Odyssey Delivered to Royal Caribbean Virtually

Royal Caribbean Group is known for their Tradition, Innovation, and Revolution. Today all three of those traits were observed when they virtually took delivery of their newest Quantum class ship, Odyssey of the Seas from German shipbuilder Meyer Werft in a ceremony that was held virtually on Zoom with dignitaries in various locations, live from Odyssey bridge and deck, along with performances live from Quantum of the Seas. As far as I'm aware this is a first for the cruise industry.

After introductions of the VIPs from Royal Caribbean and Meyer Werft, the traditional lowering of the flag of the country of the shipbuilder (German flag) and the raising of the country the ship sails under (Bahamas flag) was done. 

Then the Royal Caribbean and U.S. flags were raised while the anthem was sung by Whitney Drake from the Royal Theater onboard Quantum of the Seas. It was a very stirring rendition of the anthem.

Next was the traditional blessing of the ship done by Father Sanford Sears of Seafarers' House in Fort Lauderdale. The ceremony concluded with a live performance from Two70 on Quantum of the Seas.

The broadcast concluded with a Q&A session with President & CEO, Michael Bayley responding to a few questions. 

More than 10,000 people worked together to turn dreams of this new ship into reality. Odyssey is the 25th ship in the Royal Caribbean fleet. She will begin sailing to Greece from Israel and when the U.S. ports reopen she will homeport from Fort Lauderdale, FL. sailing to the Caribbean. 

Watch this video to see the entire ceremony. Congratulations to Royal Caribbean and Meyer Werft for this great accomplishment during a pandemic.

 

View Odyssey Of the SeasSailings

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Odyssey OTS Sails Backwards Down Ems River

Ever see a Cruise Ship Sail Backwards?

Watch the second Royal Caribbean Quantum Ultra class ship, Odyssey of the Seas, make her way – backward – down the Ems River and to the North Sea on her conveyance. The 20-mile (32-kilometer), 10-plus-hour journey brings the highly anticipated ship one step closer to her debut in Haifa, Israel in May 2021. 

Odyssey is set to sail a mix of 3- to 7-night cruises to Greece and Cyprus for the summer before continuing her inaugural year in Fort Lauderdale, Florida to cruise the eastern, western and southern Caribbean in November 2021.

 


Odyssey OTS Sailings (Click here)

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Saying the Unspeakable in Museums

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International Museum Day

According to the International Council of Museums (ICOM), the worldwide community of museums will celebrate International Museum Day on and around 18 May 2017.

The theme chosen for 2017 is "Museums and contested histories: Saying the unspeakable in museums".  

The objective of International Museum Day is to raise awareness of the fact that, “Museums are an important means of cultural exchange, enrichment of cultures and development of mutual understanding, cooperation and peace among peoples.”

Organised on and around 18 May each year, the events and activities planned to celebrate International Museum Day can last a day, a weekend or a whole week.

See the World - Learn Through Museums

While searching our archives for subject matter for this blog post on IMD, we immediately thought about a recent business tip to Washington DC for a regional conference.

During our free time, we visited the US Holocaust Museum.   This museum definitely "says the unspeakable" through its exhibits.   This was a dark time in the history of the world and hopefully by studying this time, it will never be repeated.  Photo Album: Holocaust Museum

We encourage our guests to explore the world and learn about the history and culture of places visited.  Museums are a great source of information.   Take your children with you when you travel locally and abroad.   Expose them to the wealth of knowledge housed in museums.

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Avalon Wheel House

Wheel House Visit 

During our afternoon sail from Cologne, Germany, there was an Open House in the Wheel House of Avalon Artistry II. We were able to ask the First Captain about how the ship was operated. We had our own birds eye view of the ship's operations. Note that on the river boat, an engine room visit is not possible, but this was certainly a treat.

Additional photos can be found on our Rhine & Moselle Shutterfly page: 

Artistry II Wheel House

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What's For Dinner Avalon Artistry II Cologne

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Enjoying 

Another Great Dinner Onboard

Avalon Artistry II

Every great meal begins with tasty starters. After an enjoyable day sightseeing in Cologne and enjoying the scenery along the Rhine River, it was time for some socialization with our new friends over another special dinner in the main dining room.

Have You Ever Tried Cream of Green Apple Soup? 


We've had many tasty meals on cruises over the last 30+ years. Some of those meals are quite memorable for various reasons - the food, the company, the great wait staff. I think what I'll remember most about the Artistry II dinners and lunches will be the homemade soups. Tonight's Cream of Green Apple Soup was very refreshing.

Chef's Choice

The featured Chef's Choice was the selection we opted for. It was a Chicken Breast Stuffed with Spinach and Mozzarella Cheese. It was served in a Vegetable Sauce with Broccoli and Creamy Potatoes.

Leave Room for Dessert 

Always leave room for dessert. The Creme Brulee was always a favorite as was the Fresh Fruit Plate.

Additional photos can be found on our Rhine & Moselle Shutterfly page

 

Artistry II Dinner - Cologne

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Sailing From Cologne

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All Aboard 

Artistry II 

Sails from Cologne

Onboard lunch was served starting at 12:30 PM with final all aboard at 1 PM.  Shortly after that, the ship sailed from Cologne.

We had the usual buffet lunch in the main dining room with a selection of entrees, soups, and desserts.

Afternoon Activities - Sights Along the Rhine

The Largest Fair on the Rhine is a fair in Düsseldorf, drawing more than 4 million visitors annually. It is one of Germany’s biggest fairs. It took place the third week in July (2015 dates: July 17-26) on the left bank of the Rhine River, in the district Düsseldorf-Oberkassel. The fair features beer and food tents, amusement park rides, vendors, all of which we could see from our vantage point onboard our ship.

Shown here is Alpina Bahn, a transportable classic eight roller-coaster for families. It is possible to operate up to five trains simultaneously. The five trains consist of five cars for four people in two rows.  This was just one of the many sights seen along the Rhine River as we sailed away.

Galley Tour

Besides watching the scenery along the Rhine River, we took a peek inside the ship's kitchen where all the fantastic meals were prepared in a small space.  Go behind the scenes in our article: Avalon Artistry II Galley Tour.

Wheel House Visit

There was also an open house in the wheel house.  Here we were able to see how the ship is operated.  The First Captain was on hand to answer questions.   

It was a very enjoyable afternoon sailing along the Rhine River on our way to our next port of call in The Netherlands.

Additional photos can be found on our Rhine & Moselle Shutterfly page

 

Cologne Sail-away

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