On October 25, the world's biggest commercial plane, the Airbus A380, made its maiden voyage from the tarmac of Changi Airport.

Tonight, Singapore establishes yet another milestone in the history books of 'big'.

The largest ship to cruise the region, Rhapsody of the Seas, sets sail this evening from a berth at the Pasir Panjang Container Terminal for its maiden Asian voyage.

Royal Caribbean International's mega-liner stretches a whopping 279 metres in length, towers more than 52 metres high, and boasts a passenger capacity of 2,435 guests with a total of 999 staterooms.

To give a sense of size - if Rhapsody stood upright on its bow, the ship would be almost as tall as Singapore's UOB Plaza, which reaches to some 280 metres high.

However, due to its behemoth size by local standards, the cruise ship was made to dock at the Republic's container terminal, instead of the Singapore Cruise Centre at HarbourFront.

This was due to its height - which at more than 52 metres - was taller than the overhead cable car lines to Sentosa, reported The Straits Times.

Passengers have to first check-in at the Singapore Cruise Centre, do a 10-minute transfer by bus to the Pasir Panjang Terminal, and then clear a security check before boarding the ship.

Giant open-air tent-like structures were erected in front of the ship at Pasir Panjang, to welcome the arrival of new passengers and facilitate the screenings and boarding, which occasionally snaked into a manageable queue at certain peak periods.

Still, ample shelter was provided from the wet weather earlier this afternoon and wheelchairs were readily available on-hand for the elderly folks.

Guests on this evening's 2-night cruise calling at Port Klang, Kuala Lumpur will find no lack of entertainment during the voyage with Rhapsody's world-class facilities and programmes hosted onboard.

For the active at heart, the ship features a rock-climbing wall, an amenity unique to the Royal Caribbean family of ships, an outdoor main pool, and a solarium pool with exotic Egyptian-themed ornamentation.

In the evenings, passengers can wine and dine in style at the exquisite 1200-capacity Edelweiss Dining Room, soak in a spectacular show at the Broadway Melodies Theatre, and then 'wild' the night away at the Viking Crown Lounge.

The arrival of Rhapsody of the Seas to the leisure cruise industry in Asia has already received a strong response.

Mr Rama Rebbapragada, Asia-Pacific Managing Director, Royal Caribbean, was pleased to announce yesterday that all of Rhapsody's six short cruises out of Singapore were snapped up.

For those who want to get a piece of the action, limited rooms are still available for the festive sailings departing Singapore on December 21 for Christmas, and December 29 for New Year's Day.

The 5-night voyages will make calls to Kuala Lumpur and Penang in Malaysia, and Phuket, Thailand; and will feature specially designed dinners and programmes.

In January 2008, Rhapsody will offer three spectacular 12-night voyages between Singapore and Hong Kong, each featuring two-day calls in Bangkok (Laemchabang), Thailand and Hanoi Haiphong, Vietnam.

If you 'miss the boat' and do not get to sail Rhapsody style this time around, the cruise ship is set to return to Singapore in December 2008.