Adventure coming to the UK

It’s Royal Caribbean’s turn to announce another cruise ship operating from the UK – Adventurer of the Seas will be based in Southampton from May next year, operating alongside Independence of the Seas, which is already in its fourth summer there.
Although Independence has been pulled from the UK for the winter season, Royal must be confident of the summer business – they’ll need to fill another 3,114 berths a week on Adventure, in addition to the 3,634 of its bigger sister.
The Voyager-class ship, which was launched in 2001, has the signature features of a shopping mall Royal Promenade, ice rink, climbing wall, and a range of restaurants from Johnny Rockets burger bar to Portofino’s fine-dining Italian-style.
Dominic Paul, Royal’s vice president and managing director for Europe, said: “The UK cruise market has long been a success story for Royal Caribbean International and doubling the number of ships sailing from Southampton is another great milestone.
“Royal Caribbean International is fiercely proud to have changed the face of UK cruising with the introduction of activity-packed ships offering rock climbing, ice skating, surfing and much more. Not only does having both Adventure of the Seas and Independence of the Seas sailing from Southampton mean we can offer a greater variety of cruise holidays from the convenience of a UK port, but it also means we continue to demonstrate our commitment to the UK market.”
Royal Caribbean first based a ship in Southampton in 2005 with the 2,435-passenger Legend of the Seas. Adventure of the Seas arrives in Southampton on May 5 2013 and will offer a series of seven, 12, 13, 14 and 16-night cruises.
Itinerary highlights include:
 
Seven-night France and Spain cruise departing Southampton and calling at Vigo, Gijon, Bilbao and Le Havre in France available from £599 (based on 24 May departure).
 
A 12-night Baltic cruise featuring destinations such as Oslo, Copenhagen, Tallinn, Helsinki and an overnight stay in St Petersburg, from £999 (based on a May 31 departure).
 
A 14-night Mediterranean Cities cruise departing July 7 and October 13, calling at Malaga, Cannes, Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, Valencia, Cartegena, Lisbon and Vigo from £1,199.
Early booking offers include savings of up to £500 per stateroom on cruises of 15 nights or more, £400 on cruises of 11-14 nights, and £200 per stateroom on all cruises between six and 10 nights.
On May 2 next year, Independence of the Seas will arrive in Southampton from a dry dock enhancement and will offer a series of new itineraries including more shorter cruises such as two-night cruises to le Havre and three night cruises to Le Havre and Zeebrugge. Independence  will also offer eight night cruises to Norway, 14-night Norway and Cork cruises, various 14-night Mediterranean cruises, and 12 night Canary Islands cruises.