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.

Could Royal Caribbean be sending its brand new cruise ship, Ovation of the Seas, to China?  

A marketing document by Royal Caribbean UK's travel agent support website has posted a schedule of deployments coming for 2016 cruises and Ovation of the Seas is listed under the China cruises.

The document claims Ovation of the Seas will join Legend of the Seas, Mariner of the Seas, Quantum of the Seas and Voyager of the Seas and its sailings will go on sale in August.

If true, this will be another salvo by Royal Caribbean in its effort to dominate the emerging cruise market in China.

Ovation of the Seas is the third Quantum-class ship and is scheduled to be complete in Spring 2016.

Tip of the hat to cruiseboy305 for finding the news.

UPDATE: Royal Caribbean has indicated this document cited in the article is "an unfortunate mistake".  Furthermore, Royal Caribbean is still finalizing their deployments and we can expect an official answer in the next month's time.

Today at Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany, Royal Caribbean held its keel-laying and lucky coin ceremonies for the third Quantum-class ship, Ovation of the Seas.

Adam Goldstein, Royal Caribbean President and COO, put down the lucky penny in the dock before the block of the new ship was lowered by the 800-ts crane.

The first of a total of 74 blocks of the new cruise liner weighs 740 tons.

The keel-laying marks the official start of construction of the Ovation of the Seas in the building dock. 

Ovation of the Seas' delivery is scheduled for spring 2016.

Ovation of the Seas will be able to accommodate 4,180 guests at double occupancy and feature 2,090 staterooms.

Royal Caribbean announced today that the third Quantum-class cruise ship will be named Ovation of the Seas.

In addition to announcing the name, the first piece of steel was cut at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany.  This is the same shipyard where sister cruise ships Quantum of the Seas and Anthem of the Seas are being constructed.

Ovation of the Seas is scheduled to be delivered in the autumn of 2016.

Like its sister ships, Ovation of the Seas will feature Quantum-class ammenities such as Roboscreens in the unique Two70 entertainment venue; robotic bartenders in Bionic Bar; RipCord by iFLY, the first skydiving experience at sea; the North Star, an engineering marvel that transports guests more than 300 feet above the ocean; transformative venues, such as Sea-Plex, the largest indoor sports and entertainment complex at sea with bumper cars, roller skating and more; and the cruise line’s largest and most advanced staterooms ever, including the industry’s first-ever Virtual Balcony staterooms, which offers expansive, real-time views of the ocean and exciting destinations for interior staterooms.