December, 1999 - Royal Caribbean's 142,000 ton Voyager of the Seas - the size of a 17-car freight train - made her debut in Miami, with Olympic gold medalist Katarina Witt christening her on the spanking new blue and gold terminal at the Port of Miami.

"Our godmother represents the quest for perfection in figure-skating, just as Voyager of the Seas represents our own quest for perfection in ship-building in the 21st Century," said Richard Fain, RCCL chairman and CEO, at the event marked by a magnificent sound and light display that illuminated the ship, her bridge, and the RCCL terminal.

And as the ship sailed away from port, the christening ceremony was followed by a spectacular fireworks display.

The megavessel with the capacity to carry 3,114 cabin (maximum 3838) passengers became the then largest cruise ship afloat. Powered by six generators that can produce 116,000 horsepower, the ship boasts many firsts for RCCL: from the latest navigational equipment incorporating Azipods that give the ship greater maneuverability, to an a 40-by-60 ft ice rink, to a 40-ft rock-climbing wall, a basketball court, and an inline skating track.

Another first for the cruise industry was the introduction of a promenade - the Royal Promenade - that was designed to connect all the disparate areas of the giant ship into a focal point; and the placement of interior cabins with window views overlooking the four-deck-high promenade.

Ten years from the draft board to finalisation of the ship's architectural plans at the Kvaerner Masa-Yards in Turku, Finland, Voyager began its life as the first of a new series of vessels called the Eagle Class. The idea for building a mammoth ship came after RCCL had completed its evolutionary Vision class series of ships-Legend, Splendour, Vision, Grandeur, Rhapsody, and Enchantment - so called because of their emphasis on air, space and light. (Each ship has suspended glass walls, glass canopies, skylights and glass windbreaks that open onto sea vistas as well as seven story glass Centrums with decks of window wall).

Fain wanted to do something revolutionary and came up with the idea of building a very large ship but with a basic rethinking of space. The new ship would be the first of the new Eagle class. He said:

" I wanted to redraw everything, to take advantage of every idea. I wanted this to be a spectacular, big ship - fundamentally different. And there was always this one challenge: to have it look and feel like a ship."

Veteran architect Njil Eide, a Swede, whose modernist ideas of ship design and the use of space can be seen in the Vision-class ships was again called upon. He was struck by the amount of space available on the proposed ship and felt there should be a central area where passengers would naturally gravitate. The Royal Promenade was the end result for it would function as a village gathering point with a long interior space over which interior staterooms would overlook it and glass Centrums would be positioned at either end to give it a more open look.

In another innovative move, Eide also conceived the idea for Studio B-a theater in the round which doubles as an ice skating rink and an entertainment center-as a natural extension of the promenade area for it gave people a place to go for entertainment.

Building the vessel took a crew of 10,000 skilled workers 21 million hours of precise technical work to assemble 300,000 pieces of steel into the vessel's hull. Inside the hull, shipyard workers installed more than 87 miles of pipes of and 1,864 miles of electrical cable connected at nearly 61,000 different points throughout Voyager's 17 decks. Mammoth engines were put into place to generate 75,600 kilowatts of power for the electric-propulsion Azipod motors under the hull. The Azipods (developed by ABB Marine) offer enhanced maneuverability and hydrodynamics, resulting in shorter harbour times, safer operation in harsh weather and restricted harbor passages and reduced fuel consumption.

So how does it feel to travel on this behemoth that is a fifth of a mile long? Well, the ship is surprisingly sleek. The public areas are nicely designed and graced with $12 million of original art. Despite its ability to hold a maximum capacity of 3,838 passengers and a crew of 1,184, you don't feel the crush of humanity since many of the public areas are surrounded by glass walls and windows, thus giving passengers the feel of space as they look to the sea.

With the passenger activity focused on the Royal Promenade, which RCCL says bears a similarity to New Orleans' Bourbon Street, I checked out the "boulevard" with its string of shops and watering holes. The promenade did achieve the aim of providing a centrally located place to congregate but I got the feeling more of being in an elegant mall on land, not of being a passenger aboard a seagoing vessel. Still, there is plenty activity that would attract passengers: clothing shops, a general store for various items, a pub with specialty beers, a confectionary to satisfy sweet cravings, several bars and a neon scoreboard flashing the latest sports scores ashore.

The three-deck-high dining room offers gracious dining amid wonderful sea vistas. Each deck is named differently - Carmen, La Boheme and Mozart - and all are connected by a grand staircase in the center of the dining area. (Two smaller dining rooms, Seville and Granada, adjoin Carmen.)

