348m-long cruise ship anchors

The inaugural visit to Dubai of Ovation of the Seas – a 348-metre long cruise ship – stopped in Dubai over the weekend at Dubai Cruise Terminal 3, on its way from Barcelona to Singapore. 

The MS Ovation of the Seas harboured in Dubai on Thursday and was met by enthusiastic onlookers who admired the vessel while on its maiden voyage: the Global Odyssey cruise, according to a statement from Dubai's Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism). 

The ship was launched in mid-April 2016 and is currently en route from Europe to the Asia Pacific region via Dubai and Singapore, before reaching its final destination at Beijing. 

The ship was launched in mid-April 2016 and is currently en route from Europe to the Asia Pacific region via Dubai and Singapore, before reaching its final destination at Beijing. 

The vessel is Royal Caribbean International's (RCI) third Quantum-class ship, and with a gross tonnage of 168,666, is RCI's second largest class of passenger ships. 

Jamal Humaid Al Falasi, Director of Dubai Cruise Tourism, Dubai Tourism, said: "We are delighted to welcome Ovation of the Seas and its dedicated crew and guests to our fascinating city, and are honoured to be its first port of call in the region with an overnight stay and major passenger turnaround.” 

He added: "We remain on track to hit our target of 500,000 cruise tourists in the 2015-16 season, and thanks to the numerous cruise lines that home port and call in Dubai, we look forward to welcoming even more cruise tourists to our ports over the next few years.” 

Ovation of the Seas follows Royal Caribbean International's launch of sister ships Quantum of the Seas in 2014, which called in Dubai in May 2015, and Anthem of the Seas last year. 

With various major cruise lines operating in the emirate, Dubai Tourism revealed that as many as 455,616 cruise tourists arrived in the city over the 2014-2015 season. 

Mohamed Saeed, General Manager Royal Caribbean Arabia, said: "As the midway point of the ship's Barcelona-to-Singapore sailing, Dubai is an important destination that is both rich in culture and well equipped to cater to Royal Caribbean's diverse guests.” 

Source: Gulf News