Royal Caribbean's newest cruise ship, Ovation of the Seas, successfully was floated out of Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany earlier today.
Numerous onlookers watched as the 41 meter wide ship left the shipyard building early Thursday afternoon.
Ovation of the Seas will remain in the shipyard until about mid-March, where she will get some more work done on her, such as the addition of the North Star observation pod.
The next major milestone for Ovation of the Seas will be her conveyance on the River Ems to the North Sea for sea trials. It is expected to take place in about three weeks.
Ovation of the Seas will be officially launched in April 2016, when she departs Southampton for Tianjin, China on a 53-day Global Odyssey. She will begin her first homeport sailing season in China from Tianjin in June 2016. Ovation of the Seas, together with Quantum of the Seas, Mariner of the Seas, Voyager of the Seas and Legend of the Seas, will make up the largest fleet of any cruise line sailing in China.
