Anthem of the Seas Back in Sydney With 21 Sailings as Royal Caribbean Doubles Quantum Capacity

Royal Caribbean has deployed Anthem of the Seas for a second Sydney season, putting 21 itineraries on sale across the South Pacific and New Zealand this summer. The move, paired with 28 sailings from Brisbane on sister ship Quantum of the Seas, effectively doubles the line's Quantum-class presence in Australia — a capacity bet on a local family market the line only entered with this ship last year.

The 2015-built Anthem debuted in Australia in 2023 with a series of two- to 18-night cruises. This season narrows the range: itineraries now run three to nine nights, plus extended 12-night New Zealand sailings. For agents, that concentration on shorter, higher-frequency product matters — shorter sailings typically mean more turnover, more embarkation-port hotel nights and more repeat booking cycles per ship per year.

Gavin Smith, vice president and managing director for Australia and New Zealand, framed the return as momentum. "Following an incredible debut Down Under, we're excited to bring back the award-winning Anthem of the Seas to Sydney for our most action-packed summer yet," he said. "With a variety of short weekenders and South Pacific holidays plus New Zealand adventures, families can holiday in their own way, all with the ease of only having to unpack once."

Note what's absent: no passenger numbers, no load factors, no booking trends from the debut season. "Incredible" is a marketing adjective, not a data point, and Royal Caribbean hasn't published figures that would let sellers gauge actual demand.

What's actually on the calendar?

The season breaks into three blocks, each targeting a different buyer:

• East Coast Australia: five getaways of three to eight nights calling at Hobart, Queensland and Tasmania — the short-break volume play.
• South Pacific: seven- to nine-night escapes to Nouméa in New Caledonia, plus Port Vila and Mystery Island in Vanuatu.
• New Zealand: nine- to 12-night cruises calling at Picton, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin, with scenic cruising in the fjords of Milford Sound.

In plain words: the product ladder runs from weekend sampler to two-week destination cruise, all round-trip from a home port.

What changes with two Quantum-class ships?

The bigger structural shift sits in Brisbane. Royal Caribbean said it will "double down" on Quantum-class this summer, with Quantum of the Seas sailing 28 itineraries of three to nine nights along the Queensland coast and into the South Pacific. Two ships, 49 combined itineraries, and a spread across three home-port regions — Sydney, Brisbane and the Queensland coast — that widens distribution beyond the traditional Sydney funnel.

That dual-port setup gives Australian agents more embarkation choices to sell, and it puts Royal Caribbean's newest-tonnage halo in two states at once. It also raises the stakes: 49 itineraries is a lot of inventory for one summer, and the line hasn't disclosed pricing strategy or expected occupancy to support it.

The Wiggles return

One niche but commercially tested element comes back on both ships: Royal Caribbean's Wiggly-themed family holidays. Young guests can meet The Wiggly Friends characters on both Anthem and Quantum — branded children's IP that differentiates the product against competitors' kids' clubs and can drive family repeat bookings.

Royal Caribbean is betting that doubling Quantum-class capacity, layering in kids' IP, and clustering short itineraries will sustain the debut season's momentum — the market will test that with bookings over the coming months.