By
Rebecca Gibson |
Royal Caribbean International’s newbuild Quantum of the Seas is to homeport in Shanghai, China from May 2015.
Following her November 2014 debut, Quantum of the Seas will sail inaugural seven- to 12-night Caribbean itineraries from Cape Liberty in New York Harbor, before repositioning to China. From late June 2015, the ship will sail three- to eight-night itineraries year-round from Shanghai to Japan and Korea. Together with Mariner of the Seas and Voyager of the Seas, the 4,180-guest newbuild will increase the company’s capacity in the Asian region by 66%.
“Consumers in China have grown to expect the best the world has to offer, and Quantum of the Seas meets that standard like no other ship,” said Adam Goldstein, president and COO, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. “We are ready to accelerate the growth of this vital market with a ship that will capture the imagination of travellers looking for a one-of-a-kind vacation experience.”Goldstein added: “Every trend we are seeing in China tells us we can achieve real long-term competitive advantage and appealing returns on our investments in this fast-growing market by accelerating our presence there.”
To maintain its presence in the New York and Caribbean regions, Royal Caribbean will replace Quantum with Liberty of the Seas and Anthem of the Seas.
“We are very mindful of the importance of New York, which is why we are bringing Liberty of the Seas and then Anthem of the Seas to this market,” said Goldstein.
Liberty of the Seas will offer cruises to Bermuda, the Caribbean, and Canada and New England for the 2015 summer and autumn seasons. The Freedom-class ship will be the company's newest and largest ship to offer cruises to Bermuda from the New York-metropolitan area.
Quantum of the Sea’s sister ship Anthem of the Seas – which will launch next April and sail an inaugural European season from Southampton, UK – will arrive at Cape Liberty in November 2015. This will enable the line to continue providing passengers with itineraries to the Bahamas and Caribbean for the winter 2015-2016 season.
“These incredible ships will meet the sophisticated expectations of consumers in Shanghai, New York and London,” said Dominic Paul, vice president of international at Royal Caribbean International. “Our mantra for the new Quantum class of ships is 'this changes everything' – and upping our game in these key markets achieves just that.”
Royal Caribbean’s two Quantum-class ships will feature a series of ‘first-at-sea’ onboard experiences including 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 new recently announced Quantum-class ‘Dynamic Dining’ experience, which comprises 18 restaurant concepts and specialty restaurants created with partner-chefs Jamie Oliver, Devin Alexander and Michael Schwartz.