Photo: @N08/ / CC BY 2.0

by Beata L. Santora

Cruising enthusiasts have had their feathers in a twist for months, nay years, since Royal Caribbean's announcement that it would build the largest, tallest, priciest cruise ship ever. Well, the wait is almost over. On November 30 the mammoth Oasis of the Seas will welcome its first guests and depart Fort Lauderdale for a pre-inaugural cruise.

And if that wasn't enough to send cruisers into apoplexy, RC has secured the hottest young pop star on the planet to entertain the guests with her unmistakable pipes. Rihanna will christen the AquaTheater (a unique water-based amphitheater) with a performance of her brand new single "Russian Roulette." (Thanks for the heads up, Jaunted).

If your golden ticket for this event got lost in the mail, don't fret. For under $800, you too can be among the 5,400 passengers aboard the Oasis (6,296 if they stuff it to the brim). You might not get serenaded by Rihanna, but you can still get lost in one of the ship's seven neighborhoods, climb a rock wall, gamble away as much as you like, drop the kids off in the 28,000-square-foot youth zone, and eat your weight in lobster tail.

Just remember: When you're in the AquaTheater, make sure to you bring your umbrella -ella, -ella.