Sunshine announcement

[Tropical Traveler]

Was this a deliberate hint?

 

In the blog about the two new ships, I was struck by this sentence near the end.

 

"We are working to set the stage and landscape for the future of cruise vacations with Quantum of the Seas and ANthem of the seas."

 

Could it be that the ship will be filled with live "landscaping" throughout similar to Oasis Class Central Park and that there will be a special, innovative stage for incredible stage productions?

 

Kudos, very astute "Quantum theory". :D

 

A subtle hint that special attention and emphasis will be given to entertainment and decor?

[Peardy]

I am hoping for one of these ships to come down under! Given the growth in the Asian/Pacific market that RCI highlighted in their recent market announcement I think a migration of the bigger boats may happen more regularly! Particularly given the popularity of Voyager of the Seas since its launch down here a few months ago. A lot of the ports may need some work to accommodate anything above Voyager class but hopefully they consider it!!!

[Airbear232]

Of course;) Since a photon is a single quantum of light, and sunshine contains an infinite number of photons, Quantum can also be viewed as the infinite power of the sun:cool:

 

Disbelievers can walk the Max Planck:D

 

If this were the case, then they would have named the ship Quanta (plural form) of the Seas. Heh, if they ever want to move the ship down under it is only a little change needed to make it Qantas of the Seas! :D

[gstewart]

This rendering looks like the Celebrity Solstice class ships (specially the forward and aft part) with a Viking Crown lounge.

Quantum of Solstice:D

Its a nice drawing though and would not mind if Royal choose this design.

 

 

I do like the name Quantum:)

 

I hope Royal keeps on of the ships i Europe and Asia.

 

 

 

:D:D:eek:

 

Quantum of Solstice - brilliant!!!

[poncho1973]

Maybe it's just me, but every time I watch the video and I hear them say "quantum leap", all I can see is the media headlines the first time someone decides to end it all by jumping off this ship. "Passenger takes quantum leap - film at 11":eek:

 

Except for the fact that the phrase "quantum leap" doesn't mean anything similar to jumping off a ship. The ship also isn't called Quantum Leap of the Seas.

[gstewart]

I have a feeling Quantum will be headed to Bayonne to compete with Breakaway. I can see Anthem however replacing Independence in Southampton so she can move to warmer climates.

 

Makes sense given the likelihood that the Quantum class seem to be designed for cooler climates - the run from Southampton down to the Mediterranean or up to Norway or the Baltic can certainly be classed as a cooler climate!

[ChipLondon]

Well something has to replace Studio B and The Ice Rink.:)

 

........................and that there will be a special, innovative stage for incredible stage productions?

[BillOh]

I like them too, I am sure they will eventually grow on people.

 

I think your right, I don't think people can tie the names to anything cruise related right now. I can only tie QUANTUM to Scott Bakula. 40 years ago the name ELTON had no meaning to me. Now when I think Oasis or Allure, I have definite images. Although to be fair OASIS and ALLURE of the Seas do at least give some sort of image.

[Aquahound]

I like them too, I am sure they will eventually grow on people.

 

I'm sure you are right. NCL has come up with some pretty crazy names that left many scratching their heads when announced, but now that we are used to them, they have grown on us. Quantum and Anthem will be no different, and like others said, I'm just glad they are fresh names and not copies like what the cruise lines tend to do. Let Carnival and Disney continue to copy one another. ;)

[cjdixon4]

Ummm, I don't know about the "ANTHEM" titling. It sounds a bit formal or presidential to me. I'm envisioning the Star Spangled Banner, America the Beautiful, God Bless America, Battle Hymn of the Republic, This Land Is Your Land, or My Country Tis of Thee...in constant rotation on the pool deck (played by a Caribbean band)...EEEEWWW. :eek:

[Dave85]

Hate the names. Judging by the cut out if looks as if the ship will have the covered solarium like the vision class.

As far as location I think it's funny no one has mentioned this. Rccl's home base is Miami. Their main office is just outside their pier. Just so happens the only Rccl ship there is majesty. Which also just happens to be retiring may next year. Leaving their home port dead empty. I would bet a lot that's where it will be going.

