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ROYAL CARIBBEAN MARKS CONSTRUCTION MILESTONE FOR ODYSSEY OF THE SEAS

Global Cruise Line Celebrates the Ship’s Keel Laying

MIAMI, May 3, 2019* – Excitement was in the air at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany, today, as Royal Caribbean International marked an important milestone in the development of Odyssey of the Seas. Scheduled to be delivered in April 2021, Odyssey received its first block as the keel was officially lowered and put into place.

The keel laying marks an important milestone in the development of Odyssey of the Seas, as it signifies the beginning of the ship’s physical construction. During the ceremony, a 79-ton block was lifted into the building dock with an 800-ton crane. Newly minted coins were placed under the keel, which then stays in place until the end of construction. Once the ship is nearing completion, the coins are retrieved and presented to the ship’s Captain and crew, to be placed on board the ship. According to maritime tradition, the coins are said to bring luck to the ship during its construction and then to its Captain and crew when she is at sea.

Odyssey of the Seas’ deployment and itineraries will be revealed later this year.

About Royal Caribbean International
Royal Caribbean International has been delivering innovation at sea for more than 50 years. Each successive class of ships is an architectural marvel featuring the latest technology and guest experiences for today’s adventurous traveler. The cruise line continues to revolutionize vacations with itineraries to more than 270 destinations in 73 countries on six continents, including Royal Caribbean’s highly anticipated private island in The Bahamas, Perfect Day at CocoCay, the first in the Perfect Day Island Collection. Royal Caribbean has also been voted “Best Cruise Line Overall” for 16 consecutive years in the Travel Weekly Readers’ Choice Awards.

Media can stay up-to-date by following @RoyalCaribPR on Twitter, and visiting RoyalCaribbeanPressCenter.com. For additional information or to make reservations, vacationers can call their travel advisor; visit RoyalCaribbean.com; or call (800) ROYAL-CARIBBEAN.

*June 2020 Update: The original press release noted Odyssey of the Seas would set sail in 2020. The impact of worldwide port and shipyard closures have created delays in the construction schedule and delivery of Odyssey. Based on adjusted plans and timelines created in partnership with Meyer Werft shipyard in Germany, delivery of Royal Caribbean’s newest ship is now scheduled for April 2021. Odyssey will spend her inaugural season sailing Eastern Mediterranean cruises from Rome, before arriving to the U.S. in November 2021. Originally, the ship was to debut in November 2020.

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May 2019 – Excitement was in the air at Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany, today, as Royal Caribbean International marked an important milestone in the development of Odyssey of the Seas. Scheduled to debut in April 2021, Odyssey received its first block as the keel was officially lowered and put into place. *Updated June 2020

May 2019 – Excitement was in the air at Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany, today, as Royal Caribbean International marked an important milestone in the development of Odyssey of the Seas. Scheduled to debut in April 2021, Odyssey received its first block as the keel was officially lowered and put into place.

*Updated June 2020

Royal Caribbean International is applying the recommendations of its Healthy Sail Panel of public health and scientific experts to provide a safer and healthier cruise vacation on all of its sailings. Health and safety protocols, regional travel restrictions and clearance to visit ports of call, are subject to change based on ongoing evaluation, public health standards, and government requirements. For more information on the latest health and travel alerts, U.S. government travel advisories, please visit https://www.royalcaribbean.com/cruise-ships/itinerary-updates or consult travel advisories, warnings or recommendations relating to cruise travel on applicable government websites.
NOTICE: For U.S. cruises and guests: Prior to booking, please consult all applicable U.S. Centers for Disease Control travel advisories, warnings, or recommendations relating to cruise travel, available at www.cdc.gov/travel/notices. If a certain threshold level of COVID-19 is detected onboard your cruise ship during your voyage, your voyage will be ended immediately and the ship will return to the port of embarkation, and your subsequent travel, including your return home, may be restricted or delayed. For cruises and guests worldwide: Health and safety protocols, guest conduct rules, as well as regional travel restrictions and clearance to visit ports of call, are subject to change without notice based on ongoing evaluation, public health standards, and government requirements. Onboard and destination experiences, features, itineraries and guest conduct rules vary by ship and destination and are subject to change without notice.