Southampton welcomes back Royal Caribbean International Ships for 2014 summer season

Independence of the Seas and Adventure of the Seas, two of Royal Caribbean International’s most activity packed ships have arrived back into the Port of Southampton (UK) this month to embark on their 2014 summer seasons for the second year running. The return of these modern ships underscores the company’s commitment to the UK and Southampton market, which will grow further with the arrival of the most technologically advanced ship ever, Anthem of the Seas in April 2015.
The newly enhanced Adventure of the Seas arrived into the City Cruise terminal on 4 May 2014 while sister ship Independence of the Seassails into the port on 17 May 2014.

A host of all new features will be available for the first time from Southampton 2014 sailings with Adventure of the Seas. These include Wifi throughout the ship, a new Concierge Lounge for suite guests, a Diamond Lounge for Crown & Anchor Society loyalty programme members and digital signage throughout the ship. Flat screen TV’s in every stateroom and a giant outdoor cinema screen and the addition of Giovanni’s Table – a family friendly Italian trattoria - are further new features that await guests on Adventure of the Seas.

The 3,114-guest Adventure of the Seas arrived into the popular port on 4 May 2014. The ship offers a series of seven to 16 night cruises around the Mediterranean and Northern Europe, plus shorter sailings, including a four-night trip to Belgium and France.

The announcement that both Independence and Adventure of the Seas are returning into Southampton comes ahead of Royal Caribbean embarking on a massive step change for the global business by placing some of its newest ships on this side of the Atlantic. In 2015,Anthem of the Seas, the newest and one of the most technologically advanced ships ever will call the Port of Southampton home for its summer season, while sister ship, Allure of the Seas will call Barcelona its home.

The 3,634-guest Independence of the Seas, based in Southampton since 2008, continues to receive rave reviews from UK holidaymakers, most recently in the 2013 Cruise Critic UK Cruisers’ Choice Awards, where it was honoured in the best food, entertainment, families, fitness and service categories.
To kick off its summer season, Independence of the Seas will offer a series of new itineraries including more, shorter sailings such as three-night cruises to Le Havre for Paris and four night cruises to Le Havre for Paris and Zeebrugge for Bruges. The ship will also offer six night cruises to France and Spain, an eight-night cruise to Norway, various 14-night Mediterranean cruises, plus 11 and 12-night Canary Islands cruises as part of its 2014 summer season.

Stuart Leven, managing director, Royal Caribbean International, commented:

“We are thrilled to welcome back two of our most activity-packed ships to the city of Southampton. It is an extremely important port for our ships and the experience for our guests is always excellent. The port is easily reached by road, rail and air and we know our guests love how quickly they can reach the hot spot destinations of Northern Europe and the Mediterranean.”

Leven added: “The incredible consumer response that these two ships have received these past five years sailing out of Southampton is just one of the many reasons why we’ve been given the confidence to bring some of our newest and best ships to the UK and European markets. There is no doubt that come 2015, UK holidaymakers will embrace Anthem of the Seas with the same vigour and enthusiasm that they have with Independence and Adventure of the Seas, beginning what will hopefully be many more great seasons to come.”

Anthem of the Seas will be Royal Caribbean International’s second Quantum-class ship and is due to feature a number of game-changing “firsts at sea” including a Jamie’s Italian, a skydiving experience called RipCord by iFLY and the North Star, an engineering marvel featuring a jewel like capsule that extends 300 feet above the ocean to deliver 360-degree views for guests. Other cutting-edge transformative venues onboard include SeaPlex, the largest indoor sports and entertainment complex at sea with bumper cars, roller skating and more; and the cruise line’s largest and most advanced staterooms ever.