Explorer of the Seas to homeport in Southampton and sailing European waters in 2015

MIAMI, March 31, 2014 – Royal Caribbean International’s Explorer of the Seas will sail its very first Europe season in summer 2015.

The cruise line’s Adventure of the Seas, which was originally announced to homeport at Southampton, U.K., is being exchanged for Explorer of the Seas, which will take over three- to 16-night, roundtrip itineraries from late-April through Sept. 2015.

Vacationers can choose among three- and eight-night Northern Europe itineraries, 11- to 16-night Mediterranean itineraries, or 10- to 14-night Madeira, Azores and Canary Islands itineraries. Adventure of the Seas will remain at San Juan, Puerto Rico, to sail seven-night Southern Caribbean cruises throughout the summer season.

Explorer of the Seas will complete an extensive, month-long drydock revitalization before starting seasonal service and boast a wide range of new innovative features to offer guests an unforgettable onboard experience.
Guests can test their surfing skills on a new FlowRider surf simulator; watch a film come to life in a magical 3-D Movie theatre; and sample cuisine from around the world in a new range of onboard restaurants. There will also be all-new staterooms and luxurious suites, plus new virtual balconies that bring live ocean and destination views into interior staterooms. Additional revitalization details will be unveiled at a later date.

Voyager-class Explorer of the Seas is still among the world’s largest and most innovative cruise ships, featuring Royal Caribbean exclusive onboard amenities not yet matched by any other cruise line. The Voyager class of ships was the first to introduce the active cruise vacation and features the cruise line’s iconic rock-climbing wall, a real ice-skating rink, a full-size basketball and sports court, and the Royal Promenade, an interior boulevard that runs nearly the length of the ship that is flanked by restaurants, lounges and boutiques and where spectacular parades and evening dance parties are held.

Explorer of the Seas will be joined in the U.K. by the industry’s ground-breaking Quantum-class ship Anthem of the Seas at Southampton and Radiance-class Brilliance of the Seas at Harwich, England. Only just revealed last week, the Quantum Class will introduce the new Dynamic Dining experience, offering more choice and flexibility than ever before. With Dynamic Dining, guests are empowered to decide when, where, and with whom to dine – as well as how to dress every evening – among a landscape of 18 restaurants as varied as dining in the world’s most cosmopolitan cities. For more information about the new Dynamic Dining experience, please visit www.RoyalCaribbean.com/DynamicDining.

Along with its sister-ship Quantum of the Seas, the 4,180-guest, 167,800 gross tonnage Anthem of the Seas – both currently under construction at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany – will be a dramatic leap forward for the cruise industry and introduce more game-changing “firsts at sea” such as a skydiving experience call RipCord by iFLY (http://bit.ly/1h3lt5f), and the North Star (http://bit.ly/1c3qiFU), an engineering marvel featuring a jewel like capsule that extends 300 feet above the ocean and over the sides of the ship to deliver 360-degree views for guests. Cutting-edge transformative venues include SeaPlex (http://bit.ly/1c3qiFU), 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. These new, larger staterooms (http://bit.ly/1c3qLrC) enable innovation in design, storage and comfort including the industry’s first virtual balconies. More information on Quantum class of ships is available at RoyalCaribbean.com/QuantumoftheSeas.

Royal Caribbean International is an award-winning global cruise brand with a 45-year legacy of innovation and introducing industry “firsts” never before seen at sea.  The cruise line features an expansive and unmatched array of features and amenities only found on Royal Caribbean including, jaw-dropping, Broadway-style entertainment and industry-acclaimed programming that appeals to families and adventurous vacationers alike. Owned by Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE/OSE: RCL), the cruise line sails 21 of the world’s most innovative cruise ships to the most popular destinations in the Caribbean, Europe, Alaska, South America, the Far East, and Australia and New Zealand. World renowned for its friendly and engaging Gold Anchor Service, delivered by every staff and crew member, Royal Caribbean has been voted “Best Cruise Line Overall” for 11 consecutive years in the Travel Weekly Readers Choice Awards.
 
For additional information or to make reservations, vacationers should call their travel agent; visit RoyalCaribbean.com; or call (800) ROYAL-CARIBBEAN. Follow us on Facebook at Facebook.com/RoyalCaribbean or on Twitter @RoyalCaribbean