 

Doing so would put the ship in direct competition with Oasis and Allure 45 minutes down the road in Fort Lauderdale. Remember, they took Liberty of the Seas off the 7-night Caribbean routes from Miami when Oasis/Allure were up and running to avoid having too much capacity. I don't see how they could add this new ship in Miami. As I said earlier in the thread, it would drive down prices on all 3 of their premium Caribbean ships (Oasis, Allure, and Quantum) and would have the line essentially competing with itself.

[UCF_Knight]

Doing so would put the ship in direct competition with Oasis and Allure 45 minutes down the road in Fort Lauderdale. Remember, they took Liberty of the Seas off the 7-night Caribbean routes from Miami when Oasis/Allure were up and running to avoid having too much capacity. I don't see how they could add this new ship in Miami. As I said earlier in the thread, it would drive down prices on all 3 of their premium Caribbean ships (Oasis, Allure, and Quantum) and would have the line essentially competing with itself.

 

Agreed. I seriously doubt they station Quantum year round in Miami. Especially with the 3rd Oasis class coming in 2016. Since Oasis class is pretty much confined to the Caribbean due to their size. 2 Oasis class in Ft Lauderdale and one in Port Canaveral (a possibility from the rumors) would certain be a lot of inventory to sell in one area.

 

With Majesty on the way out, they will almost certainly move an older ship in to take its place for 3 and 4 night cruises. Maybe one of the older Voyager class ships. Quantum can take over for Explorer out of the New York area. Explorer can take over for Majesty on short cruises out of Miami.

[Dave85]

Explorer can take over for Majesty on short cruises out of Miami.

 

That would be a perfect (and I imagine quite profitable) use for the Explorer. She'd be far and away the best ship doing those 3-4 night cruises year round.

[Sequim88]

On dimensions my biggest curiosity would be height. Bridges around ports seem to the the biggest limiting factor since most cruise ships don't draft that much. Even to fit the New Panamax limits for the canal there would be the height issue for the Bridge or the Americas at 201 ft. at high tide. The newer Centennial Bridge at 262' and the planned 3rd bridge at 246' are higher so 201' seems to be the limiting factor as long as Quantum Class fits New Panamax. The Key Bridge near Baltimore is 185' so could limit use there. Verrazano Narrows is 228'.

 

Freedom class is 209' high and if Quantum Class is similar it may have same restrictions. It would be nice if they designed it to have a lower profile.

 

As far as ship shuffling when Mariner came out of dry dock last April it did a "drive by" at Key West while it was empty - did not dock just cruised up to port, turned around and went out. Still speculating they wanted to test to Voyager class for stop there. Looks like Majesty and Radiance class are all that stop there but Quantum class could free a Voyager class ship to make that stop.

[TravelerThom]

Hate the names. Judging by the cut out if looks as if the ship will have the covered solarium like the vision class.

As far as location I think it's funny no one has mentioned this. Rccl's home base is Miami. Their main office is just outside their pier. Just so happens the only Rccl ship there is majesty. Which also just happens to be retiring may next year. Leaving their home port dead empty. I would bet a lot that's where it will be going.

I'd be glad to take that bet. Since 1997 RCCL has stood for Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd, the parent corporation of Royal Caribbean International (RCI) and a number of other cruise lines. The name Royal Caribbean Cruise Line (also called RCCL) was dropped over fifteen years ago. In addition to the Majesty, RCCL (the parent company) currently has a few Miami cruises scheduled on Vision of the Seas, numerous cruises on seven Celebrity ships (Celebrity Constellation, Celebrity Eclipse, Celebrity Equinox, Celebrity Reflection, Celebrity Silhouette, Celebrity Century, and Celebrity Reflection) and cruises on Azamara Quest. That makes nine RCCL ships in addition to Majesty with at least some Miami cruises - hardly "dead empty." My guess is that Majesty will replaced by another RCI ship doing 3 and 4 day cruises out of Miami, most likely a Vision class ship (similar to Enchantment replacing Monarch in Port Canaveral). I highly doubt that either of the Quantum ships, which seem to be adapted to premium cool weather sailings, will be in Miami for the foreseeable future.

