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FORT LAUDERDALE (CBS4) ― Royal Caribbean officials announced that due to bad weather the world's largest cruise ship – Oasis of the Seas – will dock at a Fort Lauderdale port two days later than scheduled.

The cruise will arrive at Port Everglades at 9 a.m. the morning of Friday, Nov. 13th.

"While crossing the North Atlantic Ocean on its way to Port Everglades, Florida, Oasis of the Seas encountered strong winds and high seas," cruise ship officials said in a statement.

Last week, Port Everglades dedicated the newly expanded Terminal 18, which will house the world's largest cruise ship.

The port has spent $75 million to expand Terminal 18 from 67,500 square feet to 240,000 square feet, making it the largest terminal for a single cruise ship; in this case, Royal Caribbean's The Oasis of the Seas.

After its arrival, the ship will make its official U.S. debut a week later on Nov. 20 at Port Everglades. Pop star Rihanna will promote her new album in a concert aboard Oasis. The performance, during a three-day preview cruise starting Nov. 19th, will be in the AquaTheater at the stern of the ship, which will also be home to shows by Olympic divers and synchronized swimmers. The United Way will also have an overnight charity cruise aboard Oasis on Nov. 29. The ship will be officially named on Nov. 30.

It will embark on a special 4-night preview voyage to the port of Labadee in Haiti on Dec. 1. That will be followed by its inaugural voyage set for December 5th, when it will sail to St. Thomas, St Maarten, and Nassau.

Officials of Miami-based Royal Caribbean Cruise Line are banking that its novelty will help guarantee its success. Five times larger than the Titanic, the $1.5 billion ship has seven neighborhoods, an ice rink, a small golf course and a 750-seat outdoor amphitheater. It has 2,700 cabins and can accommodate 6,300 passengers and 2,100 crew members.

Accommodations include loft cabins, with floor-to-ceiling windows, and 1,600-square-foot luxury suites with balconies overlooking the sea or promenades.

The liner also has four swimming pools, volleyball and basketball courts, and a youth zone with theme parks and nurseries for children.

The enormous ship features various "neighborhoods" — parks, squares and arenas with special themes. One of them will be a tropical environment, including palm trees and vines among the total 12,000 plants on board. They will be planted after the ship arrives in Fort Lauderdale.

One of the "neighborhoods," named Central Park, features a square with boutiques, restaurants and bars, including a bar that moves up and down three decks, allowing customers to get on and off at different levels.

In the stern, the 750-seat outdoor theater — modeled on an ancient Greek amphitheater — doubles as a swimming pool by day and an ocean front theater by night. The pool has a diving tower with spring boards and two 33-foot (10-meter) high-dive platforms. An indoor theater seats 1,300 guests.

The Oasis and its sister ship, Allure of the Seas, which is coming in 2010, are expected to have a major economic impact in South Florida, supporting 3,800 jobs, generating $172 million in personal income, and producing more than $463 million in total business revenue and local purchases, according to a study done for Port Everglades. When both ships are here, Port Everglades is expected to grab the title as "Busiest Cruise Ship Port" in the world. Right now, that title is held by the Port of Miami.

Aside from huge sky lights and sea-inspired tile work on the floor, one of the highly touted features of terminal 18 is the fact that there are 90 check in stands for passengers. "Our intent is to be able to process people from curbside to being onboard the ship within 15 minutes," explained Port Director Phil Allen. And something else he's proud of, "It's a $75 million project, we quadrupled the size of the terminal and we did it on time and below budget."

CBS4's Ted Scouten and Kim Chapin contributed to this report.

(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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