The largest cruise ship in the world docked yesterday for 11 hours at the resort island of Cozumel, Quintana Roo.

The MS Symphony of the Seas, the fourth Oasis-class vessel ever built, is owned and operated by the cruise line Royal Caribbean International.

With capacity for up to 6,680 passengers and a crew of 2,200, the vessel visited Mexico on its first ever western Caribbean itinerary.

The occasion was celebrated by local authorities who organized a welcome ceremony. After touring the massive cruise ship, Cozumel Mayor Pedro Joaquín Delbouis presented a commemorative plaque to its captain, Robert Hampstead, who in turn thanked the island and its government for their hospitality.

By welcoming the Symphony of the Seas, Cozumel has reasserted its leadership in the national and international arenas as a cruise ship destination, Joaquín said during the event.

“We are convinced that Cozumel has the tourist potential to be ranked as one of the main cruise ship destinations worldwide,” he continued, observing that it is only through collaboration with the state and federal governments that the island’s port infrastructure can improve.

Joaquín explained that the local government maintains close relationships with the cruise lines that visit the island to make sure it continues to be a popular destination.

According to the Quintana Roo harbormaster’s agency, Apiqroo, Cozumel received 3.5 million cruise ship visitors between January and October.

Other than the novelty and interest of setting foot on the Caribbean island, the more than 6,000 passengers on board the Symphony of the Seas have little reason to disembark.

Its 18 decks offer passengers water parks and the ocean’s tallest water slide, a full-size basketball court, an ice-skating rink, a laser tag arena, a bar tended by robots and two 43-foot rock-climbing walls, among many other amenities. There is also a “central park” which contains over 20,000 tropical plants.

The vessel called all aboard at 5:30pm, bidding farewell to the Mexican coast and heading for Nassau in the Bahamas.

Source: Noticaribe (sp)