Voyager-Class cruise ships for

Royal Caribbean Cruise Line

The Voyager-class cruise ships

MS Voyager of the Seas, delivered in 1999 from the Turku shipyard,
was the first in the innovative series of Voyager-class cruise ships for Royal Caribbean Cruise
Line. This cruise ship series represents the first in many technical aspects - one of which is the
record size of about 140.000 GT and the large number of passengers, 3,840. This series now
include the Explorer of the Seas (delivered in 2000), Adventure of the Seas (2001),
Navigator of the Seas (2002) and Mariner of the Seas (2003).
The Voyager-class ships have been designed to offer new experiences and activities for the cruise
passengers and have proven very successful in operation.
The design task, process
and features

The concept design of the “Voyager-class” cruise

ships was made by Kvaerner Masa-Yards Technology
in close co-operation with Royal Caribbean. The first
concepts were produced already in1986. One of
five versions was chosen, and there followed four or
five design stages in which RCCL actively
participated before the final design was produced.
In November 1996 an order for the first two, later
extended to five, vessels, were placed with
Kvaerner Masa-Yards.

Post-Panamax Design

Royal Caribbean Cruise Line did not need a

vessel able to transit the Panama Canal. Thus
the designers were not limited by the design
restrictions imposed by a 32.2 m width limit,
and economy of scale could be largely
utilized.
The wider beam meant that the owner could
be provided with one of his major
requirements, namely more decks, inside
space and passengers. The 38.6 m hull
beam allowed the ability to split the
superstructure to have half the cabins
looking into a central space, the
Promenade, a design feature used for the
first time on a cruise ship. This gives a good
percentage of windowed cabins, with either
an ocean or internal view. The horizontal
space created by the split superstructure
were arranged with fore and aft atriums. This
arrangement makes it easy for passengers
to move between the different areas.
The wider beam also allowed for more decks
in the superstructure, resulting in more
balconies at upper levels.

Influence of Panama Canal on ship design

60

50

40
Cruise Ferry Post Panama
Breadth [ m ]

Panama Canal 32.3 m

30

20

10 Traditional Max Balcony

Yacht All Outside Panamax
Concept
0
0 500 1 000 1 500 2 000 2 500 3 000 3 500 4 000
Number of lower beds
From “Song” to “Voyager”- what next?

Voyager of the Seas, 137 300 GT, 1 557 Passenger cabins, (44,1 GT/ Passenger) 1999

Grandeur of the Seas, 74 140 GT, 975 Passenger cabins, (38,0 GT/ Passenger) 1996

Song of America, 37 584 GT, 707 Passenger cabins, (26,6 GT/ Passenger) 1982 In thirty years the
development of RCCL’s
cruise ships has been
enormous.
The ship size has nearly
Song of Norway, 18 417(23 005) GT, 377 Passenger cabins, (24,4 GT/ Passenger) 1970 doubled every ten years.
The Voyager-class, a huge
construction project

The Voyager-class cruise ships, with a

passenger capacity of 3,840, are the
largest in the world. The sheer volume and
size of the vessel, the man hours and
materials involved, and the size and
amount of internal and outside spaces sets
challenges for the co-ordination of ship
projects of this magnitude.
About ten interior architects were involved.
There was a lot of effort expended in
material and people flow during the fit out,
and a large number of subcontractors were
used. Kvaerner Masa-Yards has built up an
infrastructure of suppliers and sub-
contractors over the years, through which
this large scale construction project was
made possible, with prompt deliveries, on
time, and as contracted.
Unique multifunctional features

The goal for the Voyager-class ships is to provide

multiple options for passengers, who have different
needs and desires, and come from a broad
background, including families cruising together.
This is why the ship has a variety of cabin types,
dining areas, and many forms of entertainment to
cater for both young and older people. The
cruise ship becomes a destination in itself.
The Caribbean islands are quite similar, different
cruise operators' itineraries are similar, so the
content of the vessel is very important in
attracting passengers.

