toured the new St. George's cruise ship Royal Majesty this week. Here's what they found: With a royal theme running throughout -- from the Queen of Hearts Card Room to the Crown Jewels Gift Shop -- the Royal Majesty may be the perfect liner for the East End of this colony.

Spacious and airy with a dozen fresh touches, this ship belongs to the growing fleet of modern-day liners that resemble five-star vacation resorts rather than old-world passenger liners.

Take (and many will) the signature robes and kimonos in all cabins -- along with colour TV, ship-to-shore telephones and hair dryers.

In fact, at $220-million, she just might be outdoing the hotel industry by featuring such added comforts as security safes and ironing boards in all cabins.

One of Royal Majesty 's many innovative features, though probably an annoyance to smokers, is the cruise industry's first totally non-smoking dining room.

Twenty-five percent of the ship's cabins are also smoke-free and 71 percent face the ocean.

Despite her relatively small size for a cruise ship today -- 568 feet carrying a maximum of 1,056 passengers -- there was no scrimping on the size of her public and state rooms.

The Winners' Circle Casino, for example, accommodates 1,200 people.

Occupying almost a third of the Duchess Deck with a cut-out centre overlooking the "lobby,'' you might think you are in the gambling Mecca of Las Vegas.

And the gym doesn't just feature a few token Nautilus machines and a small corner room for aerobics classes.

The Bodywaves Spa features more than a dozen pieces of state-of-the-art workout equipment. Across the hall is a full-sized aerobics room. And next to it is a series of sauna rooms and the full-service Vanity Fair Beauty Salon.

The trend in the cruise industry towards attracting convention business has the ship offering a 16-person executive conference room and the House of Lords Meeting Rooms accommodating up to 105 people.

She also offers complete meeting and incentive planning services and the latest audio-visual equipment.

For entertainment, there are three bars decorated in shades of mauve and peach, Frame 52 Disco with a marble dance floor and the Palace Showroom.

For children there is the Little Prince Play Room, a splash pool and video arcade.

And there's no shortage of places to eat: the Epicurean Dining Room, the casual Piazza San Marco Pizza and Ice Cream Parlour and the Cafe Royale Outdoor Cafe and Buffet area.

The ship exceeds present safety regulations by being fully sprinkler-equipped and featuring a computerised display that can identify the exact location of a fire in seconds.

She also has environmentally conscious sewage and garbage treatment systems.

Burnable waste is shredded and food waste is pulverised.

Both are then burned in a smoke-free incinerator. Non-burnable waste such as glass and metal is stored onboard for recycling ashore.

The vessel is powered by four diesel engines, any one of which can reportedly propel her safely back to port.

And for manoeuvrability, especially important for negotiating Bermuda's Town Cut, she is fitted with two tunnel bow thrusters forwards, and controllable pitch propellers with twin rudders aft.

LOUNGING ABOUT -- The Polo Club Piano Bar, one of five bars and lounges.

CHECK-IN -- Boarding Royal Majesty passengers are greeted with this stunning lobby area. Upstairs is the casino.

CROWNING GLORY -- Aside from the panoramic view of St. George's, the Crown Deck offers passengers a place to soak up the sun, swim and dine.

COOLING OFF -- The 568-foot luxury liner offers a swimming pool, two whirlpools and a splash pool for kids.