<p>After years of planning, months of anticipation and a two-week journey across the Atlantic, there's a new cruise ship docked at Port Everglades, and it's bigger than all the others in the world.</p>
<p><em>Oasis of the Seas</em>, Royal Caribbean's $1.5 billion flagship, made a grand entrance Friday morning. Escorted by five tugboats, which sprayed geysers of water, <em>Oasis</em> wowed crowds of onlookers who awoke early to witness a slice of cruising history and welcome what promises to be an economic engine for Broward County.</p>
<p>The 5,400-passenger ship is expected to generate $6.2 million in fees for Port Everglades in the coming year. Total economic impact from the 292,000 passengers expected to sail aboard <em>Oasis</em> in the fiscal year ending Sept. 30 could top $266 million, including nearly $9 million in state and local taxes.</p>
<p>In 2010, <em>Oasis</em> and other Royal Caribbean ships at Port Everglades are expected to support more than 8,000 jobs, an economic impact study shows.</p>
<p>While Dania Beach resident Linda Glassholm, 42, described the massive ship as "a floating city," the common cruise ship reference seems almost inadequate. More than four football fields long and 16 decks high, <em>Oasis</em> could be a floating nation.</p>
<p>At 1,187 feet, Oasis it isn't much longer than the current largest ship in the industry, but it is at least 20 feet wider, allowing for Central Park, an unprecedented open-air park in the middle of the vessel.</p>
<p>What the ship offers passengers in terms of entertainment, dining and lodging sets it apart from other cruise ships. <em>Oasis</em> brings cruisers these firsts at sea: Central Park, a handcrafted carousel, a zipline, a free-standing Coach store, an aquatic amphitheater with high-dive performances, loft suites, a cupcake shop and more.</p>
<p>Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Chairman Richard Fain shed a tear as he watched <em>Oasis</em> sail into the Port Everglades harbor shortly after 8 a.m. "It's hard not to be emotional," Fain said. <strong></strong></p>
<p>For Fain and others, <em>Oasis'</em> arrival at Port Everglades was six years in the making. Project managers admired the vessel under construction in the shipyard and sailed with the ship during sea trials in Finland, but nothing compares to watching <em>Oasis</em> arrive home for the first time, the executive said.</p>
<p>"We've never seen the light-blue hull in the sunlight," Fain said.</p>
<p>That detail may go unnoticed by most people, he said. "We pay attention to those sorts of things."</p>
<p><em>Oasis </em>arrived at the mouth of Port Everglades two days later than originally planned because of weather delays on the crossing. Its arrival took on a festive air as hundreds of tourists and locals peered and cheered from vantage points surrounding the port.</p>
<p>Sandra DiVello, 30, of Coral Springs left her house at 5:45 a.m. so she could get the perfect spot at John U. Lloyd Beach State Park. She has been counting down the days to <em>Oasis' </em>arrival, because in February, she and her fiance, Diego Garcia, 29, will tie the knot on the ship.</p>
<p>"The ship is awesome," DiVello said. To be married on the world's largest cruise ship, she added, is "going to be such a big statement."</p>
<p>Helicopters hovered overhead, while boaters and kayakers took to the water. Small planes flew nearby with banners welcoming the ship. Written near the southern tip of the beach in red and blue was a 50-foot-long greeting: "Fort Lauderdale welcomes <em>Oasis of the Seas</em>."</p>
<p>Dennis Ulmer, 58, found his spot on a bench under the 17th Street Causeway. A few years earlier, he had done the same when Cunard Line's <em>Queen Mary 2</em> arrived in 2004.</p>
<p>"It's exciting because you can see how much bigger the ship is," he said, as he settled in. "It's always much bigger than you think it will be."</p>
<p>Moments later, Ulmer and his friend Marilyn Serslev, 80, of Fort Lauderdale, took advantage of a Water Taxi captain's offer of a free ride.</p>
<p>"This is a very lucky Friday the 13th for us," said Ulmer, as he and about 20 others boarded the boat.</p>
<p>As <em>Oasis</em> docked at the new $75 million cruise Terminal 18, Port Director Phillip Allen commented that the ship has brought community pride to Broward. The ship's<strong> </strong>positive effect has yet to be fully understood, he said.</p>
<p>Few people will be allowed on the ship to see it from the inside until Nov. 20, because Royal Caribbean gave ABC's <em>Good Morning America</em> exclusive media rights to offer the public a first look that day.</p>
<p><em>Oasis</em> will spend three weeks at the port before it makes its maiden revenue voyage Dec. 1 and its first seven-night Eastern Caribbean voyage on Dec. 5.</p>
<p><strong><em>Staff Writers Cindy Kent and Sofia Santana contributed to this report.</em></strong></p>