In preparation for its inaugural cruise, Royal Caribbean's Odyssey of the Seas arrived at Port Everglades this morning to a water cannon salute as it sailed into its new home port.
The new ship is the first Quantum Ultra-Class ship to sail in the US market. It will begin service from Port Everglades on July 3 and remain homeported there through the winter season (through April) on six- and eight-night cruises.
It was a full moon over the weekend, and that meant the tides and the depth of the Ems River were right for Royal Caribbean's new Odyssey of the Seas to leave Meyer Werft at Papenburg, Germany, for its conveyance down the Ems River for its sea trials in the open sea.
The second of the Quantum Ultra-class ships, it's packed with features, many of which carried over from the original Quantum-class, but one of the things most interesting about this ship is where it will debut and the conditions surrounding its launch which are a product of the times.
Royal Caribbean has put together an especially good video with lots of graphics that illustrate the challenges. You may have to watch it a couple of times to catch all the figures and illustrations that fly by that aren't referenced in the narration.
The complete story appeared in the March 1 edition of Cruise News Daily.
On Saturday (November 28, 2020), Meyer Werft floated out Royal Caribbean's new Odyssey of the Seas at their Papenburg (Germany) yard.
The complete story appeared in the November 30 edition of Cruise News Daily.
