On the cusp of delivering the first in a new generation of technologically advanced cruise ships Royal Caribbean International marked an important milestone today as the first piece of steel was cut marking the official construction start on the third Quantum class ship.
The steel cutting for Ovation of the Seas, scheduled to be delivered in the autumn of 2016, took place at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany, where Quantum of the Seas, Anthem of the Seas and now Ovation of the Seas are being built.
The groundbreaking Quantum class ships will debut new unprecedented features, such as dancing Roboscreens in the unique Two70 entertainment venue; robotic bartenders in Bionic Bar; RipCord by iFLY, the first skydiving experience at sea; the North Star, an engineering marvel that transports guests more than 300 feet above the ocean; transformative venues, such as Sea-Plex, the largest indoor sports and entertainment complex at sea with bumper cars, roller skating and more; and the cruise line’s largest and most advanced staterooms ever, including the industry’s first-ever Virtual Balcony staterooms, which offer expansive, real-time views of the ocean and exciting destinations for interior staterooms.
The Quantum class will debut in autumn 2014 with Quantum of the Seas sailing from New York followed by her sister-ship Anthem of the Seas in spring 2015 sailing from Southampton in the UK. Quantum ships span 16 decks, encompass 167,800 gross registered tonnes, carry 4,180 guests at double occupancy and feature 2,090 staterooms.
Info courtesy of Royal Caribbean International
CruiseMiss.com 
Scoop for CruiseMiss readers, as reported almost a year ago in The Cruise Examiner:
Meanwhile, over at Royal Caribbean International, four names have been held aside for new ships. Royal Caribbean is building a third Oasis class ship at STX France (delivery June 2016) and also has under construction at Meyer Werft in Germany three ships of the Quantum class, whose first two names have been assigned as Quantum of the Seas (delivery late 2014) and Anthem of the Seas (delivery March 2015). The third is to be delivered in May 2016.
Which of the new Oasis class and Quantum class ships will get these names we don’t know, but they are Ovation of the Seas, Passion of the Seas, Pulse of the Seas and Vantage of the Seas. We can’t say that we particularly like Pulse of the Seas – will Bean of the Seas be next?
Comment: These are actually not bad looking ships, maybe even the best and most proportionate ever produced by Royal Caribbean Internationa.