An Inside Look at the New Most Insane Cruise Ship to Hit the Seas

If Royal Caribbean couldn’t hook you with a skydiving simulator, 300-foot-high observation pod, or bumper cars aboard the new ship Quantum of the Seas, they have an ace in the hole: a giant magenta polar bear.

The super cruise liner, which floated out of dry dock recently in Germany, will leave Southampton, England, November 2, for Cape Liberty, New Jersey. From there, it will take its maiden voyage of the Bahamas on November 23, with staterooms starting at $1,699 for the eight-night trip.

Quantum of the Seas’ numbers are prodigious: 167,800 tons, 2,090 cabins, 18 restaurants, a 450-seat entertainment venue with 270-degree panoramic sea views, and plenty more.

There will be a couple of cruise-ship firsts: a flexible observation capsule named North Star with views high atop the ship, and Ripcord, the skydiving simulator. There will also be a full-length production of the Broadway hit “Mamma Mia!”

And of course, the bear. The 30-foot, 8-ton steel sculpture, created by Lawrence Argent, will be displayed from the top deck as part of a 2,980-piece art collection.

Pictures do the ship justice better than words, so check out our slideshow for some of the over-the-top features aboard Quantum of the Seas. And prepare for more: its sister ship, Anthem of the Seas, debuts in April 2015.