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Royal Caribbean christens Quantum of the Seas cruise ship

In:
14 Nov 2014

At a ceremony today aboard Royal Caribbean's brand new cruise ship, godmother Kristin Chenoweth took part in a ceremony christening the new ship.

Quantum of the Seas was named earlier this evening while docked in Cape Liberty, New Jersey, marking the official arrival of arguably the most anticipated new cruise ship of the year.

Royal Caribbean chairman Richard Fain spoke to those in attendance about what makes Quantum of the Seas special, "Our ships are built to be 1/3 traditional, 1/3 evolutionary and 1/3 revolutionary."

During the ceremony, Chenoweth used a tablet on the main stage to launch the champagne bottle against Quantum's hull.

Also part of the event were performances by the New York Police Department bagpipes and drums as well as a performance by singer-songwriter Clint Holmes.

Quantum of the Seas is the first Quantum-class cruise ship and marks the next evolution in cruise ships for Royal Caribbean.  It's the first ship in the fleet to not be based on the Voyager-class lineage since the Voyager class debuted and is full of new technological innovations, entertainment advances and impressive decor.

Quantum of the Seas also marks the introduction to Royal Caribbean of Dynamic Dining, which is the company's complete reboot of what dining is on a cruise ship.  The main dining room as well as dress codes have been relaxed in an effort to simplify dinner for guests while expanding the choices passengers have.

Royal Caribbean will have float in 2014 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

In:
14 Nov 2014

As part of Royal Caribbean's continuing promotional efforts surrounding Quantum of the Seas, the company will have a float in this year's Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

No word yet on what we can expect but there will be a float and Royal Caribbean will invite select travel partners and frequent cruise guests to attend the parade, much like they did last year.

Macy's parade website does feature Royal Caribbean's float, entitled "A World At Sea" and has a photo of last year's float.

Royal Caribbean had a float in the parade last year to announce that Mamma Mia would be the Broadway show on Quantum of the Seas and it even featured Quantum of the Seas godmother Kristin Chenoweth.

The 88th annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade airs nationwide on NBC, on Thursday, Nov. 27, 2014.

UPDATE (11/15): Royal Caribbean has confirmed that pop star Nick Jonas will be performing on Royal Caribbean's parade float

Royal Caribbean activates new high speed internet on Quantum of the Seas

In:
11 Nov 2014

Royal Caribbean's Quantum of the Seas will get her first taste of high speed internet tomorrow, when the brand new satellite internet service is put to the test.

The new service by O3b has gone live and Royal Caribbean is promising the ship will have more bandwidth “than all other cruise ships in the world put together.”

The first real test for the internet will come on November 12, when Quantum of the Seas takes her first cruise with the satellite service activated.  The two-night cruise will be a good test for how well it works.

“We are delighted to support the launch of the world’s first smart ship with Royal Caribbean,” said Simon Maher, VP Enterprise for O3b.

“Quantum of the Seas uses O3b’s maritime offering O3bMaritime to provide lightning fast download speeds and performance for both passengers and crew at one fourth the response time of traditional satellite systems.”

“O3bMaritime is the only satellite system capable of enabling cruise line guests and crew broadband services on par with onshore telecommunication standards.”

Photos: Quantum of the Seas docked in New York

In:
10 Nov 2014

Quantum of the Seas arrived in New York earlier today and blog reader Tom Krychkowski was able to snap a few photos of this beautiful new ship docked in Cape Liberty, New Jersey.

Big thanks to Tom for providing these great photos!

Don't forget we will have LIVE coverage of Royal Caribbean's newest cruise ship this week, beginning on November 12.

Royal Caribbean's Quantum of the Seas arrives in New York

In:
10 Nov 2014

Royal Caribbean's newest cruise ship is home.  Quantum of the Seas pulled into New York harbor this morning, marking her arrival to her homeport of Cape Liberty, New Jersey.

Photo by Royal Caribbean

Quantum of the Seas will call Bayonne home for the next six months, offering cruises to the Bahamas and Caribbean during her time there.

Quantum of the Seas passed under the Verazzano bridge and past the Statue of Liberty in the early morning hours of Monday before heading into the newly refurbished Cape Liberty port.

Royal Caribbean will christen the new ship on Friday, where the ship's godmother, Kristin Chenoweth, will be present.  Regular cruises will commence starting November 18.

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