 

Thom

[cruisinfanatic]

I have no idea how they can afford the one's they are building. For a change the US is supporting the line rather than Europe. Maybe they will put this one in Europe and see what kind of interest it can generate. :eek:

If you owned a movie theater, wouldn't you build more if you sold out every day?

[poncho1973]

It would make a lot of sense to have a Vision-class ship take over for Majesty when she goes.

 

I suppose a Voyager-class would work when you consider that the Vision-class ships are pretty locked into smaller market areas (with the exception of Enchantment when she is in PC), but it seems that a more comparably-sized ship would slide right in and take over with fewer hitches or concerns.

[rpettus]

Thank you :D

 

So what do you think of the names ?

 

To me, Quantum says...past, present, future, unknown, unexpected, magical, electric, light, shiny, space....mmm really like this name :D

 

Anthem says...musical, important, together, for everyone, under one roof...mmm liking this one more and more :D

 

I think they're OK. "A rose by any other name is still a rose". WHat I'm saying is that a good ship no matter what it's name is, it will still be a good ship. I'm counting on their ability to continue to "WOW" us!

 

Although I must admit, I do like names that are easy to spell! :cool:

[wolfganghowell]

QUANTUM???????????? Are they punking us? Seriously.

 

Yeah when I think of a cruise vacation I think of quantum physics. :rolleyes:

 

Looking forward to hearing design details since Oasis class seems too big and too kid friendly for me. (Not that there's anything wrong with that!) Nice that Royal is giving us choices.

 

Seriously.........Quantum? I may sail her but I will still mock that stupid name. :D

[OHCruisinDad]

Was this a deliberate hint?

 

In the blog about the two new ships, I was struck by this sentence near the end.

 

"We are working to set the stage and landscape for the future of cruise vacations with Quantum of the Seas and ANthem of the seas."

 

Could it be that the ship will be filled with live "landscaping" throughout similar to Oasis Class Central Park and that there will be a special, innovative stage for incredible stage productions?

 

My thoughts exactly. Perhaps a theater in the round or nearly so and a leading act like Cirque du Soleil?

[UNV-IT!!!]

Doing so would put the ship in direct competition with Oasis and Allure 45 minutes down the road in Fort Lauderdale. Remember, they took Liberty of the Seas off the 7-night Caribbean routes from Miami when Oasis/Allure were up and running to avoid having too much capacity. I don't see how they could add this new ship in Miami. As I said earlier in the thread, it would drive down prices on all 3 of their premium Caribbean ships (Oasis, Allure, and Quantum) and would have the line essentially competing with itself.

 

I disagree 100%. When the rumors of oasis and allure first came around threads just like this were everywhere. People saying the same thing you are. Why would they ever put two ships in the same place. It's never going to work. Yet it did work. Oasis and allure sail without issues nor do they drive down prices. That's why right now Rccl can have 5-6 ships in port Everglades yet oasis and allure prices are still at market price. Not dramatically down.

 

Agreed. I seriously doubt they station Quantum year round in Miami. Especially with the 3rd Oasis class coming in 2016. Since Oasis class is pretty much confined to the Caribbean due to their size. 2 Oasis class in Ft Lauderdale and one in Port Canaveral (a possibility from the rumors) would certain be a lot of inventory to sell in one area.

 

With Majesty on the way out, they will almost certainly move an older ship in to take its place for 3 and 4 night cruises. Maybe one of the older Voyager class ships. Quantum can take over for Explorer out of the New York area. Explorer can take over for Majesty on short cruises out of Miami.

 

Just like you stated Rccl has announced which ships will be replacing monarch. Why wouldn't they do the same for majesty. It's known her last sailing is April 28 2014. You can book may cruises already. On their site they have zero ships listed for Miami. So if you announce which ships will be replacing monarch why not do the same? They want to have a big launch of the ship. Why not keep it tight lipped that they are opening the ship at their home port. The pier needs no work to handle the ship, neither does the channel. I know most people here are giving their opinion on where they live and hope the ship will be. I'm looking at Rccl, where their ships are and where their planned to be. Yes I live in Florida but Miami is not my home port port Everglades is. Frankly I don't care where they base it because facts are facts. All of their ships always make it Florida at some point. This is their largest departure point of business.

