Anthem of the Seas is the second of two 158,000-ton, 4,100-passenger next generation Royal Caribbean cruise ships. Anthem will delivered in spring 2015 after sister ship, Quantum of the Seas, launched fall 2014. The ships, which were initially announced under the code name "Project Sunshine," will be built by German ship-building powerhouse, Meyer Werft.
Details are scant on the pair; the line has said only that the vessels will "incorporate new and exciting features that take advantage of the best of Royal Caribbean's experience and imagination."
What those new and exciting features are at this point is a matter of speculation. But that's not stopping us from asking you to
speculate here.
What we do know is that Anthem and Quantum represent a significant reduction in size compared with Royal Caribbean's Oasis-class ships, which measure 225,282 tons and carry 5,400 passengers at double occupancy. The new-builds are similar in tonnage to RCI's 154,407-ton Freedom-class trio, but will carry some 500 more passengers based on double occupancy.
The estimated all-in cost per berth for both ships is approximately €170,000 ($228,000), which amounts to €697 million ($936 million) per ship. According to Robin Farley, an analyst for UBS, the 5,400-berth Oasis of the Seas and Allure of Seas were purchased at a cost of $240,000 per berth ($1.3 billion total) and $265,000 ($1.43 billion), respectively.
Editor's Note: The above image, courtesy of Royal Caribbean, is of the "steal cutting" ceremony for Anthem's sister ship, Quantum of the Seas.
