One month after the world’s largest cruise liner set sail, there is a new biggest ship in the works.
Royal Caribbean’s Utopia of the Seas will be the largest in the world when it takes to the ocean in 2024. It will claim the title from its sister vessel Wonder of the Seas, which had its maiden voyage from Florida to the Caribbean on March 4.
The next Oasis Class cruise ship was revealed at a steel cutting ceremony in France this week, where construction also officially got under way.
When complete, the bow of the 362-metre ship would reach the top of New York's Empire State Building if the vessel was standing vertically.
With plans for nearly 3,000 cabins on board, and a capacity for close to 10,000 passengers, it will ferry almost 3,000 more passengers than its largest sister ship.
It will also be powered by natural gas (LNG) propulsion, a welcome move as cruise lines step up efforts to make the industry more sustainable.
Details on where the ship will sail and for how long have yet to be revealed by Royal Caribbean. The original order for the vessel was placed in 2019.
All Royal Caribbean’s Oasis Class ships feature a split structure, with multi-deck central areas where travellers can find tropical gardens, shops, restaurants and other attractions. The cruise line is known for offering unique, mega-resort-style ships with previous vessels having aquatheatres, flowboards, bumper car pavilions and some of the largest water parks at sea.
The company also offers a wide range of accommodation options on board its ships. Some have as many as 34 categories of cabins with everything from windowless interior cabins to multi-room, double-deck luxury suites that come with private overseas balconies.
The existing five Oasis Class vessels are all ranked as the world’s largest passenger ships and Utopia of the Seas will be included once it sets sail.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
War 2
Director: Ayan Mukerji
Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana
Rating: 2/5
The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
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Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
