineering, integration and consulting for entertainment, display and communications in most of the theaters, restaurants, clubs, and public spaces – as well as the crew recreation and support areas – on Allure of the Seas. The 16-deck, 5,400-guest, 225,282-ton, $1.5billion Allure of the Seas is just 5 centimeters longer than sister vessel Oasis of the Seas, for which FUNA provided a similar range of technical services. Royal Caribbean International took delivery of Allure on October 28 from STX Europe in Turku, Finland. Her US debut into her homeport of Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. occurred November 11.

Configuring 3D cinema on a cruise ship has its own special challenges due to the maritime environment, limited footprint, close proximity to other systems and functions, and the need to rely on in-house maintenance. "We called upon FUNA and their team to come up with creative technical design solutions in a number of areas including physical placement, additional cooling and power and integration with the existing audio system, and the result is a 3D movie experience as good as or better than any land-based theater," said Christopher Vlassopulos, Entertainment Technology and Technical Direction for Royal Caribbean International & Celebrity Cruises. "On testing the finished product, people at the highest level at Barco [projection supplier], DreamWorks and Dolby [sound system supplier] were 'blown away' with the result. We wanted to do a good job but to impress them out of the gate was a real bonus and obviously something the guest will really enjoy. It looks and sounds great."

"Oasis of the Seas is already a floating marvel, but Royal Caribbean never stands still. With 3D cinema now on board Allure of the Seas they've raised the bar yet again in redefining the luxury cruise guest experience, and we're proud to have been a part of it," says Rex Stull, President of FUNA.

"Royal Caribbean is always looking for the latest and greatest in entertainment technology, and pushing us to help develop it on board their ships and utilize it in the best way for their guests," says Derek Warner, FUNA project manager, "which is one reason they're fantastic to work with."

Building upon the popularity of 3D exhibition Royal Caribbean will next upgrade several existing cruise lines with new 3D cinemas, starting with Allure's sister ship and immediate predecessor, Oasis of the Seas. "We're doing Oasis in the first quarter 2011, as well as Liberty of the Seas and Freedom of the Seas," confirms Vlassopulos, adding, "It was a pleasure to work with FUNA. I am always confident that they will do an outstanding job."

FUNA provided technical design of the venues for Allure of the Seas as the company had previously provided for sister ship Oasis of the Seas, under contract to the ship owner, Royal Caribbean. Under contract to the ship builder, STX, FUNA realized those designs, providing equipment, installation, and commissioning. Allure, like Oasis, was a vast, specialized contracting project for FUNA from a management and logistics viewpoint not only in the sheer size and number of venues, but also having to work within the unique requirements of international cruise ship construction. FUNA's various entities came into play: FUNA Oy (detailed design/installation), FUNA GmbH (commissioning) and FUNA Inc. (design, purchasing, logistics, and commissioning).

"These ships are literally vast, floating, state of the art resorts, of the same complexity and scope as a land-based resort complete with hotel, retail and entertainment but totally self-contained," says Doug Ellis, Senior VP of FUNA and Program Director for Finland operations. "But – due to tighter safety regulations and a bevy of special considerations unique to marine projects – they're designed and built to be more robust, more energy efficient and make fuller use of a limited footprint than you find in land construction."

Allure of the Seas sails with KONE people flow solutions

Details: Category: Oasis of the Seas Coverage; Published on Sunday, 26 December 2010 00:49; Written by Teijo Niemelä

On October 29, 2010, the STX Europe shipyard in Finland delivered the Allure of the Seas, the world's largest and most innovative cruise vessel yet, to Royal Caribbean International. KONE, an innovative leader in the elevator and escalator industry, supplied all people flow solutions onboard the ship.

The elevators onboard represent a new generation of people flow solutions dedicated to cruise vessels. These new solutions are a result of the long-term design and development cooperation between the cruise line, the shipyard and KONE, which was initiated several years ago.

For the Allure of the Seas project, KONE supplied and installed 24 custom-designed passenger elevators, half of which are of the fully glazed panoramic type, 17 service elevators, 2 escalators and 3 easy access lifting platforms for passengers with disabilities. All passengers elevators are based on the KONE MiniSpace type and most of the service elevators are based on the KONE MonoSpace C-process technology.

"The logistics on a ship are exceptionally important to the guest experience," says Harri Kulovaara, Executive Vice President at Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. "The elevators are core for the logistics and fundamental for a successful cruise ship design. We wanted to make sure we have a seamless flow of guests without waiting times. A lot has been done to incorporate several intelligent features to optimize the elevator utilization. We have a very strong relationship with KONE. Building Allure of the Seas would not have been possible without a long and productive partnership."

"As with its sister ship, the Allure of the Seas colossal size provided KONE with new challenges regarding the flow of passengers, crew and goods inside the vessel," says Robert Segercrantz, Director, KONE Marine. "By utilizing the proven and reliable KONE MonoSpace and KONE MiniSpace technologies, KONE was able to generate new, eco-efficient and innovative solutions to help the vessel offer fast but smooth access for passengers and crew in all areas of this extraordinary cruise ship."

