Port welcome

She’s so big that she towers above Southampton’s waterfront skyline and will make her maiden voyage from the city’s port in six day’s time.
This giant cruise liner, Ovation of the Seas, is the latest ship to join the Royal Caribbean family and arrived in Southampton yesterday from the shipyard where she was built at Bremerhaven in Germany, just two days after the cruise line took delivery at an official handover ceremony in Germany.
Ovation of the Seas is the third Quantum-class ship built at Meyer Werft and together with her sister ships, Quantum of the Seas and Anthem of the Seas, features unprecedented first-at-sea experiences and amenities.
Although Southampton is her first port of call and is the departure point for her maiden voyage, she is to be based in China.  But in the six days before the maiden voyage the ship will offer a series of short getaways before she sets sail on her 52-night “Global Odyssey” culminating in the arrival to her homeport in Tianjin, China.
She will begin her first homeport sailing season in China from Tianjin in June.  Together with sister ships Quantum of the Seas, Mariner of the Seas, Voyager of the Seas and Legend of the Seas, will make up the largest fleet of any cruise line sailing in China.
But she’s gigantic with 18 decks, 1,138 ft long, 136 ft wide and having 28ft depth below water level.  She weighs in at 168,666 gross tons and can carry 4,905 passengers, with 1,500 crew.
 
An observation capsule rises more than 300 feet in the air to treat passengers to breathtaking panoramic views, and there are 18 restaurants to choose from.