Odyssey of the Seas which will be the second Quantum Ultra class cruise ship for Royal Caribbean has reached a major construction milestone in Germany.
Odyssey of the Seas Keel Laying
Royal Caribbean has celebrated a major construction milestone for Odyssey of the Seas which will become the second Quantum Ultra class cruise ships and the sister to Spectrum of the Seas.
A ceremony was held at the Neptune Werft shipyard in Germany and was attended by shipyard and cruise line executives. However, the main construction of the Royal Caribbean cruise ship will take place at the popular Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg.
Stephan Schmees, Executive Board Member Project Management at Meyer Werft, said:
“With the keel laying for Odyssey of the Seas at NEPTUN WERFT it becomes clear again, how well our teams at the different locations are working together. It is our great pleasure to build these innovative ships for Royal Caribbean International and to continue our long-standing business relationship.”
This marks the first official block, one of many that will make up the ship as a whole. An 800-ton crane lifted a 79-ton block into the building dock and newly minted coins were placed under the keel the mark the major milestone. This is a maritime tradition and the coins will eventually be handed to the ship captain once construction is complete and be displayed onboard.
Now construction will move into a new phase where many blocks will begin coming together and later in the year we’ll get to see the beginnings of an actual cruise ship. Other milestones still to come is the ship floating out onto the water for the very first time, the River Ems conveyance and then finally Sea Trails before being delivered to Royal Caribbean.
Also Read: First Steel Cut for Royal Caribbean’s Odyssey of the Seas
Odyssey of the Seas will enter service in fall 2020 and the cruise line will release the itinerary details later this year. More specific features and images are also expected in the coming months.
The ship will be almost identical to the first Quantum Ultra cruise ship Spectrum of the Seas which just recently entered service and was purpose built for the Chinese market. Odyssey of the Seas will have a guest capacity of around 4,246 at double occupancy and an evolution to the current Quantum-class ships at 169,000 gross tons.
Main Photo By: Royal Caribbean (Spectrum of the Seas)