The cruise ship features a four deck high

horizontal promenade, the Royal Promenade,
a design featured for the first time on this
cruise ship series. The length of the prome-
nade is some 120 metres (390 ft), and it has
in each end an 11 deck high atrium, the
Centrums. The Royal Promenade also
features inside staterooms with a view.
Almost 10 percent (138) of the staterooms
have bay windows overlooking the Royal
Promenade. The Royal Promenade has a
variety of purposes. It can be a reception
hall at the captain's cocktail party, in the
evenings it can serve as an entertainment
arena, and during the day it offers both a
large variety of food and bar service, as well
as shopping facilities. Forward of the funnel is the The ice skating rink of Studio
traditional Viking Crown B measures 12 x 18 metres.
The Studio B, seating 900 passengers, is a Lounge. This area includes an It has telescopic seating,
combined show lounge and ice skating rink observation lounge, a cocktail state-of-the-art broadcasting
lounge, a jazz club, a golf bar facilities, including a large
for public performances, as well as
and a card and table games video wall, and is intended for
passenger use. This can be transformed into
room. At a height of 47.5 m live entertainment, including
a TV studio type entertainment centre, or
above the sea, on deck 15, variety shows, ice shows,
exhibition hall, by insulated covers which can there is a wedding chapel. game shows and rock and roll
be extended over the ice. At one end of the performances, as well as for
rink the tiered seating can be extended to ice skating for passengers.
cover some of the floor space. Studio B has a sliding floor,
and can also be used for
The big theater seats 1,350 guests. There are exhibitions and trade shows.
numerous restaurants onboard. The Main
Dining Room is three decks high, and seats a
total of 2,100 in five distinct areas. The open
space on the aft deck has been most efficiently
used, by splitting it into different functional
areas, helped by the post-panamax beam of the
ship. The space accommodates a nine-hole golf
putting course, a roller-blade track, full size volley
ball/games court, and a rock climbing wall.
In addition, there is a wedding chapel highest up
in the funnel.
The centrepiece of the ship, the 120 m
long Royal Promenade, is located on
deck 5 and rises through four decks to a
glass prism in the ceiling. It has a wide
selection of shops, restaurants and
entertainment areas fronting the street.
138 of the staterooms have bay windows
overlooking the Royal Promenade.

Large outside stateroom with verandah.

Piikkio Works Oy has built all the
prefabricated staterooms.
The theatre seats
The Pool deck, comprising two separated pool areas, is on deck 11.
1,350 people on
The main midship pool area contains two main swimming
decks 2, 3, and 4
pools, four jacuzzis and one cooling pool. Forward of these is the
forward and extends
Pool Bar a band stage. The forward Solarium area has a
across the entire
swimming pool, two jacuzzis, and bar. Forward of the Solarium
width of the ship.
there is the largest health centre at sea, comprising the Fitness
Centre, ShipShape Spa with aerobics, a gymnasium, and a
number of saunas, with a spa pool in the middle.

There is also a two-

deck high library, with
panoramic view over
the Promenade area.
The main dining room is three
decks high, and seats a total
of 2,100 guests in five
different areas.

Casino Royale

ShipShape Spa gymnasium

 “VOYAGER OF
THE SEAS”
Adventure Ocean Sports court
youth area
In-line skating track
Seaside Diner Adventure Beach Golf simulator Rock climbing
casual dining outdoor family deck wall

Voyage Dunes 19th Hole Cloud nine

golf course golf bar coctail lounge
Seven hearts
Island Grill card room
casual dining
Skylight Crow’s Nest
Windjammer Chapel observation lounge
casual dining
Portofino High Notes Cool Zone
Italian restaurant jazz club
Pools/
whirlpools
At
sta

Magic Flute
La Boheme
Carmen
dining rooms Library
Aft centrum
Business
Services

Scoreboard
sports bar
Champagne
Bar
Studio B
Royal Promenade entertainment complex
Aquarium Center Ice Café Promenade
Bar at studio B
Schooner Bar
Spinners The Vault Confe
gaming arcade nigth club Cente

