By
Rebecca Gibson |
Royal Caribbean International’s newbuild Quantum of the Seas sailed into Cape Liberty Cruise Port in Bayonne, New Jersey, on 10 November.
Cape Liberty, which is currently being expanded, will serve as the ship’s homeport until May 2015 as she sails from New York Harbour to the Bahamas and the Caribbean. Quantum of the Seas will then head to her summer homeport of Shanghai, China.
The 167,800gt vessel has 16 guest decks and can accommodate 4,180 passengers at double occupancy. She also features the cruise line’s largest staterooms, including the industry’s first cabins with Virtual Balconies, which offer guests in interior staterooms real-time views of the ocean.
In addition, Quantum of the Seas will have a series of ‘first-at-sea’ onboard experiences including the new Bionic Bar where guests can place orders via tablets and then watch robotic arms mix their drinks; the Ripcord by iFly skydiving experience; SeaPlex, the largest indoor active space at sea; Two70°, which spans three decks at the stern of the ship; and North Star, a glass pod that extends more than 300 ft above the ship. Guests can also enjoy the Dynamic Dining concept, which comprises 18 restaurant concepts and specialty restaurants created with partner-chefs Jamie Oliver, Devin Alexander and Michael Schwartz.
Designed as the world’s first smart ship, Quantum of the Seas will offer various services, apps and radio frequency identification technology that will improve the customer experience by simplifying the check-in and boarding procedures, enabling the guests to book services in advance and enhancing the onboard activities.
In addition, a faster broadband network, which was implemented by Royal Caribbean’s technology partner O3b Networks, will enable passengers to stream videos, share images via social media and make video calls while at sea. The increased bandwidth will also enable one of the SeaPods in the ship’s onboard SeaPlex venue to become a video gaming suite where guests can use Microsoft’s Xbox Live service to compete with other gamers across the globe in real time.