<p>Port Everglades is 80 percent of the way through a giant task: building one of the world's largest cruise terminals.<br /><br />Terminal 18 will be the doorstep to Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas, set to debut in December as the world's biggest cruise vessel. The $1.2 billion ship will board and discharge more than 5,400 passengers simultaneously at the 240,000-square-foot terminal.<br /><br />Port and cruise line officials say the $75 million terminal is designed to get each cruiser from the curb through check-in procedures and onboard the Oasis within 15 minutes, once all departing passengers have been cleared . Many cruise industry observers are skeptical the process will run that quickly, at least initially.<br /><br />Preparing for record terminal crowds has required careful planning and forecasting, Port Director Phillip C. Allen said. Planners used a computer program that simulates passenger foot traffic to determine how to maximize efficiency and avoid bottlenecks.<br /><br />After passing through a security check-point, cruisers will proceed to one of 90 check-in counters. Then they'll go to the second-floor waiting area or proceed directly onto the ship.<br /><br />The Oasis and her sister Allure of the Seas, which is set to launch next year, each will bring about 600,000 passengers per ship annually, Allen said. The Terminal 18 expansion will be paid for with per-passenger port fees and ancillary revenue such as parking.<br /><br />The first phase of construction ended in January. The rest of the project is on-schedule and slated to be complete at the end of September, port officials said. If the ship's construction and transatlantic journey go according to plan, Oasis will arrive in Fort Lauderdale for the first time on Nov. 11.<br /><br />"We're very happy with the progress that they've made," said Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Adam Goldstein. "They've been terrific partners all the way through."<br /><br />More refined than other Port Everglades cruise terminals, Terminal 18 boasts a 4,000-square-foot skylight, frosted-glass accents, and TVs to direct passengers to security and check-in areas. Soft tropical colors add to the ambience and artwork includes a green and blue terrazzo floor designed to evoke ocean waves and a bronze sculpture of a globe with lines of latitude and longitude.<br /><br />Much like the Oasis is creating buzz in the cruise industry, Terminal 18 is "already setting a standard" for new terminal construction worldwide, Allen said.<br /><br />The building's amenities include: acoustic panels that absorb interior sound, about 3,000 seats, a lounge area for Oasis passengers in cabin suites, plasma screen TVs offering news and sports channels, wireless Internet access and a children's play area.<br /><br />About 1,000 parking spaces are next to the terminal. As many as 14 buses can park at the facility's entrance. And taxis will pick up and drop off passengers from a separate area. Disembarking passengers will pick up checked baggage in a 70,000-square-foot holding room, before proceeding to U.S. customs. Officials say unloading the ship after a sail could take several hours.<br /><br />Terminal 18 will be the largest facility in the world to serve one ship at a time. It will be more than double the size of Terminal 2, which at 100,000 square feet is currently the biggest facility at the port.<br /><br />Goldstein said the company has proven itself capable of advancing its shore operations to manage larger and more complex ships.<br /><br />"We expect to have turnaround day be a very positive experience for people."</p>