The largest cruise ship in the world, Royal Caribbean International’s Harmony of the Seas, has set sail with a large energy-efficient Elation Professional LED lighting package used in the ship’s main entertainment and relaxation areas. As the third member of Royal Caribbean’s Oasis-class, Harmony of the Seas is similar to her two sister ships Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas, however with design changes, extra amenities and entertainment technology upgrades.
Built by STX France in Saint-Nazaire, France, the 5,479-guest ship has something for everybody and like Royal Caribbean’s Quantum-class ships, Harmony of the Seas is an environmentally friendly ‘smartship’ in which energy savings and energy efficiency take priority. It continues the high standard in energy-efficient entertainment lighting that Royal Caribbean’s Quantum of the Seas set in 2014 when it first sailed with a full complement of Elation lighting and video products. Sound, light and stage technology for many of the public areas onboard Harmony was installed by VIDELIO-HMS, including engineering and commissioning.
“There is a lot of LED on board Harmony of the Seas, much more than the previous Oasis-class ships, which had very little LED lighting,” stated Christopher Vlassopulos, Superintendent SLVR & Architectural Lighting for Royal Caribbean International, who coordinated the design and specification for all the entertainment equipment in Harmony of the Sea’s public spaces, including the ship’s entertainment lighting systems. “This ship is really a testament to how far LED technology has come since Allure of the Seas launched seven years ago.”
Lighting onboard Harmony has the same energy-efficient role as with the Quantum-class ships, Vlassopulos explains, and the savings is marked. “The directive of no incandescent lamps onboard and no lamp changes means we realise millions of dollars in savings over the lifetime of Royal Caribbean ships,” he says. “By switching from incandescent to LED we benefit from less maintenance and less power used, and with less heat generated there is a lower burden on the air conditioning system which translates into power and fuel savings. The dollar savings over the lifetime of a ship is quite significant.”
The savings extends to other areas as well. With the Elation LED systems there is less cabling, fewer connections to contend with, and there are no dimmers to work with.
“This is the third in a series so we took the experience we gained from Oasis and Allure and applied that to Harmony, which made for a fairly straight-forward installation,” Vlassopulos continues, explaining that the layout is identical to Allure but not the lighting. “On Harmony the advancements in LED allowed us to pick and choose what lighting we wanted. We had more choice. The real advantage with technology is that it gives us more flexibility.” Flexibility and greater savings. Vlassopulos says that the LED lighting on Harmony is a more affordable package than on Allure/Oasis, adding, “It’s more sophisticated lighting yet with money savings.”
Another factor that shouldn’t go unstated is the fact that the Elation products must also hold up to the harsh environment onboard a ship – the constant motion, exposure to salt water, humidity and high temperatures.
A destination in itself Harmony of the Seas is a destination in itself. Like its Oasis-class sisters it is divided into seven themed neighbourhoods and offers an entertainment lineup that is truly impressive. Headlining the offerings is a production of the Broadway hit musical Grease, specially adapted by Royal Caribbean Productions for the 1,400 seat Royal Theatre. The beloved sing-along show features Elation Platinum Series and Satura Series moving heads along with ELED series LED strip lights. Lighting in the Royal Theatre is also used for a Royal Caribbean original show, Columbus.
At the Studio B ice rink, world class figure skaters perform a show called 1887 that takes guests on a magical time-traveling journey beneath a state-of- the-art lighting rig made up of Platinum Series and Satura Series moving heads along with Elation Colour Chorus LED battens. And when strolling down the Royal Promenade, a popular meeting area running the length of the ship where guests come to shop, dine and be entertained, Elation LED moving heads and LED Par lighting is used as atmospheric and show enhancement throughout the day and night.
Outside, Elation’s ELAR 108 Par RGBW fixtures are used in several areas including the open-air stage and acrobatic performance space the AquaTheatre, as well as the Boardwalk, the FlowRider surf area, the adults-only Solarium, and the pool area, where they are used to light up the band stand and pool deck in vibrant color. ELAR 108 Par lights have been a staple on Royal Caribbean ships as a powerful wash light since the first time they were used on Oasis of the Seas’ first voyage in 2009. Elation LED lights are used across a host of other onboard clubs, bars and lounges including On Air Club, Jazz on 4, The Attic, and Dazzle and Boleros lounges, as well as the Crew Bar and teen areas.
Harmony of the Seas sailed western Mediterranean cruises over the summer before crossing the Atlantic, where she now sails seven-night eastern and western Caribbean cruises originating from Port Everglades, Florida.
