By
Rebecca Gibson |
Royal Caribbean International took delivery of its latest newbuild from German shipbuilder Meyer Werft on 28 October.
The official signing ceremony was attended by Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.’s chairman and CEO Richard Fain and Meyer Werft’s managing partner Bernard Meyer.
Following the delivery ceremony, the ship began her journey to the UK port of Southampton under the guidance of Captain Srecko Ban. The ship will welcome her first guests on 2 November for a transatlantic voyage to her new Cape Liberty homeport, which is currently being expanded in New Jersey, US.
During her inaugural season, Quantum of the Seas will sail from New York Harbor to the Bahamas and the Caribbean, before heading to her summer homeport of Shanghai, China, in May 2015. The vessel’s sister-ship Anthem of the Seas will debut in Southampton in April 2015 and sail Mediterranean itineraries.
Royal Caribbean’s 167,800gt Quantum-class ships have 16 guest decks and can accommodate 4,180 passengers at double occupancy. The vessels also feature 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, both ships 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 smart ships, Quantum of the Seas and Anthem 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 also 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.