Royal Caribbean’s new Spectrum of the Seas leaves yard ahead of Dubai cruise

Royal Caribbean’s newest and most advanced cruise ship Spectrum of the Seas has begun her conveyance down the Ems River to the open sea ahead of Dubai cruise in May.

The transit of the river is a necessity for all cruise ships built at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany, and has become a rite of passage for new cruise ships that is closely watched by cruise industry enthusiasts.

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She was meant to depart the shipyard earlier in the week, but those plans were delayed by the weather. She’s now on the move and just after midnight on Thursday will pass through the Ems River barrier. Several hours later she will finally arrive at Eemshaven in the Netherlands.

The transit is a slow and hair-raising one for river pilots and shipyard officials, as several sections of the river are extremely tight for the huge ship to navigate, with just metres to spare. The entire process can take as long as two days.

At Eemshaven, Spectrum of the Seas will undergo further out-fitting and will depart for her sea trials. If all goes well and Royal Caribbean are happy with the results, they’ll accept delivery and she will enter service as planned on April 18^th, 2019, from Barcelona, Spain.

Crew members will also start to arrive at the ship in preparation for the maiden voyage in April.

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Spectrum of the Seas is the first Quantum-Ultra class cruise ship for Royal Caribbean, a sister ship to Quantum of the Seas, Anthem of the Seas and Ovation of the Seas, but with a number of enhancements.

In a sign of the growing popularity of Dubai as a cruise port, and the rising demand for cruises in China, Spectrum of the Seas will not sail a maiden season in Europe or the Caribbean, she’ll depart straight for Shanghai from Barcelona.

The 51-day Global Odyssey voyage will include calls in 13 countries, including Dubai in the Arabian Gulf.

Spectrum of the Seas was designed specifically for the Chinese market and at 169,300 gross tons with a guest capacity of 4,188 at double occupancy, she’ll be one of the largest cruise ships ever to cruise from Dubai or China.

The ship will begin sailing from Shanghai in June 2019 including new calls to Hakodate and Niigita, Japan; Ilocos, Philippines; and Vladivostok, Russia.