(TNS) Florida finally gets to be home to one of Royal Caribbean’s Quantum-class ships. In fact, it will be getting the newest one when Odyssey of the Seas heads to Fort Lauderdale.
Beginning November 2020, the Quantum Ultra-class ship, slightly larger than the original class of ships, will make its way to Port Everglades for eight- and six-night Caribbean cruises.
A sister ship to Spectrum of the Seas, which debuted this summer, these two ships are the next generation to the three Quantum-class ships already sailing: Quantum of the Seas, Anthem of the Seas and Ovation of the Seas.
Odyssey of the Seas is under construction at Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany, having had its first steel cut in February.
No Quantum-class ship has ever home ported in Florida, although the North American market can sail from New York on board Anthem of the Seas including stops at Port Canaveral. Both Ovation of the Seas and the original Quantum of the Seas served the Asian and Australian markets, but Ovation made its way across the Pacific this summer to sail Alaska.
The Quantum Ultra class features the line’s first ship-within-a-ship concept, something cruise lines such as MSC and Norwegian Cruise Line have championed on their latest builds.
This slightly larger class of ships is more than 168,000 gross tons and can hold more than 4,200 passengers at double capacity.
“Travelers on board Odyssey can expect to find an unrivaled combination of new, soon-to-be-announced experiences, plus ‘Only on Royal’ features,” the cruise line said in a press release.
Like all Quantum-class ships, Odyssey of the Seas will once again feature the North Star, the capsule that takes riders 300 feet above the ocean.
Other features on board will be RipCord by iFly skydive simulator, Two70 entertainment venue and SeaPlex, an indoor sports and entertainment complex that will feature a trapeze school, full-size basketball court, roller-skating rink and bumper cars.
The ship will sail the winter months out of Port Everglades sailing the Western and Southern Caribbean including stops in Aruba and Curacao, and then spend summer in Europe in 2021.
The ship will also call on the cruise line’s private island in the Bahamas, Perfect Day at CocoCay.
The Florida-based cruise itineraries are now open for booking.
More details can be found on royalcaribbean.com.
