Starboard Cruise Services will delivered its ‘adventurous’ retail approach to transatlantic passengers onboard Royal Caribbean’s Symphony of the Seas as the vessel makes its US debut.

The ship made its maiden voyage in April out of Barcelona and following a European itinerary crossed to Miami this month, where it now resides at Royal Caribbean’s state-of-the-art Terminal A at Port Miami.

Symphony will begin year-round seven night Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries departing Miami from 17 November.

Measuring 1,188 feet in length and 215.5 feet in width, it has 18 decks and a total guest capacity of 6,680.

Seven ‘neighbourhoods’ include Central park, Boardwalk, Royal Promenade, Pool and Sports Zone, Vitality and Spa Fitness Centre, Entertainment Place and Youth Zone.

‘EXPLORATION, DISCOVERY, FUN’

In an interview with TRBusiness available in the October issue, Starboard Cruise Services CEO Beth Neumann said: “They (RCL) are an incredibly innovative cruise line; every ship they bring out has something new, plus there are a tremendous amount of events on their ships.

“We knew we needed to deliver a new level of shopping that gives the guests a sense of exploration, discovery and fun. The best proof for me is how the guests are reacting, which is critical, but Royal Caribbean employees have reacted and our own people are [also] enjoying themselves to a new level.When you talk about delivering change, the key to it is the people that are interacting with consumers.

“A couple of fun examples are a truth or dare game in our beauty environment where you pick a card and it’s either going to be a beauty truth – something you didn’t know or new to try such as the latest skincare trends – or a dare, like a new way to shape your eyebrows.

“We also do a race the clock trivia contest where people get into teams and have 60 seconds to answer trivia about Swiss timepieces. We bring together fun events to connect like-minded people who really want to know more and be taught.”

An official naming ceremony for Symphony of the Seas takes place today (15 November)

In addition to its inaugural Caribbean sailings it will add trips to the cruise line’s private island in The Bahamas, Perfect Day at Cococay in May 2019.

Images courtesy of Royal Caribbean International.

Click here to subscribe to TRBusiness and read the full interview with Starboard CEO Beth Neumann in the October print edition.