By
Rebecca Gibson |
Royal Caribbean International’s Allure of the Seas is to homeport in Barcelona, Spain, from May to October 2015.
Marking the first time the ship has offered cruises outside of the Caribbean, the European deployment will enable guests to enjoy a range of seven-night cruises in the Mediterranean.
Allure of the Seas will sail seven-night itineraries from Barcelona calling at Palma de Mallorca in Spain; Marseilles for Provence in France; La Spezia for Florence and Pisa in Italy; and Civitavecchia for Rome and Naples, Italy. Passengers can also enjoy a seven-day roundtrip from Civitavecchia.
“At Royal Caribbean we have always delivered the unexpected and enjoyed behaving in a way that no other cruise line can,” said Stuart Leven, managing director, Royal Caribbean International, UK and Ireland. “Not only are we increasing our European deployment, but we are doing it in impressive style. News that Allure of the Seas will enjoy a full season based in the popular Mediterranean port of Barcelona is brilliant for agents – they have the opportunity to sell cruises on the world’s most high profile ship closer to home.
He added: “We will be supporting our agent partners extensively to ensure that they get to learn more about this ship when sister ship Oasis of Seas calls into Southampton later this year. We’re urging agents to forget what they think they know about European cruises – Allure of the Seas will change the face of selling Mediterranean cruises, especially for a family audience.”
The deployment reflects Royal Caribbean’s desire to strengthen its presence in the European market over the next couple of years. Allure of the Seas’ sister ship Oasis of the Seas is scheduled to sail in Europe this summer, while the line’s latest Quantum-class newbuild Anthem of the Seas is to homeport in Southampton, UK in spring 2015.