Royal Caribbean dropped the huge news last week, announcing that its highly anticipated and revolutionary new megaship Quantum of the Seas would be homeported in China after its initial debut period in Bayonne, N.J.'s Cape Liberty cruise port. The news received mixed reviews, as many in the New York area were disappointed to learn that they would be losing the ship after a six-month sailing season.
Royal Caribbean says the move of the 4,180-passenger Quantum of the Seas helps the line "accelerate the growth of this vital market" in Asia. Quantum will sail out of Shanghai beginning in May 2015 after a six-month season sailing to the Caribbean from Cape Liberty beginning in November.
Quantum of the Seas will feature an industry first with its "Dynamic Dining" concept of no traditional main dining room. To make up for the loss of Quantum in the New York area, Royal Caribbean will bring Liberty of the Seas to Cape Liberty for the 2015 summer and fall seasons, and the new Anthem of the Seas, which launches in April 2015 and is the sister ship to Quantum will sail from Cape Liberty in winter 2015-16 after an initial season in Southampton, England.