The Oasis of the Seas can carry a maximum of 6,292 passengers plus crew of up to 2,291.

Its 16 passenger decks contain four pools and 10 whirlpools, a rock-climbing wall, a basketball court, a miniature golf course, an ice skating rink, a shopping promenade, a fairground carousel, a central park with 12,000 live plants and trees, and a 1,380-seat theatre.

It has 37 bars and restaurants, 4,100 toilets, 42 lifts and 4,500 air conditioning units.

Seven-night cruises start at $1,049 (?628) per person for an inside cabin and go to $16,659 per person for the two-storey Royal Loft suite, which includes a baby grand piano and private 843 sq ft balcony.

• In the Observer this Sunday: Tim Adams’s verdict on the world’s biggest passenger ship

• This article was amended on 26 November 2009. The original said that the liner was expected to carry 40% of Britain’s 1 million-plus cruise passengers. This has been corrected. The difference between two passenger-capacity figures has also been clarified.