Casino Royale Forward C

Steel Facts: Interior Facts:

300 000 steel pieces has been used There are 15 500 seats for passengers There are 15 400 square metres of
for the steel hull of which 300 000 of which 5 300 seats are in cabins and outside deck areas for passengers and
square metres are plates and 200 km 2 000 are seats on outer decks crew
steel profiles. There are 50 000 square metres There are more than 400 slot machines
of carpet in the casino
There are 4 100 art pieces onboard The Aquariums have a total of
worth some USD 12 million. 31 tonnes of water
The total interior (air conditioned area)
area is over 90 000 square of which
approx. 30 000 square metres is public
passenger area
 Main particulars

Length o.a. 311.1 m (1,020 ft) Passenger capacity, lower bed 3,138
Breadth max 48 m (157.4 ft) Passenger capacity, max. 3,840
Breadth waterline 38.6 m (126.6 ft) Passenger cabins, total 1,557
Draught dwl 8.6 m (28.2 ft) Passenger cabins with view 1,077 (69%)
Height to top of funnel, - of which with balconies 757 (49%)

Copyright Kvaerner Masa-Yards Inc., 1998. All texts and illustration in this brochure
approx. 63 m (207 ft) - facing the Royal Promenade 138 (9%)
Gross tonnage 137,300 Crew capacity 1,180

Speed, service 22 knots

Machinery: Diesel-electric power station

may be reprinted in full or part without permission crediting the source.

Main Engines: 6 x Wärtsilä 12V46C
Total power: 75,600 kW
Total propulsion power: 42,000 kW
Propulsion machinery: 3 x 14 MW AZIPOD® propulsion,
two azimuthing, one fixed
Bow thrusters: 4 x 3 MW, total 12 MW
Classification: Det Norske Veritas

Boutiques
duty-free shopping

trium View Solarium

aterooms
Spinkles
ice cream bar
ShipShape FitnessCenter
ShipShape Spa
Sunbathing Area

Jogging Track
Peek-A-Boo Bridge
bridge overlook

Observation Point

erence
er
Board Room
Centrum Connoisseur Club
cigar club
Cleopatra’s Needle
dancing lounge
La Scala Theater

Technical Facts: About 15 000 automation points

For the comfort of passengers and crew totally about 5 000 square metres of windows
1 850 000 cubic metres of air is transported and handled About 140 kilometres of pipes over one inch is installed
by air conditioning every hour 320 tonnes of water in swimming pools and Jacuzzis
61 000 electrical points are installed Theater: electric power for sound equipment 25 000 W
About 3 000 kilometres of electrical cables lighting equipment 18 000 W
Hydrodynamic development

Hull shape, the strength and fatigue of the structure,

manoeuvring, and seakeeping characteristics were
all vital elements in the design of Voyager-class
ships. The different points to consider were: hull
form design, resistance, cavitation, propeller
excitation, manoeuvring, and seakeeping. The
yard made an extended design study to optimize
the hull lines to conform to DNV's new Comfort
Class notation (low noise and vibration levels).
Model tests were done to check the vessel's
manoeuvring behaviour and stability. The yard's
Shipflow Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)
program was employed to reach the optimum
hull lines for a wider speed range. The wave
damping afterbody (WDA) principle,
developed by the yard, was used in the
design. This decreased the required power
level by three to four per cent and reduced
pressure pulses.
Comfort and safety of passengers during
different manoeuvring was a most important
aspect of the development work. That is why
the yard concentrated a lot on the vessel's
heeling angles during several manoeuvring
cases. The emergency steering was tested
in different situations to confirm the highest
safety level.

