Royal Caribbean Takes Delivery of Independence of the Seas

Royal Caribbean International took delivery of its newest ship -the 160,000-ton, 3,634-passenger Independence of the Seas -on Thursday during a ceremony at Aker Yards in Turku, Finland. Independence of the Seas, the third of the line’s Freedom class of ships, will be the largest cruise ship ever to be homeported in Europe.

The vessel will operate from Southampton, U.K., during its inaugural season. Independence shares the title of world’s largest cruise ship with sister ships Freedom of the Seas and Liberty of the Seas, which launched in the U.S. in the past two years and now offer Caribbean cruises from Miami.

Following a series of preview sailings from Oslo, Norway, and Southampton, Independence will embark on its maiden voyage on May 2. Through the summer, it will sail 14-night “Mediterranean Treasures” and “Italian Mediterranean” itineraries.

Ports of call include Gibraltar, Barcelona, Malaga, Vigo and Seville, Spain; Nice and Cannes, France; Florence/Pisa and Sardinia, Italy; and Lisbon, Portugal. The ship will operate two four-night getaways from Southampton to Cork, Ireland, and St. Peter Port, Channel Islands.

Three 11-night Canary Islands itineraries, also roundtrip from Southampton, will close the fall season, calling on Madeira, Portugal; Tenerife, Las Palmas and Lanzarote, Canary Islands; and Vigo, Spain. Independence then heads to the U.S. to begin a series of Eastern and Western Caribbean sailings from Fort Lauderdale starting in November.

Independence of the Seas will feature the trademarks of the Freedom-class ships, including the FlowRider surf simulator, the H20 Zone water park, cantilevered whirlpools suspended 112 feet above the ocean in the adults-only Solarium, a full-size boxing ring, and a 14-person family suite. Unlike its sister ships, all pools and the water park on Independence will be heated.