Harmony Christened In Fort Lauderdale
by Daniel McCarthy /View of the Zipline, Ultimate Abyss and boardwalk.
After making its European debut earlier this year, Royal Caribbean’s mammoth Harmony of the Seas is setting up for its first North American season after a christening and naming ceremony at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale yesterday.
The ship’s godmother, Teach for America educator Brittany Affolter, was on hand to do the honors, pushing a button that sent a huge bottle of champagne down the ship’s zip line, cracking above Harmony’s Central Park.
The 23-year-old Affolter was chosen through an open call for submissions for a “Hometown Hero in Education.” Affolter, who works with low-income students in Miami-Dade and trains teachers, was picked from more than 1,000 submissions.
At the ceremony, chairman and CEO Richard Fain praised her as someone who “pours her all into transforming the lives of children.”
Fain also applauded Royal Caribbean’s decision to build a ship that is 20% more energy-efficient than its Oasis-class sister ships.
Among Harmony’s other innovations is the 10-story Ultimate Abyss, the tallest slide at sea, a bionic bar with robot bartenders, an outdoor Central Park, two rock-climbing walls, a zip line, a skating rink and the first two-story Wonderland restaurant.
Harmony also features a DreamWorks Experience and more family options including character—Po from “Kung Fu Panda,” Shrek and Puss in Boots from “Shrek” and the Penguins from “Madagascar”—meet and greets onboard.
The ship will now sail seven-night Caribbean itineraries out of Port Everglades.