Expected to be completed by 2013, construction of the uber-luxurious Utopia started in January, 2010 in South Korea. At $1.1 billion, this cruise ship is set to become one of the most luxurious (read expensive) cruise ships in the world and shall belong to a US based cruise owner and operator. Will Utopia surpass The Oasis of the Seas, presently the most luxurious cruise ship in the world?
At 296m length, 36m breadth and 50m height, this ship shall have a gross tonnage of 108,000tons. Its draft will be 8.3m. Overall, the ship will have a capacity for 900 passengers and 600 crew members. The guests will be accommodated in a total of 204 hotel suites that can be rented for a limited period like normal hotel rooms.
There will also be an option for 200 apartment type cabins that will be permanent address for passengers on the ship. Those cabins can be bought by purchasers but this wouldn’t give them a claim in the ship’s ownership.
The Utopia is being built by Samsung Heavy Industries, with an input of about $1 billion, three years and efforts of almost 400 engineers. Its conceptual designing will further be handled by Utopia in partnership with Elomatic Consulting and Engineering, besides Tillberg Design- firm that looks into main architecture of the ship.
The ship’s luxurious interiors have been handled by Nancy Iraggi and Tillberg Design. These designers have planned an elaborate interior design and architecture for Utopia. The main idea is to provide luxury of scenic beauty to the passengers at all the times. This has been ensured by the floor plans that vary in size and characteristics, in accordance with more personal preferences of guests.
Four estates shall claim space on this ship. Utopian estates will be built over an area of 530-624 meter square that will include four bedroom and 3.5 bathrooms. Royal Cup Estate’s share of 394 square meter area will include three to four bedroom and 3.5 bathrooms. Regatta Estates will get space for three to four bedroom and 2.5-3.5 bathrooms while Symphony Estates will be able to contribute three bedroom and three bathrooms.
Heating, ventilation and air conditioning in all these cabins and suites will be handled by Novenco’s Marine and offshore division while the technical management of ship will be looked into by Wilhelmsen.
All the suites and cabins have been designed keeping in mind comfort, not in just their interiors but in their deck placements too. The apartment cabins have been placed on upper decks eight through fifteen and shall be accessible through private elevators, for maximum privacy to their owners.
Each two bedrooms and two bathrooms cabin will be built over an area of 1400 square feet and will be available at $3.7 million. A larger 6600 square feet, four bedroom and three bathrooms cabin will be up for ownership at $25 million. Each of these cabins will be furnished with hardwood floors, recessed lighting, marble kitchen tops and fireplaces.
Other facilities offered on Utopia will include the Club, on decks 15 and 16. This Club would be perfect place for the ship’s residents to bond over good drinks and food. Carefully selected wines, ginger tea, martinis, exquisite cuisines will all be part of the menu in the Club. The lounge will be provided with panoramic windows and comfortable chairs for guests to enjoy quality time watching the ocean go by or catching up with each other.
The gym will hold everything from latest technology to more distinguished workout options like pilates, Bikram yoga and meditation and dance classes. This ship will also hold a theatre, spa, marina, swimming pools and private resident clubs for a complete entertainment package of guests.
Besides being super luxurious, this ship is set to become the largest cruise ship ever to have been constructed in Asia. Powered with three bow thrusters with a total power generation potential of 9000 KW, this ship will be apt for long distance high speed routes. It will have an installed power capacity of 50,400 KW along with two sets of fin stabilizers. This will give Utopia a stable speed of 22 knots. It will cruise to exclusive events like Rio’s carnival, Cannes Film Festival, the Grand Prix Auto Race in Monaco and the Olympics, besides usual cruising options.
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References
abcnews , articles.latimes , utopiaresidences
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luxuo , cdn.turner , cruisecompare , photobucket ,roomwithaviewblog
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