New Royal Caribbean ship will sail short cruises before her inaugural voyage to Barcelona
By
Rebecca Gibson |
Royal Caribbean International is to offer two Short Getaway roundtrips from the UK port of Southampton on its latest newbuild, Harmony of the Seas, next May.
On sale from 13 October, the four-night Short Getaway will leave Southampton on 22 May and call at Rotterdam, Netherlands. Also on sale now, the three-night cruise will depart on 26 May and take guests to Cherbourg, France.
The two cruises will enable UK passengers to sail onboard Harmony of the Seas before her inaugural voyage to Barcelona, where she will remain to offer Mediterranean itineraries throughout summer 2016.
“Harmony of the Seas is a truly remarkable ship, featuring a world of adventure for any holiday maker,” said Stuart Leven, managing director of UK & Ireland at Royal Caribbean. “We are thrilled to offer these additional voyages, to allow Royal Caribbean passengers the chance to experience everything that Harmony of the Seas has to offer from Southampton.”
Due to debut in May 2016, Harmony of the Seas will be configured with Royal Caribbean’s exclusive seven neighbourhood and offer onboard features such as a handcrafted carousel, a Starbucks cafe, a new classic games arcade and a climbing play area. New speciality restaurants will inlcude Izumi Hibachi & Sushi, Sabor Taqueria and Tequila Bar, and Wonderland Imaginative Cuisine.
The ship will also feature Splashaway Bay, the line’s first interactive water park for young children; the Ultimate Abyss, a ten-storey slide with a 100ft drop; and The Perfect Storm, a trio of slides that spiral five decks above the open-air Central Park at the centre of the ship.
In addition, Harmony of the Seas will offer 2,747 staterooms that are larger than those on other Oasis-class ships, as well as studios for single travellers and new Virtual Balconies in all interior staterooms. Suite guests will have access exclusive new areas including a suite lounge, a private restaurant called Coastal Kitchen and a full-service Suite Sun Zone sun deck.
Harmony of the Seas will also be the first Oasis-class ship to feature the innovative technologies used onboard the line’s Quantum-class ships. These include the Bionic Bar with robotic bartenders, the Royal WOWBands with RFID technology, and VOOM, the fastest internet at sea.