Anthem of the Seas, the second in a series of three 167,800 gross ton ships Royal Caribbean International is building at Meyer Werft in Germany, will operate cruises from Southampton and replace Independence of the Seas in the spring of 2015 as the company wants to broaden the appeal of its product on the British market, company officials said at a presentation in London
The new ship will go on sale early next year, said Dominic Paul, vp international, when fares and itineraries will also be disclosed. Adventure of the Seas will remain in Southampton as the company wants to attract a new group of customers and to grow its business in this way.
"Anthems are about defining moments, that's what we think a holiday should do," said Dominic Paul, vp international at the company. Music will be a leading theme in Anthem of the Seas, which is why it was chosen as the name of the ship.
The event was webcast live on the Internet.
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, which was present at the event held on the 29th floor of the Heron Tower in the City of London, played a number of anthems that Royal Caribbean's research had found the British people found affecting them most - ranging from Angels of Robbie Williams to Nimrod of Elgar; Hey Jude by the Beatles and Jerusalem by Hubert Parry.
The company will disclose details of the shows on board the new ship early next year. Adam Goldstein, president of Royal Caribbean International said. The company intends to retain its musical entertainment free of charge, although Goldstein did not rule out the possibility of charge for special performances. However, this will not be a departure that the brand will start to follow in a large scale.
