Royal Caribbean's newest cruise ship, Anthem of the Seas, succesfully was floated out of Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany yesterday despite numerous weather related delays.

Photos by Jens Hagens Fotografie and Royal Caribbean

The float out was originally scheduled for 1:00pm local time but had to be pushed back several times.  Eventually the ship left the building dock and was towed at a slow pace to the shipyard harbor. 

While in the harbor, Anthem of the Seas will receive some last changes and tests.

The next major milestone for Anthem of the Seas will be her conveyance on the River Ems to the North Sea for sea trials.  She will then make her way to Southampton, England to begin offering cruises.

After the 2015 cruise season in Southampton, Anthem of the Seas will head to Cape Liberty, New Jersey in November 2015 to offer cruises to the Bahamas and Caribbean.

Ship builder Meyer Werft has moved up its time table for floating out Royal Caribbean's newest cruise ship, Anthem of the Seas.

Meyer Werft issued a press release stating Anthem of the Seas will now leave the covered building dock on Friday, February 20, 2015 at 3:00pm local time.

Royal Caribbean had announced last week that Anthem of the Seas would be floated out on February 21.  Float out dates are commonly subject to change for a variety of reasons.

It's a time honored tradition to name a godmother for new cruise ships and for Royal Caribbean's Anthem of the Seas the godmother will be a travel agent.

Royal Caribbean as created a new campaign called, "A Godmother Like No Other. Could It Be You?" and has launched a contest to find the ship's godmother in April.

Royal Caribbean is looking for a godmother who isn't just a travel agent but also a travel agent that can sing.  To enter, agents must show off their singing abilities by submitting a short video clip here.

Stuart Leven, UK and Ireland managing director, said having an agent as the ship’s godmother would reflect the line’s strong ties with the trade.

He said: “This is another wow moment for our agency partners. Royal has always been a trade-friendly brand and always will be. Since I started in this business, I have spoken about the relationship with the trade that I inherited. We not only wanted to protect that, but we wanted to take it to the next level.

“Agents are hardworking, so why shouldn’t they have a little bit of fun along the way?

“We won’t be short of people applying. I have worked in travel for more than 25 years and have recently spent time on agency shop floors with staff. If agents give just a snippet of the amount of energy they give to selling our brand on their performances, we will be in for something special.”

The chosen godmother will also receive some fantastic prizes including a full makeover for the ceremony, coaching from music and fashion experts in the run-up to the inaugural celebrations and an exclusive seven-night cruise in the luxury of Anthem’s Royal Suite.

The deadline for entries is Thursday, March 12.

Royal Caribbean announced new shows for its latest cruise ship, Anthem of the Seas.

Guests will enjoy two shows in the Royal Theater:

Broadway musical We Will Rock You: the smash hit musical featuring the greatest hits of legendary British rock group, Queen. Written by British comedian Ben Elton, the hilarious award-winning, record-breaking phenomenon is built around 24 of Queen’s greatest hits and tells the story of a group of Bohemians who struggle to restore the free exchange of thought, fashion and live music in a distant future where everyone dresses, thinks and does the same. Musical instruments and composers are forbidden, and rock music is all but unknown.

The Gift: an original Royal Caribbean production created exclusively for Anthem, The Gift is a musical journey of fantasy and illusion that begins one stormy night with the arrival of a “Magical Gift”.  A beautiful production that is sure to delight, inspire and touch the hearts of all who come to see it.

There will also be a new show in Two70 that is new on Anthem of the Seas.

Spectra’s Cabaret: an original Royal Caribbean production created by Moment Factory, exclusively for Two70 on Anthem of the Seas, features the Maestro and his Agents of Rhythm as they invite you to an electric multi-dimensional cabaret where you will be transported into invisible realms. Each night, the portal opens for a limited period of time and the audience immerses themselves in a multi-media show brimming with kaleidoscopic sounds, effervescent colors and dazzling movement. Spectra’s Cabaret blends live performance and experiential cinema along with music from popular culture. It creates a world seen through the lens of music and technology, all the while exploring the deepest recesses of the heart.

The news regarding We Will Rock You has been known since August 2014, but the other shows are new to Anthem of the Seas and were not available on sister ship Quantum of the Seas.

Royal Caribbean announced today its newest cruise ship, Anthem of the Seas, will have its floating out ceremony on February 21, 2015.

#AnthemoftheSeas will exit the building hall on Feb. 21, officially docking out and bringing her one step closer to delivery!

— Royal Caribbean PR (@RoyalCaribPR) February 13, 2015

The float out date is subject to change due to weather conditions but if all goes well, Anthem of the Seas will leave Meyer Werft's building dock II.

There had been rumors the float out was going to happen earlier this week but those dates came and went with Anthem of the Seas still in her dock.

Anthem of the Seas is the second Quantum-class cruise ship built for Royal Caribbean and follows sister ship Quantum of the Seas, which was launched just a few months ago.

