Quantum of the Seas keel-laying ceremony held at shipyard in Germany

Official ceremony celebrated at MEYER WERFT shipyard, Papenburn, Germany

Last week, Royal Caribbean International celebrated the first official keel-laying for new ship Quantum of the Seas.

A 430-ts block was placed in the yard’s building dock, marking the official start of construction of the new ship.

During the celebration, Harri Kulovaara, the Executive Vice President Maritime of Royal Caribbean International, put down a lucky penny into the dock before the block of the new ship was lowered down by a 800-ts crane. The coin will remain under the keel during construction, and after, it will be retrieved and given to the ship’s Captain and crew to be placed onboard the ship. This is a maritime tradition said to bring luck to the ship during its construction, and to the captain and crew when the ship goes out to sea.

Currently, the 167,800 gross tonne Quantum of the Seas ship is the biggest MEYER WERFT has worked on to date.

Another milestone reached for Anthem of the Seas too:

Another exciting milestone was reached today too.  Prior to the keel-laying ceremony, the first cutting of steel for sister ship Anthem of the Seas took place at the shipyard’s laser centre.  The steel-cutting for Quantum of the Seas took place in February 2013.

Speaking about today’s events, Royal Caribbean President and CEO Adam Goldstein said:

“Today is a very special day in the development of our new Quantum class, as we are now two steps closer to delighting guests around the world with Quantum cruising.  It’s incredibly rewarding to see Quantum of the Seas and Anthem of the Seas coming together so well, and today we not only honor these two very important milestones, but also recognise the years of hard work and dedication from the team developing these ships.”

About Quantum and Anthem of the Seas:

Quantum of the Seas is scheduled for delivery in November 2014. Meanwhile, sister ship Anthem of the Seas will be delivered in spring 2015.

Both 4,180-passenger ships will boast a range of new and innovative features for the cruise line, marking a new set of standards for ship design – thought to be the next generation in luxury cruising.

The company have already confirmed that Quantum of the Seas will include two “firsts at sea”, a thrilling parachuting simulator and a fun bumper car ride.

We also know that Quantum will have 2,090 staterooms onboard for guests. Rooms have been re-thought, promising both comfort and technological enhancements (including USB charging ports for gadgets!)  One of the most exciting developments is the new virtual balconies added to interior staterooms (which do not have a view). The virtual balcony is a large LED screen hooked up to a live webcam. On the screen, guests will be able to watch the ocean when the ship is at sea, or enjoy looking out at the scenery when the ship is in port.