Symphony of the Seas

Bolidt News

Symphony of the seas

Bigger & better, Royal Caribbean International (RCI) must have thought. The shipping company already had the biggest cruise ship in the world in the form of the Harmony of the Seas, but 3 years ago they decided to go one step further. The upshot of that decision is the Symphony of the Seas: over 362 metres long and 228,081 gross tonnes in weight, making it the biggest cruise ship in service since this spring. A colossus like this calls for big names. And guess who fitted all of the Symphony of the Seas’ decks: Bolidt, of course. Once again RCI went for quality, just as it did for the construction of 4 previous ships in the Oasis category that includes the Harmony of the Seas. With durable Bolideck^® Future Teak, sound-insulating Bolideck^® Select Soft and our own fitting teams, Bolidt was the right party for RCI. An extra attraction on board: a spectacular glow-in-the-dark deck finish.

The Symphony of the Seas is a complete holiday park on the water. The ship features 2,759 cabins – 12 more than the Harmony of the Seas – and space for 5,518 passengers, who can dine at 20 restaurants and cafés round the clock. In the Bionic Bar guests are served by robot arms; in the AquaTheater they can enjoy a show with a view of the water. What’s more, there are countless slides, a water park, surf simulator, laser game arena, basketball court, ice rink and 2 climbing walls. 

Long-term relationship

Shipyard STX France in St-Nazaire has spent three years building the Symphony of the Seas. Bolidt was enlisted for the purposes of fitting all of the vessel’s decks, just as it was previously for the Harmony of the Seas.

Bolidt has been working closely with both RCI and the French shipbuilder for many years now, and has already fitted a large number of cruise ships with decks. 

Due to having our own fitting teams, Bolidt managed to fit at least 20,000 m² of flooring materials on the Symphony of the Seas within the space of a year. For the external decks, Bolideck^® Future Teak was chosen, a durable system that looks and feels like teak but has the benefits of plastic: weatherproof, low-maintenance and ecologically responsible. The system is lightweight and no trees had to be chopped down to create it. The public spaces are fitted with Bolideck^® Select Soft, which is available in an unlimited array of colours and designs and also has excellent sound-insulating properties. The system can be found in such locations as the Mexican restaurant El Loco. Bolidt fitted a magnificent designer floor here in close cooperation with RCI’s design team.

Bolideck^® Glow

In addition to all its catering, entertainment and sports and games facilities, the Symphony of the Seas has one other unique attraction: the Abyss Arrival on deck 6 features Bolideck^® Glow. Developed specially for the cruise industry by Bolidt, this luminous coating material stores solar energy by day and glows in the dark. ‘When RCI asked us for a material that glows in the dark, we were already hard at work developing Bolideck^® Glow’, says Jacco van Overbeek, Director Maritime Division at Bolidt. ‘Established customers are often asking us for new coating materials. And our ongoing development programme enables us to home in on their wishes straight away. Thus ensuring that we’re able to help designers to translate owners’ wishes into new concepts and innovative elements.’