Oasis of the Seas is centerpiece of record Barcelona cruise weekendOasis of the Seas is centerpiece of record Barcelona cruise weekend

Carles Domingo, in charge of the terminals, told Seatrade Insider all had gone according to plan, with passengers ashore within about an hour and a half after clearance. Noticeable, however, were lengthy passenger queues for taxis.

Oasis of the Seas was welcomed jointly by Barcelona port chairman Sixte Cambra and Belén Wangüemert, Royal Caribbean's Barcelona-based director general for Spain and France, with a large crowd of local journalists, especially television reporters and photographers.

Looking to the 2015 deployment of sister ship Allure of the Seas from Barcelona for a 25-departure spring and summer season, Wangüemert told Seatrade Insider reservations are going well, aided by incentives for early booking. She estimated around 20% of the passengers on Oasis of the Seas' short cruises this month from Barcelona are Spaniards.

Port chairman Cambra called Oasis of the Seas the centerpiece of this season's record weekend for cruise operations. Between Friday and Sunday, a total of 15 calls were scheduled to deliver and embark more than 58,000 passengers. Nine of the calls are turnarounds.

A large number of Seatrade Med delegates are to tour Oasis of the Seas and have lunch on board Sept. 18, following the Barcelona event's concluding morning conference session.