Hull strength
In addition to the normal hull preliminary
The wheelhouse has a cockpit-
and classification design prescribed by the
type navigation console, which
DNV rules, the yard conducted a thorough owes its origins to those first
strength investigation using a produced on the latest Baltic
sophisticated finite element (FE) method ferries built by Kvaerner Masa-
and models. Also, the vibration responses Yards.
of the hull, including the Azipod units, were
calculated using several FE models. The
extent of the direct calculations was the
most extensive the yard has ever made for
a cruise ship, with about 170,000
elements in the models. DNV's Comfort
class notation requires much stricter than
normal vibration and noise levels. The electric propulsion plant
includes three 14 MW
cycloconverter-controlled
Full scale manoeuvrability
azimuthing propulsion units,
Manoeuvring behaviour of the Voyager-class is
one ABB Fixipod pushing unit
excellent. The turning circle had a steady midships flanked by two
diameter of less than two ship lengths at full ®
steerable Azipod (pulling)
speed. Heel during this manoeuvre is less than units. The Azipod, which turns
4 degrees, achieved by the optimized stern through 360 deg, includes an
design. Compared with a conventional case, electric AC motor located inside
turn diameters are 50 per cent less using pods. the propeller pod, which
The crash stop distance at full speed is less than directly drives an FP propeller.
The Azipod concept was
0.5 nautical mile at normal service speed, and the
developed jointly by Kvaerner
vessel could be kept on course during this
Masa-Yards and ABB Industry.
manoeuvre.
The yard conducted a
thorough strength
investigation using a finite
element method (FE) and
models. Also, the vibration
responses of the hull,
including the Azipod units,
were calculated using several
FE models.
Technical features

The Voyager-class cruise ships have a passenger There are also substation switchboards for hotel services.
capacity of 3,840 passengers, and a crew capacity There is one ABB double AC/AC frequency converter per
of 1,180 persons, giving a total number of 5,020 propulsion motor, with one-pole high-speed breaker between the
people onboard. In addition to the total length of cycloconverters and the motor.
311.1 metres (1020 ft), the most striking feature
of the physical size is the breadth of 38.6 meters The Voyager-class is one of the first cruise ships designed
(126 ft) at waterline level (47.4 metres / 155 ft completely without damping/ discharging to sea. The systems
breadth at the bridge wings) and the height of includes a 1600 kW incinerator, a food waste system, a recycling
72.3 metres (237 ft) from keel to the top of the and storage system for glass, metal, ash and paper - including a
funnel. This Post-Pamamax size has allowed for new automatic ash transport and packing process.
unique design features and interior solutions.
The vessel's draught is 8.6 m, which is the A high level of plant redundancy is the key to the safety of the ship
maximum for access to many Caribbean series, and the comfort of its passengers. Plant which has an
harbours. In harbour it is possible to impact on the safety has a redundancy built into it in such a way
manoeuvre without tugs. The combination of that any single failure which may happen does not put the
Azipod propulsion and high power bow complete plant out of operation. At least 50 per cent of nominal
thrusters gives this advantage. capacities should remain available after such a failure. The safety
requirement has been implemented within the scope of the
The Voyager-class ships have three electric specification, general arrangement, and within the system
Azipod® units, 14 MW each. The two units diagrams. This requirement does not mean duplication of
on the sides are fully azimuthing whereas machinery or installation of additional systems, but the
the one at the centreline is a fixed Azipod separation of plants and systems into two independent parts.
unit.
The ships were designed to manage 40 Five of the six generators can supply all normal service rating.
knots side winds - where ships normally can Normally all engines will run, but this arrangement allows for one
stay manoeuvrable in 25-30 knots winds. engine to be out of service for maintenance.
To handle this, there are four 3 MW tunnel
thrusters in the bow in addition to the
Azipod units in the stern. The ships can even
move sideways with a speed of 3 knots.
The power plant consists of six Wärtsilä 12V 46C medium-speed
The manoeuvrability and course stability of diesel engines, each with an output of 12,600 kW at 514 rev/min,
the ship is very good. driving an ABB 17,600 kWA (12.3 MV) diesel alternator, 3-phase
The Azipod units, combined with a good 11,OOO V, 60 Hz. Other consumers are supplied through three
ship design, made it possible to achieve 11 kW medium voltage, 440 V an 230 V engine room
very low vibration and noise levels, which switchboards, and three 440 V and 230 V emergency
adds to passenger comfort onboard, and switchboards. There are also 440 V, 230 V and 120 V substations'
allowing the ships to achieve Det norske switchboards for hotel services. Emergency power is provided by
two Detroit diesel units driving an alternator rated at 1,812 kWA,
Veritas' Comfort classification, the first of
450 V, 60 Hz.
RCCL's ships to achieve this notation.
There is one ABB double AC/AC frequency converter
per propulsion motor, with one-pole high-speed breaker
The wheelhouse of the Voyager-class has a Between the cycloconverters and the motor.
cockpit-type navigation console. The
console is continuously manned by two
officers. The navigation system is integrated
and has a electronic chart system. The ships
are fitted with a dynamic positioning system
so no anchoring is needed in sensitive coral
areas.

