Royal Caribbean's next new cruise ship has passed the last major stage of her construction.
Shipyard Meyer Werft announced Odyssey of the Seas has returned from her sea trials in the North Sea and the ship successfully passed all tests.
The ship is now back in Bremerhaven, Germany.
Translated from German, Meyer Werft seemed pleased with the results
Project Manager Thorsten Kroes von Bord said, "All systems work great and we have reached another important milestone for the ship with the successful test drive."
What are sea trials?
Sea trials are when a new cruise ship gets its systems tested out in order to ensure all of its features work, as well as push speed and steering to their limits.
Everything from the ship's propulsion, to navigation, to engines are tested before it can be ready to join the fleet.
Sea trials range in duration, sometimes one or two sessions is common.
The sea trials are conducted with a combination of Royal Caribbean crew members, as well as shipyard workers.
When will Odyssey of the Seas be delivered?
With the sea trials complete, there may be some final tweaks and changes onboard before the ship is prepared for delivery.
No official delivery date has been announced by Royal Caribbean or Meyer Werft.
Until delivery takes place, the ship is still owned by Meyer Werft. Like many other ships during the global health crisis, the delivery is likely to be a very low key event, perhaps even a virtual event.
Sister brand Celebrity Cruises took delivery of Celebrity Apex in a virtual delivery, where the cruise line took official command of the new ship via a video conference with officials from the shipyard.
Inaugural season
Odyssey of the Seas will debut for Royal Caribbean in Haifa, Israel this summer.
She will sail roundtrip from Haifa, Israel and offer cruises only to Israeli residents who are vaccinated.
Sailings this summer will visit ports in Greece and Cyprus, including Rhodes, Santorini, Mykonos and Athens, Greece and Limassol, Cyprus.
Odyssey will then cross the Atlantic to begin its inaugural North American season in November, offering 6- to 8-night itineraries from Fort Lauderdale to the Caribbean.
Here are a list of the major features on Odyssey of the Seas that we know about:
- SkyPad bungee trampoline experience
- SeaPlex - the largest indoor space for recreational activities at sea
- Playmakers Sports Bar & Arcade with club-level views of the SeaPlex
- Reimagined Adventure Ocean kids program and a maxed-out teen lounge with gaming consoles, music and movies
- Teppanyaki restaurant
- Giovanni’s Italian Kitchen & Wine Bar
- Two-level pool deck will feature two open-air, resort-style pools and four whirlpools with shady casitas and hammocks
- FlowRider surf simulator
- Skydiving with Ripcord by iFly
- North Star glass capsule
- Robot bartenders at Bionic Bar
