In a weekend of shipboard celebrations, Royal Caribbean International christened the newest ship, the Odyssey of the Seas, in Port Everglades, Fort Lauderdale.
During the naming ceremony on Saturday 13NOV, cancer survivor and Paralympic athlete Erin Brown became the first Bahamian godmother of a Royal Caribbean ship. She joined Royal Caribbean Group Chairman and CEO Richard Fain, and Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley on the stage for the blessing and the traditional champagne bottle smash.
The christening was symbolic on a number of levels.
As Royal Caribbean noted, The Bahamas was where the cruise line marked its restart of operations in the Americas earlier this year, after 15 months without sailing. The company’s cruises have been calling in The Bahamas for over half a century. And it’s the location of Royal Caribbean’s biggest destination attraction, its private island Perfect Day at CocoCay.
Emotions Running High
But perhaps the biggest outpouring of emotion came for Richard Fain, who, following the christening of the Celebrity Apex a week earlier, had announced he was stepping down from his position as Group CEO in the New Year. At a session for travel advisors, following his introduction by SVP Sales Vicki Freed, Fain received a spontaneous, hearty - and lengthy - standing ovation from the advisors present.
North American First
The Odyssey is the first of Royal Caribbean’s Quantum Ultra Class ships to homeport in North America.
From now through the winter season, Odyssey is sailing 6- and 8-night itineraries to the eastern, western, and southern Caribbean, as well as Perfect Day at CocoCay. In APR, the ship repositions to its summer homeport in Rome for Mediterranean sailings.
Cruises on Odyssey are open for booking; more information is available here.
More on Odyssey
Open Jaw’s Ian Smyth was at the Odyssey’s christening. Don't miss his on camera interviews with RCI Director of Sales, Canada, Lisa Connell, Vanessa Lee of Cruise Strategies, Caroline Hay of Cruise CEO, and Royal Caribbean Group’s outgoing CEO, Richard Fain, at his final christening ceremony.
