Royal Caribbean International has welcomed its spectacular new cruise ship, Anthem of the Seas, to Southampton in the UK – its home port for the summer season.

At 1,141 yards long, 136 feet wide, with 18 decks, and a guest capacity of 4,905, it is a spectacular sight as it sails up the Solent and docks at Southampton port.

There to greet it is the ship’s future Godmother, Emma Wilby.

Not the traditional celebrity Godmother, Emma was chosen for the honour after a months-long nationwide competition to find a young, talented star from within the travel industry.

Anthem of the Seas is the most technologically advanced cruise ship to be home-ported in the UK and is hard proof of Royal Caribbean International’s commitment to push the boundaries of the holiday experience.

Anthem of the Seas is the second of Royal Caribbean International’s Quantum-class ships, and offers many ‘firsts at sea’ such as robotic bartenders, a virtual sky diving experience, on-board circus skills training, innovative entertainment spaces and the largest indoor sports and entertainment complex at sea, SeaPlex.

Stuart Leven, managing director at Royal Caribbean International commented: “Anthem of the Seas is designed to deliver what today’s holidaymakers want – new kinds of experiences and adventures, whether you’re travelling alone or as a family.

“Ships like Anthem of the Seas will help attract new groups of people and build the future of cruising.

“The UK and Ireland is our second largest market and with over 1.7 million Brits now taking a cruise every year it has huge importance for our business.

“So we’re over the moon that our latest Quantum-class ship is arriving today for the summer season.”

More than 80,000 people are anticipated to travel on the ship during the summer season, delivering around £50 million to the Southampton economy and surrounding area and creating jobs through direct and indirect employment.

Please see below for a selection of images as Anthem of the Seas arrives in Southampton: