Royal Caribbean will send its third Quantum-class cruise ship, Ovation of the Seas, to China when she debuts in April 2016.
Ovation of the Seas will be home ported in Tianjin, China, 70 miles southeast of Beijing.
Sister ship Quantum of the Seas will be heading to China later this summer and together with Ovation of the Seas and three other Royal Caribbean ships, Royal Caribbean is poised for a monster offering in this new cruising market.
Once launched, Ovation of the Seas’ maiden sailings will include a 52-night Global Odyssey from Southampton, U.K. to Tianjin. Vacationers can be among the first to experience the new ship on the 2016 Ovation Global Odyssey, which will open for sale on Thursday, March 26, 2015. Five itineraries will take guests to some of the world’s most iconic cities:
- A seven-night England to Barcelona cruise, departing May 3, 2016 from Southampton
- 16-night Barcelona to Dubai cruise, via the Suez Canal, departing May 10
- 14-night India and Southeast Asia cruise, departing May 26 from Dubai to Singapore
- Three-night Malaysia cruise, departing June 9 on a roundtrip sailing from Singapore
- And 12-night Exotic Asia cruise, from Singapore to Tianjin.
Royal Caribbean CEO Michael Bayley made the announcement earlier today, “Cruising has become very popular for Chinese consumers and Royal Caribbean is already capturing their imaginations with our industry-leading cruise ships,” said Bayley. “We are furthering our commitment by bringing two of the world’s newest and most advanced Quantum-class cruise ships to the region. In addition, we are significantly expanding our investment in the training and employment of Chinese talent so they can join us in delivering our amazing and distinctive vacations to Chinese travelers.”
The five ships Royal Caribbean will base in China will be homeporting in four metropolitan Chinese cities – Shanghai, Tianjin, Hong Kong and Xiamen – and primarily sailing three- to 12-night itineraries to destinations in Japan, Korea, Taiwan and Vietnam. Royal Caribbean’s summer 2016 Asia adventures will open for booking in August 2015.
The news Ovation of the Seas will be based in China confirms an earlier report we posted that the new mega ship was indeed heading there.