The Allure of the Seas gross tonnage is 225,000, the hull is 361 meters long and 66 meters wide. At its highest point, the deckhouse rises 72 meters above the sea level. The ship can thus be considered a floating "high-rise building. The ship features 16 passenger decks and 2,704 staterooms. At its highest capacity, the ship can accommodate 6,360 passengers and 2,100 crew members. The Allure of the Seas will cruise in and around the Caribbean from its home port in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. KONE also delivered the elevators and escalators for the Allure of the Seas sister ship, the Oasis of the Seas, which was completed by the STX Turku shipyard in October 2009.

Starbucks and Royal Caribbean to offer first ever Starbucks at sea on Allure of the Seas

Details: Category: Oasis of the Seas Coverage; Published on Wednesday, 27 October 2010 23:18; Written by Teijo Niemelä

Something unique is brewing onboard Royal Caribbean International's new Allure of the Seas, the world's largest and most innovative cruise ship – the first Starbucks at sea. Through the licensing agreement between Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX) and Royal Caribbean International, the global cruise brand owned and operated by Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE/OSX: RCL), guests seeking signature made-to-order espresso beverages and Frappuccino(r) blended beverages will have to look no further than their neighborhood Starbucks on the bustling Royal Promenade.

"We are always looking for unique ways and places to connect with our customers and deliver the Starbucks Experience," said Chris Carr, senior vice president and general manager of Starbucks Licensed Stores. "Starbucks presence aboard Allure of the Seas is another place where our customers want and expect us to be."

Trained baristas will offer signature and seasonal beverages and food, as well as the complete line of Starbucks VIA(r) Ready Brew products, between 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily, based on a la carte pricing. In addition to the Starbucks store, Seattle's Best Coffee(r), a featured brand in the Starbucks portfolio and a Foodservice provider to Royal Caribbean for the past 10 years, will be served throughout the cruise ship, including in the Adagio main dining room, conference rooms and the ship's signature specialty restaurants.

"We are passionate about delivering the WOW," said Lisa Bauer, senior vice president of Hotel Operations, Royal Caribbean International. "Opening the first ever Starbucks at sea is another example of how Royal Caribbean is delivering distinctive beverage and dining options to our guests and exceeding their expectations. We are offering something that no other cruise brand can."

Autronica delivers extensive safety system to Allure of the Seas

Details: Category: Oasis of the Seas Coverage; Published on Thursday, 09 September 2010 17:05; Written by Teijo Niemelä

Autronica Fire and Security has delivered an extensive fire safety system to Royal Caribbean International's forthcoming mega-cruise ship, Allure of the Seas. The installation, which included the implementation of new ISEMS – Integrated Safety and Emergency Management System – functionality as part of the AutroMaster 5000 presentation system, is complete with final commissioning scheduled to take place in November 2010. (Autronica is part of UTC Fire & Security, a unit of United Technologies Corp.

Autronica was chosen to provide the systems for Allure of the Seas following the successful installation and subsequent smooth operation of the sophisticated custom fire safety system aboard RCI's first mega-cruise ship, Oasis of the Seas.

"We have had excellent feedback from RCI about the Oasis of the Seas installation. They tell us that the system is easy to use and provides a great overview in an emergency operation as well as on a daily basis," comments Jon-Arne Simonsen, Autronica's responsible Regional Sales Manager. "Allure of the Seas benefits from a similar custom system, that will provide crew and emergency staff with a complete, detailed overview of the entire vessel and safety systems, should there be a fire, or indeed any other kind of incident."

The incredible size of the Allure of the Seas means that the AutroMaster system has to handle and present a massive amount of data in an easy to view fashion. There are eight AutroMaster ISEMS terminals and thousands of points relaying real-time data including:

- 37 Fire alarm panels
- 9500 Smoke and heat detectors
- 1030 Fire doors
- 300 Sprinklers
- 300 Low location lights
- 1350 Controlled CCTV cameras
- 830 Fire dampers

AutroMaster uses a simple graphical user interface to provide control and monitoring of every point and on all detection loops of the fire detection network onboard. The safety officers onboard Allure of the Seas have an even more detailed view of what's happening onboard because of the range of extra ISEMS functionality within the AutroMaster system:

Decision Support System - Incident Manager: Interactive incident management system.

ISEMS Plotting Functionality: A sophisticated icon-based plotting system that allows operators to direct and keep track of various emergency teams on the vessel's GA plan.

Event Replay: Provides review of system events for training or investigation purposes.

Training Module: A tool for interactive training and simulation of ISEMS operations.

CCTV Interface: An automatic function that activates the nearest camera to any detector/manual call point in alarm so that the situation may be viewed live.

Advisory Cards: Text and pictures for various damage controls will be displayed either as a separate page or icons on the GA plan, providing information on how to act, for instance how to close a specific watertight door.

Also included are ISEMS modules for displaying status of Water Tight Doors, showing primary and secondary escape routes as a layer on the GA plan and providing the open and closed status of shell doors.