Royal Caribbean has quietly announced that it will reveal more details about its brand new Quantum of the Seas during a special event in New York City on April 16, 2013.

Speaking with the Cruise Lines International Association, Royal Caribbean will offer a preview of the ship, in which it describes Quantum of the Seas will add new features as "a dramatic leap forward in ship design and guest experiences."

No further details are available as to what we can expect to hear during the April 16th event but it will be the first announcement of new details about the new class of ship since Royal Caribbean announced that Kristin Chenoweth will be the ship's godmother.

On our cruise aboard Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas last week, Hotel Manager Michael Rasmussen discussed briefly the new Quantum of the Seas cruise ship that Royal Caribbean is developing and addressed some of the rumors floating out there.

What features do you think Quantum of the Seas will have and what amenities do you want on the new cruise ship?

Royal Caribbean announced during the Academy Awards that actress Kristen Chenoweth will be the godmother for the brand new Quantum of the Seas cruise ship that will debut in late 2014.

Chenoweth is a Tony and Emmy award winning actress, and will continue the maritime tradition of appointing a godmother for the cruise ship. Chenoweth was chosen for her effervescent personality and ability to wow audiences. Her versatile range of roles made her a natural fit, given that Quantum of the Seas, set to debut in fall 2014, is poised to introduce unprecedented experiences and amenities only attainable on Royal Caribbean.

“Kristin’s effortless grace and dynamic performances align perfectly with our newest class of ships and we could not be more honored to have her represent Quantum of the Seas,” said Richard D. Fain, chairman and CEO, Royal Caribbean Cruises, Ltd. “Working with such a remarkable and versatile woman for one of maritime’s longest standing traditions is an exciting experience.”

“I am so excited to be named godmother of Royal Caribbean International’s newest ship, Quantum of the Seas. I have been lucky to play many roles and I am looking forward to this one,” stated Kristin Chenoweth. “I think the Royal Caribbean brand is the perfect match for me, especially with their history of providing exceptional entertainment experiences to their guests.”

“Our ships have always been designed for WOW and with Quantum of Seas, we are excited to introduce Quantum cruising and the ‘at sea’ firsts that our guests have come to expect from Royal Caribbean,” said Adam Goldstein, President and CEO, Royal Caribbean International. “We look forward to working with Kristen and having her officially name our ship when she is delivered in the fall of 2014.”

Photos of a water tank-testing model that purports to be the brand new Quantum of the Seas ship that is in development by Royal Caribbean were posted online today by a cruise blog.  

The model was spotted in a document released by the shipyard that is building the new ships, Meyer Werft.

In addition the following documentation was found: 

During the towing test, the shape and hydrodynamics of the ship which were developed on the computer are tested and optimised.

“Approximately 250 technicians and engineers are currently working on developing and constructing the project in detail. The construction of the first ship will begin in 2013. The ships will be completed in 2014 and 2015″.

“Sunshine will break new ground in terms of its hull shape and overall hydrodynamics. The design guarantees very low fuel consumption and ensures that the latest safety regulations are adhered to.” Henning Luhmann, Technical Design Manager

“With both Sunshine class ships, we will once again produce a totally new kind of ship in Papenburg. Very environmentally friendly and energy efficient – and at the same time the ship offers very innovative concepts in on-board comfort and entertainment.” Uwe Wulff, Project Manager.

“We are currently developing very innovative and exciting solutions for the hotel operations and the on-board entertainment with Royal Caribbean and selected suppliers in order to meet the highest passenger requirements.” Manfred Bresler, Accommodation Department Manager

Royal Caribbean's Executive Vice President, Global Sales and Marketing, Lisa Bauer, said passengers aboard the new Quantum of the Seas cruise ship would expect to be "wowed" when it enters service next year.

Bauer declined to reveal specific details about the ship but insisted that Quantum of the Seas will, "live up to its name."

Quantum of the Seas is scheduled to enter service in fall 2014 with its sister ship Anthem of the Seas coming online about six months later.

Bauer said the product remains a closely guarded secret.

"What I would say is that people should be prepared to be wowed. The Quantum class ships will live up to its name."

The prospect of a ski slope as one of the onboard features has been suggested. Bauer declined to confirm or deny any plans.

Ever since Royal Caribbean announced their new class of ships, originally called Project Sunshine and now officially called Quantum Class, there's been rampant speculation as to where these cruise ships would sail from.  Over the last two to three months, we've received a lot of tips from our readers that the new Quantum of the Seas or Anthem of the Seas will sail out of Port Liberty in Bayonne, New Jersey.

We haven't had any solid proof other than second or third hand reports but today we found two interesting tidbits that could point to where one of these new cruise ships will sail from.

The port of St Maarten in the Eastern Caribbean publishes the schedule of cruise ships that will call on the island at any given time.  For its December 2014 schedule, it lists a stop on December 5 by a ship called "Sunshine", which many believe is a reference to Project Sunshine.  This is followed by other monthly or bi-monthly calls by a ship of the same name.

Moreover, a dedicated fan took the time to compare cruise schedules in St Maarten for the next three years between Explorer of the Seas (the current Royal Caribbean ship based out of New Jersey) and this mystery "Sunshine" ship.

Monday, May 6, 2013 12:15 - 20:00 Explorer of the Seas
Monday, May 20, 2013 12:15 - 20:00 Explorer of the Seas

Monday, May 12, 2014 12:15 - 20:00 Explorer of the Seas
Monday, May 26, 2014 12:15 - 20:00 Explorer of the Seas

Monday, May 11, 2015 12:15 - 20:00 Sunshine
Monday, May 25, 2015 12:15 - 20:00 Sunshine

Adding more fuel to the fire of this rumor is the fact the Royal Gazette, a newspaper in Bermuda, published an article detailing a proposed wharf expansion that would accommodate larger cruise ships. In particular, the paper mentioned, "to determine the docks’ capacities to accommodate the latest cruise ships in production by both the Norwegian Cruise Line and the Royal Caribbean Cruise Line."

Since Explorer of the Seas currently sails out of Port Liberty and offers cruises to Bermuda in addition to the Caribbean, this seems like another indication that Quantum of the Seas or Anthem of the Seas might be based out of New Jersey.

All of this is speculation and we have no "silver bullet" proof quite yet.  Royal Caribbean is still slowly announcing details about the two new cruise ships and we will post news immediately about these two ships as they are announced.

Wonder how Royal Caribbean named its two newest cruise ships, Quantum of the Seas and Anthem of the Seas?  Royal Caribbean CEO Adam Goldstein shared some insight into the process.

According to Goldstein, Royal Caribbean worked with a naming consultant that provided several different names to consider (probably the list looked a lot like these).  The names offered a few different takes on the ship name including experiential names, cosmopolitan names, leading edge names and more.  However, the name Quantum fit the tone Project Sunshine Steering Committee was looking for.

After each member of the team voted on paper, the consensus reached was almost unanimous to Quantum of the Seas and Anthem of the Seas.

Goldstein feels that the names represent what the ships will hopefully offer guests, "The word anthem is defined as a song of praise and Anthem of the Seas is indicative of many of the best qualities and features of Royal Caribbean International. Quantum represents a step change in cruising and anthem is a song of praise for that step."