Hollywood, California architecture firm 5+design designed four venues on Royal Caribbean's brand new Anthem of the Seas.

The firm did similar work on sister-ship Quantum of the Seas and this time around, 5+design was responsible for the look and feel of Two70, Two70 Café, The Library, Royal Esplanade and Via and Spice venues.

When working on Anthem of the Seas, 5+design worked to leverage the ship's high-tech base with the design impetus they had in mind. To this point, 5+design equipped the venues to deploy unique programing and technology, allowing the ship to achieve its key innovative concept of transformational spaces.

“These ships were designed to represent a quantum leap forward in technology, sustainability, and passenger experience,” said 5+design Principal Tim Magill. “Royal Esplanade shopping arcade transforms into a parade and performance venue with the deployment of hidden theatrical lighting, actors flying through the space on concealed ceiling tracks and merchandise displays transforming into to elevated stages. However the best example of transformational space can be found in the multi-level great room called Two70.”

Anthem of the Seas is scheduled to debut in Southampton (London), England on April 22, 2015. Following its maiden season in Europe, the ship will homeport in Cape Liberty (Bayonne), New Jersey and cruise the Bahamas/the Caribbean throughout the winter of 2015-16.

Royal Caribbean confirmed our earlier report that a new dining option will be added to Dynamic Dining that will offer passengers a more traditional dining experience called Classic, where guests will rotate among the complimentary restaurants each night of their cruise with the same wait staff each evening.

Royal Caribbean issued a statement that Dynamic Dining Classic will be a new option for guests to consider in addition to the existing Dynamic Dining program and will debut first on Anthem of the Seas in April 2015.

Classic dining will offer two set dinner seating times for guests who prefer a traditional cruise dining style.

Dynamic Dining’s “Classic” option allows guests to rotate through each of the four main complimentary restaurants at an early- or a late-seating time throughout their cruise with their dining group and the same assigned waiter each evening. Dynamic Dining’s “Classic” dining option will be available for pre-booking early March.

Royal Caribbean Brand Communications Manager Harrison Liu also discussed the future of Dynamic Dining, "As we continue to gather guest feedback we will evaluate ways to continue to elevate the Dynamic Dining experience to give our guests the choices and flexibility we know they desire.  As we introduce Dynamic Dining to other ships in the fleet, further dates and details will be confirmed. "

Dynamic Dining Classic is part of an effort by Royal Caribbean to improve the Dynamic Dining Experience.  In the last few weeks on Quantum of the Seas, Royal Caribbean has introduced new menu options at the four complimentary restaurants, increased staffing levels in the complimentary restaurants and added Devinly Decadence as a complimentary restaurant.

We've received reports that Royal Caribbean CEO Michael Bayley announced to a group of travel agents aboard Freedom of the Seas that the company's ambitious Dynamic Dining program will be augmented with a new rotational dining program.

Under the new program, guests will dine at different complimentary restaurants each night of their cruise based on their rotational schedule.  At each restaurant, guests will have the same wait staff and table mates each evening.

The new rotational dining program will begin with Anthem of the Seas, but there is no indication yet if it will spread to Quantum of the Seas, Oasis of the Seas and/or Allure of the Seas.

Back in March 2014, Royal Caribbean had previously announced its Quantum-class cruise ships would usher in a radically new dining program called Dynamic Dining, where there would be no main dining room and instead would offer a combination of complimentary and specialty restaurants for guests to choose from.  

Then in August 2014, Royal Caribbean announced Dynamic Dining would spread to Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas.

When Quantum of the Seas launched in November 2014, there were a great deal of negative reports from cruisers that Dynamic Dining was troubled by long lones and poor service.  Then in December, Royal Caribbean postponed Dynamic Dining on Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas indefinitely.

If the reports are true, it appears the flow of negative reviews online and to Royal Caribbean have forced the company to try something different from Dynamic Dining that is more like traditional dining.

UPDATE: Video of Royal Caribbean CEO Michael Bayley announcing the rotational dining option called "Classic".

Video by Gina Smythe

Royal Caribbean's newest cruise ship, Anthem of the Seas, will leave ship builder Meyer Werft's covered building for its official float out on Saturday, February 8, 2015

Cruise expert Stewart Chiron confirmed the February date for the new ship's float out.

Hard to believe! @RoyalCaribbean upcoming #cruise #AnthemoftheSeas float-out at shipyard set for Feb 8. pic.twitter.com/ZNurxDS55I

— Stewart Chiron (@CruiseGuy) January 7, 2015

The 167,800gt vessel will be floated out of Meyer Werft's building dock II on the date.  Float out dates are subject to weather conditions and can be delayed if the weather does not meet requirements.

Anthem of the Seas is the second Quantum-class cruise ship built for Royal Caribbean and follows sister ship Quantum of the Seas, which was launched just a few months ago.