Royal Caribbean buys third Quantum-class ship
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Royal Caribbean has signed a contract for the construction of a third Quantum-class cruise ship.
Set to be delivered in mid-2016, the as-yet-unnamed vessel will be similar to the previously-announced Quantum of the Seas and Anthem of the Seas, which will be rolled out in autumn 2014 and spring 2015 respectively. This will see the new 167,800-ton ship span 16 decks, with a capacity 4,180 passengers in 2,090 cabins.
The new ships will feature a range of new onboard attractions, including a skydiving experience, rock-climbing wall and a huge indoor sports and entertainment complex, SeaPlex, featuring dodgem cars, roller skating, a full-size basketball court and trapeze.
There will also be a series of F&B outlets, indoor and outdoor pools, a kids’ water park, spa and fitness centre, a Broadway-style theatre, casino, and an observation capsule called NorthStar, which will extend out on a long mechanical arm to lift small groups of guests over the edge of the ship, 90 metres above the sea.
“We are encouraged by the very positive response we received from travel agents and consumers when we first announced some of the unprecedented offerings on Quantum Class last month,” said Adam Goldstein, president and chief executive officer of Royal Caribbean International. “The Quantum class will offer holidaymakers more unexpected activities in the most extraordinary spaces, and a third ship will offer even more opportunities for holidaymakers to experience Quantum cruising.”
The new Quantum-class vessel will be constructed at Germany’s Meyer Werft shipyard, at a cost of around EUR697 million (US$905m) – similar to that of the previous two vessels. This means that Royal Caribbean’s projected capital expenditure for the four years from 2013 to 2016 now totals US$5.2 billion.
Pic caption: NorthStar observation capsule