[UCF_Knight]

Just like you stated Rccl has announced which ships will be replacing monarch. Why wouldn't they do the same for majesty. It's known her last sailing is April 28 2014. You can book may cruises already. On their site they have zero ships listed for Miami. So if you announce which ships will be replacing monarch why not do the same?

 

Go to http://www.royalcaribbean.com

Change the date from "Any Month" to May 2014

The only cruises that are bookable right now are Oasis and Allure, plus 1 sailing for Rhapsody out of Hawaii

 

They are just starting to announce the 2014-2015 deployments:

http://www.creative.rccl.com/e-lite/RCI/2013/Deployment/13032797-2014-15_Deployment/index.html

 

So far they have only announced Allure, Oasis, Freedom, Explorer, and Grandeur and only for the Summer season. There has been no official announcement for any other ship for May 2014 and beyond. You don't know that a ship won't be sailing out of Miami in 2014. As far as I know there have been no announcement that Majesty's last sailing is April 28, 2014. Please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong. According to RCCL they will announce the 2014-2015 Short Caribbean and Bahamas on April 23, 2013. On that date we should know what their plans are for Miami.

[Silvery Seas Cruiser]

If the ship replacing Majesty will do her same 3-night/4-night itineraries, that ship will have to be able to sail to Key West. I know Enchantment and Jewel can fit into Key West because I have been there on both of those ships. So I picture a class such as Radiance or Jewel taking over Majesty's run.

 

Bigger Voyager Class ships would be difficult to maneuever in Key West's channel. I can see Grandeur or a similar ship doing that however.

 

As for Quantum or Anthem sailing out of Fort Lauderdale, remember they could do it on Friday or Monday departures while Oasis and Allure maintain their Saturday and Sunday departures. Or Q. or A. could sail out of Miami or Port Canaveral.

[UCF_Knight]

If the ship replacing Majesty will do her same 3-night/4-night itineraries, that ship will have to be able to sail to Key West.

 

Or they could just do what they do with the Port Canaveral 4-night cruises and throw in a sea day instead of going to Key West.

[Dave85]

I disagree 100%. When the rumors of oasis and allure first came around threads just like this were everywhere. People saying the same thing you are. Why would they ever put two ships in the same place. It's never going to work. Yet it did work. Oasis and allure sail without issues nor do they drive down prices. That's why right now Rccl can have 5-6 ships in port Everglades yet oasis and allure prices are still at market price. Not dramatically down.

 

 

Oasis and Allure are a special case. Because they were so extraordinarily huge, a special purpose built terminal had to be built to house them. Why on earth would RCI, at least initially, build two such expensive new facilities in different cities? They wouldn't, of course, and didn't. As such, there was never any doubt that Oasis/Allure would be housed in the same facility sailing on seperate weekend days. RCI was obviously comfortable that the market could handle the capacity and it has, as you noted.

 

However, to adjust the capacity when Allure came online RCI moved its other nearby 7-night Caribbean ship, Liberty OTS, to seasonal short cruises out of Ft. Lauderdale and seasonal European itineraries. I didn't see you address that in your reply. Why would RCI then turn around and retore that capacity plus with another brand new ship right down the block? Oasis/Allure were always planned to sail from the same homeport out of necessity. There's no such necessity here. Say what you want, Oasis/Allure/Quantum would draw from each other's market -- locals and people willing to fly down to So.Fla. to sail on a new premium ship. There would be no such competition if Quantum is placed in a separate market. Why invite that competition unnecessarily? Surely not because RCI executives work in an office building in Miami and want a pretty view out the window once a week...

 

If you really want to make that bet that Quantum is going to Miami I guarantee a lot of us, myself included, will be happy to take you up on it. :D