The food, directed by Master chef Rudi Sodamin, is outstanding and sure to add caloric grief for passengers. He has also devised special menus for diners preferrfing low-fat, low cholesterol dishes and vegetarian selections.

There are alternative dining areas on board for passengers not wishing not to dress up for dinner. Besides the option of dining in the cabin, the Windjammer or the adjacent black-and-white wicker Island Cafe offer buffet dishes as well as specials from the main diningroom. The more intimate Portofino restaurant with its Italian/international menu, seats only 40 to 60 persons so reservations are called for.

Then there is the very popular Johnny Rockets, an around-the-clock diner, with authentic 1950's decor of chrome, naugahyde booths, formica counters and a jukebox. It was so busy one evening - and that is after a four course dinner - that more than 1,300 hamburgers were served up between the hours of 6 pm and 3 am. I always capped my evenings with a detour to have a delicious old-fashioned milk shake there - well worth it.

The medical department has four patient rooms, one for cardiac surveillance, plus a small lab for blood testing, Xray equipment, ventillators, and even a defillibrator to deal with cardiac arrest. Designed in consulation with the Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, the medical facility is equipped with the latest lifesaving equipment. But should the patient require surgery or other life-sustaining treatment, the ship has a helicopter on board for transport to a shore facility.

After visiting the medical facility, being more health conscious, I decided to workout at the ShipShape fitness center up on Spa Deck. With more than 15,000 sq ft of workout, aerobics and spa facilities, there is a lot to choose from.In the gym section, I had a choice of 20 treadmills, 14 Reebok cycles and 8 Reebok cross trainers among the equipment on hand.

Outside the Spa there is another 10,000 square-foot area where the Solarium with a retractable glass roof, a pool, two whirlpools and a bandstand area is located. All this space adds up to some 25,000 square feet, making the health and fitness complex the largest afloat.

I concluded my exercise with with three rounds of nine-hole miniature golf park 200 feet above the sea. What views! Nearby climbing the 40 foot rock wall was a popular activity, but I got cold feet and gave it a miss.

What really struck me about the ship was its emphasis on family - from tots to teenagers. The large space allowed for the young set is outstanding: a junior rock climbing wall, a maze of tunnels to crawl in and out of, an arts-and-crafts area and computers equipped with children's educational software. There is even area for for putting on a play and out on deck is a lighthouse-shape waterslide pool. More importantly there are trained counsellors who work along with their child guests and baby sitting services are also available.

Teens have a variety of adult sports-a 40 foot rock climbing wall, miniature golf, a basketball court, ice skating in Studio B, and an inline blading track. And, of course, the ever popular video game room though to my horror there were a couple of violent games that should not have been there. I was told there was a well organised baby sitting service for parents wanting a little time to themselves.

One night, after dinner, I headed for the Broadway revue at the La Scala, the theater that can hold 1,350 people. Named after Milan's famous opera house, LaScala spans five decks and features a hydraulic orchestra pit and stage areas, and above-stage fly space to allow for elaborate shows. Another night it was a visit to Studio B, the 900 seat entertainment center with telescopic seating, and broadcasting and recording facilites. Studio B offers fast-paced variety shows and rock concerts but the studio's floor can be rolled back to unveil a 40 by 60 foot real-ice rink for the enjoyable "Ice Jammin'' production that will be featured on each cruise. Studio B is also open at designated times for passengers to rent skates and take a spin around the rink.

Besides rolling the dice at the card tables or playing your quarters at the slot machines in the glitzy gaudy Casino Royale, one of the largest casinos afloat, you can visit several night spots such as The Vault disco which rises behind a glass bridge spanning the Royal Promenade, or listen to jazz at the High Notes club on the ship's uppermost deck.

I stayed in one of the interior-view double cabins that faced out onto the Royal Promenade. RCCL is very enthusiastic about these promenade-view cabins but I was not. I found that the noise level rising from the promenade activities at times disquieting. Although these cabins were small, they were adequately equipped with minibars, electric hairdryers, and interactive TV. But when I had a peek at one of the 939 more spaciousof ocean-view staterooms across the way, I realised that I much preferred a view of the sea than a view of the bustling throughfare below me. After all, isn't that the purpose of a cruise?

Perhaps not, as one of the most popular sites on the ship was the Internet Cafe. Here one could e-mail home or keep abreast of the latest news, or conduct business. I certainly loved it. But it was so much in demand that there was a waiting line.