Royal Caribbean unveils Quantum of the Seas itineraries

Royal Caribbean's newest ship, the long-awaited Quantum of the Seas, will open for booking May 28 for Crown & Anchor Society loyalty program members, and to the general public on June 4, the line announced.

The 4,180-passenger ship will sail from Cape Liberty Cruise Port in Bayonne, N.J. After its inaugural voyage on Nov. 23, 2014, it will offer seven- and eight-night Bahamas, eight- to 11-night Eastern Caribbean, and 11- and 12-night Southern Caribbean itineraries.

On the Bahamas cruises, the ship will call at Port Canaveral, Fla., Nassau and CocoCay, Royal Caribbean's private island in the Bahamas. The Eastern Caribbean cruises will include San Juan, Puerto Rico; Samana, Dominican Republic; St. Thomas; St. Kitts; and St. Maarten. The Southern Caribbean cruises will call at San Juan, St. Maarten, Martinique, Barbados and St. Kitts. On most sailings, the ship also will visit Labadee, Royal Caribbean's private beach on the north coast of Haiti.

Quantum of the Seas will offer several cruise ship "firsts," such as a skydiving experience; a giant mechanical arm that transports passengers high above the vessel in a glass capsule; the largest indoor sports and entertainment complex at sea with bumper cars, roller skating and a circus school with flying trapeze; a full-size basketball court, and more. Other innovations include virtual balconies for interior cabins, building on a concept developed by Disney Cruise Line.

A similar ship, Anthem of the Seas, will debut in spring 2015.

Cabins on Quantum of the Seas will be about 9% larger, on average, than cabins on Royal Caribbean's last class of vessels. The ship also will have the largest variety of cabins in the line's fleet, including 28 studio cabins for singles. Twelve of the studio cabins will be exterior cabins with balconies, a rarity in the industry. The rest will be interior cabins.

The vessel also will cater to multi-generational families with cabins of differing layouts that connect to form up to 16 large "Family-Connected" complexes.

At 167,800 gross registered tons, Quantum of the Seas and Anthem of the Seas will be smaller than Royal Caribbean's record-breaking, 225,000-ton Oasis Class vessels but still among the biggest cruise ships afloat. Ordered in early 2011 and early 2012, respectively, the ships are under construction at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany.

This item was written by Larry Bleiberg, former travel editor of The Dallas Morning News and Coastal Living magazine. Bleiberg is serving as Guest Editor of The Cruise Log while USA TODAY Cruise Editor Gene Sloan is away.