Royal Caribbean choose the impressive 29th floor of London’s Heron Tower to announce that the cruise line’s newest ship, Anthem of the Seas, will be based at Southampton after she is launched in 2015. To the sound of the Royal Philharmonic orchestra playing U2’s ‘Beautiful Day’, the trade and media were given a musical introduction to the new ship.
Being based in Southampton will make it easy for Irish passengers to cruise on a wide range of itineraries. Fares will be announced in early 2014 and will be available for sale then.
Britain is a nation of happiness and inspiration seekers when it comes to music with a whopping nine out of ten people (95%) boldly claiming that tunes have the power to evoke happy memories. Music’s ability to rouse and move also scored similarly highly with 93% of people regarding their favourite song as inspiring.
The research coincides with the announcement that the new ship, Anthem of the Seas, will become the most entertainment-dedicated and technologically advanced cruise ship ever to be based in the UK when it launches in spring 2015.
As part of the research, music industry expert, author and DJ, Stuart Maconie, selected five anthems – recently popular and traditional – and asked the nation to choose the song that makes them the happiest. The top three tunes – U2’s ‘Beautiful Day’ with 36% of the vote; the Beatles’ ‘Hey Jude’ with 28% of the vote; and Hubert Parry’s ‘Jerusalem’ with 22% – reflect the diversity of tunes that reach anthem status.
Pleased to be able to read your fab account of the ‘big secret’ event in London as I was unable to make it. Enjoyed reading everything else on this page too! Mary Johnston.