Sneak peek: Inside the construction of the largest cruise ship ever

The construction of Symphony of the Seas, the largest cruise ship ever, is approaching a milestone at a shipyard in Europe.

As can be seen in the photos above, taken in recent weeks at the giant STX shipbuilding facility in St. Nazaire, France, the bulk of the 230,000-ton Royal Caribbean vessel's superstructure now is in place.

Scroll through the photos for a peek at the recent process to attach a pre-fabricated bow and bridge to the ship's superstructure and other recent work.

Symphony has been under construction at the STX shipyard for more than a year, and nearly another year of work remains.  Thousands of workers are involved in the project.

Symphony will be more than 3,000 tons bigger than the current size leader in the cruise world, Royal Caribbean's 226,963-ton Harmony of the Seas. Like Harmony, Symphony will be part of Royal Caribbean's record-breaking Oasis Class of ships, but it won't be an exact copy of its sisters. Royal Caribbean has said Symphony will boast several new features and additional cabins.

Symphony is scheduled to sail to the Caribbean out of Miami starting in November 2018. It'll move to the city after spending its first few months operating voyages in the Mediterranean.

Royal Caribbean's Oasis Class vessels have made waves in the cruise industry since they began debuting in 2009. All three of the Oasis Class ships currently at sea are in excess of 225,000 tons — more than 30% larger than the next largest cruise ships.

With the arrival of Symphony, Royal Caribbean will have 26 vessels.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/cruises/2017/05/18/peek-at-construction-of-worlds-largest-cruise-ship/101784750/?siteID=je6NUbpObpQ-FmNYlxNT1hV6XaSvW3fjsA