Following last week’s announcement that the world’s largest cruise ship, Oasis of the Seas, would embark on its first ever European season and transatlantic sailing out of a UK port of call, thousands of holiday hungry Brits have pre-registered their interest to be first in the queue to make a booking when it makes its debut in autumn 2014. The unprecedented demand is the highest ever volume of pre-booking registrations ever seen by Royal Caribbean International.

With the limited cruises set to go on sale on Thursday 11 April 2013, holidaymakers keen to secure their ultimate holiday experience have made the most of the cruise line’s amazing news to get their first pick of the itineraries by registering their interest in droves.

Oasis of the Seas’ European season went on sale to members of Royal Caribbean International’s loyalty club, Crown and Anchor, on 9 April 2013 to a phenomenal reaction. Reservations team members are working overtime, part time workers have been drafted in to work full time and people from other departments across the business are answering phones and taking bookings.

Jo Rzymowska, associate vice president and general manager, Royal Caribbean International, UK and Ireland, explains:

“The thousands and thousands of pre-registrations to be one of the first to book Oasis of the Seas’ European cruises are simply mind-blowing and the ship really is living up to its incredible reputation as being a game changer for the industry. We are delighted with the huge reaction from guests and the ship’s first ever transatlantic sailing from the UK is, without a doubt, a really hot holiday ticket.

We traditionally always open sales to our loyalty club members first, and the call volume into our call centre has been beyond all expectations. We have increased the size of the team and have contingency team members ready across the whole business to handle the peak in calls we are expecting when the ship opens for general sale on Thursday at midday.”

As part of the innovative cruise ship’s first ever European season, guests will be able to enjoy hot Mediterranean destinations such as Rome, Palma and Capri. Oasis of the Seas will also pay a visit to British shores when it calls into Southampton on 15 October 2014, a first for the English port, which for five years has served as the summer base for Independence of the Seas. The 13-night westbound transatlantic sailing will depart Rotterdam in The Netherlands before calling into Southampton and Vigo in Spain before arriving into Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Lead-in cabins start at £899 based on a 14 October 2014 departure in Rotterdam.

Other itineraries featured as part of Oasis of the Seas first ever European season include:

Five-night Western Mediterranean cruise departing Barcelona (Spain) and calling at Rome (Civitavecchia, Italy) and Palma De Mallorca (Spain) from

£769 based on 13 September 2014 departure

Five-night Western Mediterranean cruise departing Barcelona (Spain) and calling at Rome (Civitavecchia, Italy) and Naples/Capri (Italy) from £769 based on 18 September 2014 departure

Seven-night Barcelona to Rotterdam cruise departing Barcelona (Spain) and calling at Malaga (Spain), Vigo (Spain) and Rotterdam (Netherlands) from

£809 based on 23 September 2014 departure

Oasis of the Seas will leave Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, its home port since December 2009, on 1 September 2014 on a 12-night eastbound transatlantic cruise to Barcelona. The world’s largest and most innovative cruise ship will offer a series of cruises from the Spanish port – two five-night roundtrip Western Mediterranean sailings and a seven-night sailing to Rotterdam – before heading to dry-dock in the Képpel Verolme shipyard in the Netherlands for routine maintenance.

The ship will return to Port Everglades on a 13-night westbound transatlantic cruise on 14 October 2014, departing from Rotterdam in the Netherlands and calling into Southampton on 15 October 2014 where UK guests can join the ship to sail across the Atlantic.

Accommodating 6,400 guests at total capacity, Oasis of the Seas is longer than four football pitches, wider than almost six London buses parked end-to-end, and is a huge 225,282 Gross Registered Tons. When Oasis of the Seas arrives in Southampton, it will be 40 per cent larger than any other cruise ship to ever dock in the UK.

With a range of exclusive features onboard such as its very own Central Park, Oasis of the Seas has a real outdoor park about the size of a football pitch filled with more than 12,000 real trees and plants, an 82 foot-long zip wire, a hand-crafted carousel, a huge open air theatre – the AquaTheater - rock climbing walls and surf simulators. The ship features 16 decks packed full of activities and entertainment including the West End hit, Hairspray, huge open air spaces and more activities for families than have ever been seen at sea before.