Royal Caribbean’s pioneering Quantum of the Seas vessel has drummed up a huge amount of publicity over the past few months. So as expected when the time finally came to officially launch the US$935 million megaliner the company made every effort to do it in classic Royal Caribbean style!
What better place to launch the world’s first ‘smartship’ than in the most exciting city on the planet? Quantum’s official naming ceremony was held in New Jersey’s iconic Cape Liberty Cruise Port on November 14. To mark the special event Royal Caribbean secured an impressive array of entertainment and special guests… Here are just some of the highlights!
Since the Golden Age of cruising the industry has upheld a tradition of employing ‘godmothers’ to officially christen extra special vessels. For Quantum’s big day Royal Caribbean managed to secure none other than ultra-glamorous, Tony and Emmy award winning actress Kristin Chenoweth. While tradition dictates that a bottle of bubbly be smashed against the hull Royal Caribbean took a suitably up-to-the-minute approach to this long running custom. Instead, Chenoweth took to Quantum’s main stage and used a tablet device to press a button which launched a champagne bottle at the ship’s 18 decks. Talk about high tech! To cap off her special guest appearance Chenoweth also treated guests to a rendition of “Over the Rainbow.”
After enjoying the delightful Ms. Chenoweth ceremony guests were kept well entertained by a handful of additional acts. Singer-songwriter Clint Holmes performed a show stopping version of “America the Beautiful” while the New York Police Department’s Emerald Society took things up a notch with their high energy Pipes and Drums band. Guests were also given a sneak peek at one of the vessel’s most talked about entertainment features, the electrifying Sonic Odyssey stage show. During the performance America’s Got Talent finalist William Close took to the stage to strum a giant ‘Earth harp’ accompanied by a wall of 136 drums. We can only imagine what that must have sounded like!
Royal Caribbean doesn’t do things by halves and to celebrate the launch of its newest fleet member it ensured that the ceremony was attended by every captain currently employed by the line. Now that’s dedication. Royal Caribbean Chairman and CEO, Richard Fain, President & COO, Adam Gold Goldstein and DreamWorks CEO, Jeffrey Katzenberg lent some significant status to the front row seats while a reverend and a rabbi were both on hand to give the ship blessings of safe travels.
Want to see more? You can watch an amazing short clip of Quantum of the Seas from a helicopter as she sails by New York City in this video.
Now that the official naming and launch ceremony has come to a close cruise enthusiasts across the globe are gearing up to get their hands on a ticket for one of Quantum’s upcoming voyages. The vessel’s inaugural 2014-2015 season will be spent sailing from Cape Liberty and in May 2015, Quantum will relocate to serve the buzzing Chinese cruise market. Current itineraries include three to eight night voyages departing from Shanghai and calling at Japan and Korea. Wherever you choose to sail, it’s safe to say that your Quantum experience will be out of this world!
Images via Royal Caribbean Press Center
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