Royal Caribbean International took a major step this week in the development of the cruise lineâs next generation of cruise ships when the first piece of steel was cut for the first of two Project Sunshine ships. The steel cutting took place at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany, where the two ships will be built.

To celebrate the milestone, Royal Caribbean announced the names of the two new ships â Quantum of the Seas, set to debut in fall 2014, and Anthem of the Seas, which will follow in spring 2015. They will be part of the Quantum class of ships and will build upon Royal Caribbeanâs legacy of revolutionary ship design and bold innovation.
âWe are extremely excited to celebrate this important milestone for our first Project Sunshine ship. After three years of design and advance planning this is the first step of the construction of the ship and I look forward to seeing it all come together in the coming months,â said Adam Goldstein, President and CEO, Royal Caribbean International. âThe new ship will be such a leap forward in terms of vessel design and guest experiences that we thought the name Quantum of the Seas was perfectly appropriate.â
Royal Caribbean Internationalâs legacy is built on introducing âat sea firstsâ such as rock-climbing walls, ice-skating rinks, surf simulators, zip lines and even a tropical park with over 12,000 live plants. The Quantum class of ships will continue to build on this legacy with unprecedented experiences and amenities. They will once again deliver on Royal Caribbeanâs tradition of designing for âWOWâ.
âThroughout our history we have made huge strides in cruise ship design and innovation and the Quantum class will be no exception,â said Richard D. Fain, Chairman and CEO, Royal Caribbean Cruises, Ltd. âWe look forward to introducing consumers to Quantum cruising.”
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Photos and article courtesy of Royal Caribbean.