Royal Caribbean has announced Anthem of the Seas to sail from the British Isles this summer. The line will open up 999 free rooms for frontliners, Emergency Services, NHS, Social Care Sector, and Armed Forces.
Anthem of the Seas will be sailing, like many others, from the Port of Southampton from July 7, 2021. Given the massive efforts by the emergency services, NHS, social care sector, and armed forces over the last 12 months, the line offers 999 free rooms to UK residents in these professions.
Ocean Getaways and the British Isles
Royal Caribbean will be offering guests two options for a cruise around the British Isles this summer. UK favorite Anthem of the Seas will be sailing on a 4-night ocean getaway on July 7, while July 15 will see 5-8-night cruises with several port calls in destinations such as Liverpool, Kirkwall in the Orkney Islands, Scotland, and Belfast, Northern Ireland.
These itineraries will be open for vaccinated guests only and on sale from April 7. Guests under the age of 18 will not need to be vaccinated but should show a negative test result. The cruise line has announced these measures are evaluated on an ongoing basis and might change considering the changing environment.
Pre-registration for guests eligible for one of the 999 free staterooms will open on April 13. To get one of the free sailings, UK residents should show proof of an official Blue Light Card which is available to those working in the emergency services, NHS, social care sector, and armed forces. Pre-registrations will be entered into a ballot to be drawn by the end of April.
Royal Caribbean Offering A Holiday
The offer from Royal Caribbean to give frontliners a vacation comes at the right time for many. Many NHS, Social workers, emergency services, and armed services have been working straight without a break for many months, and a cruise will come as a welcome relief:
Michael Bayley, president, and CEO, Royal Caribbean International:
“The UK is a place we hold near and dear to our heart at Royal Caribbean. We miss our UK guests and are as eager as they are to get back to cruising from Southampton.”
“We are delighted with the UK government’s recent announcements regarding cruising and excited to set sail again with a phenomenal ship and favorite such as Anthem of the Seas. After a tough year, we all need a holiday, but no one more so than the emergency services, NHS, social care sector and armed forces who will have the long-awaited opportunity to get away and relax with total peace of mind.”
About The Ship
Anthem of the Seas was built as part of the Quantum Class of ships and the second in her class. The 4,180 passenger, 168,000 gross tons vessel is part of the third-largest class of ships worldwide.
With sister ship Quantum of the Seas sailing in Singapore, and Quantum Plus Class Odyssey of the Seas sailing in Israel soon, Royal Caribbean is making real headway into the resumption of cruising.
There have been 50,000 guests to date aboard Quantum of the Seas, as well as the recently announced plans for the highly anticipated Odyssey of the Seas to cruise from Haifa, Israel, cruises from The Bahamas with Adventure of the Seas, Bermuda with Vision of the Seas and Cyprus with Jewel of the Seas.
Also Read: Reasons to Cruise on Royal Caribbean’s Anthem of the Seas
Although Royal Caribbean has considerable experience making sailing safe for COVID-19, the company is not taking any chances.
Besides the vaccination mandate for guests over 18 years of age and a PCR test for those under 18 years of age, there will be many health regulations onboard as well. Which measures will be implemented will depend on the UK government and the UK’s situation in July.
No matter the measures, it is great to see a company like Royal Caribbean recognizing the work and dedication the frontliners have shown over the last year. Hopefully, we can expect more companies to take the same steps!