In addition to the three Azipod propulsion units

with cycloconverter control, the power plant
consists of six main Wartsila 12V 46C medium-
speed diesel engines each with an output of
12,600 kW, driving an ABB 17,600 kVA
(12.3MW) diesel alternator through three
medium voltage engine room switchboards and
three emergency switchboards.
In order to deal with the grey/black water created by over 5,000
people onboard a Voyager-class vessel, the ships have a
treatment system which, under normal conditions, can handle a
peak flow of 100,000 litre per hour of effluent, and treat a total
amount of 1.2 million litres per/day. The ships have also what is
called a SAP pre-treatment system, the first fitted to any vessel.
The system takes out all untreatable solids from waste water
before it undergoes the treatment process, and is small enough
to be installed alongside the water treatment plant.
 Kvaerner Masa-Yards

Kvaerner Masa-Yards in Finland is specialised in building

advanced cruise ships. Over the years, many of the most
significant vessels in the cruise market has come from the
company's shipyards as a result of joint concept development
with the client, tailoring the ships to market needs.

Our organisation and production facilities are structured to

handle large cruise ship prototypes, requiring innovative Long relationship
design and production technologies and R&D input. Our
main commitment is to further refine our expertise in this The relationship with Royal Caribbean
sector, through continuous development of our core values - dates back to the mid 1960's, when the
experienced dedicated personnel and efficient highly cruise line's first ship, the 18,417 GT/
725 passenger cruise ship Song of
modern production facilities.
Norway was on the drawing boards.
In addition to newbuilding ship design and construction, the The yard in Helsinki built Royal
Caribbean's first four ships, the Song of
units Kvaerner Masa-Yards Technology and Kvaerner Masa
Norway (1970), Nordic Prince (1971) and
Marine offer customers marine related services, such as ship
Sun Viking (1972). The 1,400 passenger
design, consulting engineering and R&D, for a wide range of ship Song of America was completed in 1982.
types and maritime projects. Also, the yard lengthened both Song of
Piikkio Works Oy, a subsidiary of KMY, offers owners and yards top Norway and Nordic Prince in the first such
quality prefabricated modular cabin units. operation ever performed on a passenger
ship.
The yard also developed the concepts of
the RCCL 3rd generation (Sovereign-,
Kvaerner Masa-Yards Inc. Monarch-, Majesty of the Seas), 4th
Sales and Project Management generation (Project Vision I & II and V &
Laivakatu 1,
VI) vessels, of which Grandeur of the
P.O. Box 132
FIN-00151 HELSINKI, Finland Seas and Enchantment of the Seas were
Tel. +358-9-1941 delivered in 1996 and 1997 respectively,
Fax +358-9-650 051 and developed the concepts of the recent
Marketing-sales@masa-yards.fi
www.masa-yards.fi
Vantage and Millenium class ships.