Oasis of the Seas Now in Ft. Lauderdale

The world's largest cruise ship – Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas – rolled into Port Everglades Friday morning as thousands of people watched from shore. The giant ship blocked the view of portside buildings as it completed its transatlantic voyage to its new home port.

Escorted by fireboats billowing streams of water, the ship eased through the channel into the port shortly after 8 a.m.. Dozens of boats were there to greet it, and from the desk, people were waving to those who came out to welcome the new ship, while arrived 2 days overdue because of bad weather.

"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.

"The heavy weather meant no work on the outer decks and especially the AquaTheatre during most of the crossing," Richard Fain notes in his popular Chairman's Blog at the Royal Caribbean website. "And it took longer to do all the requisite work in the Opus Theatre than expected."

Fain says the line is confident it can make up for the delays and finish the entertainment areas in time for the ship's first cruises with paying passengers on Dec. 1.