Royal’s Quantum heads to UK for trade preview

Posted on 29 October, 2014 by Spacejunkie2

Royal Caribbean International took delivery of new ship Quantum of the Seas ahead of a trade preview sailing from Southampton at the weekend.

The formal handover in Bremerhaven from its German shipyard came ahead of the 4,180-passenger ‘smart ship’ arriving in the UK on Friday.

More than 500 agents have been invited on a two-night inaugural sailing before Quantum of the Seas accepts its first passengers on Sunday for a transatlantic crossing to Bayonne, New Jersey.

Quantum of the Seas will then sail from New York to the Bahamas and the Caribbean for her inaugural season before departing for her new homeport of Shanghai (Baoshan) in China next May.

This weekend’s preview will allow agents to gain an insight into the facilities to be offered by sister ship Anthem of the Seas which will be based in Southampton from April 2015 for a summer of Mediterranean itineraries.

The Quantum-class ships feature the line’s largest cabins, including interior accommodation with virtual balconies offering real-time views of the ocean and destinations.

Additional bandwidth allows the ships to offer 500 times more connectivity than any other cruise ship, Royal Caribbean claims, in addition to technology designed to speed up the boarding process with passengers able to track their luggage.

Other features include the first skydiving simulator at sea, a viewing pod that lifts passengers more than 300 feet above the ocean, the SeaPlex indoor sports and entertainment complex with bumper cars and roller skating, and a Bionic Bar featuring the world’s first robotic bartenders.

Royal Caribbean accepts delivery of Quantum of the Seas

Posted on 28 October, 2014 by Spacejunkie2

Royal Caribbean accepted delivery today of its newest cruise ship, Quantum of the Seas, from ship builder Meyer Werft.

The ceremonial exchange occured at Bremerhaven, Germany where officials from Royal Caribbean met with Meyer Werft officials to officially welcome Quantum of the Seas into Royal Caribbean’s fleet.

Quantum of the Seas will depart from Bremerhaven to Southampton, England later today, October 28, 2014. Once she reaches Southampton, she will set off to her Atlantic crossing on November 2nd.

Royal Caribbean has scheduled her official maiden voyage for November 23 from Cape Liberty, New Jersey to the Bahamas.

Oasis of the Seas in Southampton

Posted on 27 October, 2014 by Spacejunkie2

Oasis of the Seas in Southampton

Oasis of the Seas has now finished having her refit and finally came into the port of Southampton earlier today. It was a big deal to have the world’s largest cruise ship (joint with her sister Allure) stop off at the UK’s port. Many visitors made their way to Southampton just to get a glimpse of just how larger Oasis is.

If you were not lucky enough to see Oasis of the Seas in Southampton, there are pictures over on the Daily Echo, as well as a video of her entering the port below. This was such a big occasion and so we had tug boats spraying water, as well as helicopters circling her as she manoeuvred into City Cruise Terminal.

Oasis of the Seas video 1

This is the first time that Oasis of the Seas has visited the UK, and so took a lot of skill to get such a large ship into port, although the experience of the Captain and pilots made certain everything went smoothly.

Many cruise lovers made the trip down to Southampton in order to see just how magnificent this giant of a cruise ship is.

She is due to set sail again later tonight, once the more than 6,000 passengers have boarded. Once she leaves port, the destination will be Fort Lauderale, Florida, calling at Vigo, Spain along the way.