Go Green at Sea: Royal Caribbean’s New Ships

This new living wall aboard a Royal Caribbean cruise ship will really get around. Courtesy Royal Caribbean
Can you believe this is on board a cruise ship? Courtesy Royal Caribbean

Can you believe this is on board a cruise ship? Courtesy Royal Caribbean

Royal Caribbean is known for its extravagant cruises and for keeping its guests happy with the latest shipboard innovations. Its ships “Oasis of the Seas” (what a great name!) and “Allure of the Seas” feature the perfect balance of activities and relaxation.

Where better to relax in the middle of the deep blue sea than in the green of the Royal Caribbean Central Park? This version of Central Park is an onboard neighborhood garden covered with 12,000 beautiful living plants.

This new living wall aboard a Royal Caribbean cruise ship will really get around. Courtesy Royal Caribbean

This new living wall aboard a Royal Caribbean cruise ship will really get around. Courtesy Royal Caribbean

Good Earth Plant Company was thrilled to learn about this, and we are so glad to see ships growing real plants instead of displaying all replicas as many have done in the past. In addition to the thousands of plants, Royal Caribbean also displays a new living wall that is four stories tall and 25 feet wide.  Now we are really in love. The ship even has onboard horticulturists to teach kids and parents about local Caribbean plant life in the destinations the ship visits, as well as basic gardening techniques. Royal Caribbean understands that for their guests to truly unwind, they need a green, natural place to rest and recharge.

In addition, Royal Caribbean is releasing a new ship called Quantum of the Seas” it says is unlike any other before it. It will offer indoor sky diving, an ice bar (it is literally made of ice),  a roller rink, a rotating suspended viewing tower like the one you may have visited at Sea World San Diego, bumper cars, and the most impressive feature of all, a lounge where your surroundings change. You can even find yourself in a virtual forest, better than any 3D or IMAX movie (and it has those too). This lounge shows the amazing 260 degree views of the ocean by day, and by night can display many different amazing landscapes via virtual projection.

An artist's rendition of what the new virtual theater will look like. Courtesy Royal Caribbean

An artist’s rendition of what the new virtual theater will look like. Courtesy Royal Caribbean

Good Earth Plant Company is so pleased to see many different industries embracing nature and its positive benefits. We recently wrote about the living wall on Ellen DeGeneres’s new set for her TV show, and now we see the world’s most innovative cruise ships embracing nature and plants in the form of live gardens, virtual projections, and living walls.

It seems to be becoming common knowledge that you can’t experience true enjoyment and relaxation without nature. Biophilia is the instinctive bond between humans and nature, and fulfilling that need makes for a great vacation.

We have limited information so far about the “Quantum of the Seas” virtual lounge given the ship is not yet completed, but we can’t wait to see its final product upon its release in 45 days, right around Thanksgiving.

For more information on Royal Caribbean’s Central Park visit the company website here.

Maybe you’re not quite ready to go on a cruise yet, but still want to bring nature into your every day life for all of the health benefits with some beautiful plants in your home or office. Call Good Earth Plants and GreenScaped Buildings at 858-576-9300 or check out our website.