China Is New Home for Royal Caribbean International's Quantum of the Seas

MIAMI, April 16, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Royal Caribbean International today announced that its newest ship, Quantum of the Seas, will make its home port in Shanghai (Baoshan), China, bringing the company's most innovative ship to the world's fastest-growing cruise market. The ship will reposition to China in May 2015, following her inaugural winter season sailing out of New York Harbor to the Caribbean. In China, Quantum of the Seas will join Mariner of the Seas and Voyager of the Seas in Asia, increasing the company's capacity in the region by 66 percent.

"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 travelers looking for a one-of-a-kind vacation experience."

"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," Goldstein said. "We will have to be nimble, but the ability to move fast is one of our strengths."

Goldstein said the company was able to make the move because its new-ship pipeline will keep the New York region supplied with top-rate ships as well. 

"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."

Quantum of the Seas will debut in November 2014, and will spend its inaugural season sailing from Cape Liberty in Bayonne, N.J., before repositioning to China in May 2015. Beginning late June 2015, the ship will sail three- to eight-night itineraries year-round from Shanghai to Japan and Korea. Liberty of the Seas will then arrive to Cape Liberty to sail 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.  Finally, Quantum of the Seas' sister ship, Anthem of the Seas, which launches in April 2015, will complete her inaugural Europe season from London (Southampton), U.K., before arriving to Cape Liberty in November 2015 to continue Quantum-class cruising to the Bahamas and Caribbean for the winter 2015-16 season.

"These incredible ships will meet the sophisticated expectations of consumers in Shanghai, New York and London. Our mantra for the new Quantum class of ships is 'this changes everything' – and upping our game in these key markets achieves just that," said Dominic Paul, Vice President, International, Royal Caribbean International. "Our distinctive style of high quality innovative cruises has become known to travelers around the world and we will continue to deploy our most technologically advanced ships where the demand is, with the expectation of winning new converts to cruising."

The groundbreaking Quantum-class ships, Quantum of the Seas and Anthem of the Seas, will debut a new set of first-at-sea onboard experiences, such as Ripcord by iFLY, a heart-pounding skydiving experience; North Star, a thrilling adventure that transports guests more than 300 feet in the air on a breathtaking journey; cutting-edge transformative venues including SeaPlex, the largest indoor sports and entertainment complex at sea with bumper cars, roller skating and more; and the cruise line's largest and most advanced staterooms ever.  Guests also will enjoy the new Quantum-class "Dynamic Dining," a completely new culinary experience that offers a landscape of 18 restaurant concepts as vast and varied as dining in the world's most cosmopolitan cities, including specialty restaurants created with partner-chefs Jamie Oliver, Devin Alexander and Michael Schwartz.

The Quantum Class spans 18 decks, encompass 167,800 gross registered tons, carry 4,180 guests at double occupancy and feature 2,090 staterooms. More information on Quantum class is available at http://www.RoyalCaribbean.com/QuantumoftheSeas. Media can find more details, images and videos at http://tinyurl.com/n6fmy5k.

Royal Caribbean International is an award-winning global cruise brand with a 45-year legacy of innovation and introducing industry "firsts" never before seen at sea.  The cruise line features an expansive and unmatched array of features and amenities only found on Royal Caribbean including, jaw-dropping, Broadway-style entertainment and industry-acclaimed programming that appeals to families and adventurous vacationers alike.

Owned by Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE/OSE: RCL), the cruise line sails 21 of the world's most innovative cruise ships to the most popular destinations in the Caribbean, Europe, Alaska, South America, the Far East, and Australia and New Zealand. World renowned for its friendly and engaging Gold Anchor Service, delivered by every staff and crew member, Royal Caribbean has been voted "Best Cruise Line Overall" for 11 consecutive years in the Travel Weekly Readers Choice Awards.

Media can stay up-to-date by following @RoyalCaribPR on Twitter, and visiting RoyalCaribbeanInternationalPR.tumblr.com and RoyalCaribbeanPressCenter.com. Travel professionals should go to www.LoyaltoYouAlways.com; call (800) 327-2056; and follow Facebook.com/VickiLovesTravelAgents. For additional information or to make reservations, vacationers should call their travel agent; visit RoyalCaribbean.com; or call (800) ROYAL-CARIBBEAN. Follow us on Facebook at Facebook.com/RoyalCaribbean or on Twitter @RoyalCaribbean.

SOURCE Royal Caribbean International