Royal Caribbean International took a major step this week in the development of the cruise line’s next generation of cruise ships when the first piece of steel was cut for the first of two Project Sunshine ships.

The steel cutting took place at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany, where the two ships will be built.

To celebrate the milestone, Royal Caribbean announced the names of the two new ships – Quantum of the Seas, set to debut in fall 2014, and Anthem of the Seas, which will follow in spring 2015. They will be part of the Quantum class of ships and will build upon Royal Caribbean’s legacy of revolutionary ship design and bold innovation.

“We are extremely excited to celebrate this important milestone for our first Project Sunshine ship. After three years of design and advance planning this is the first step of the construction of the ship and I look forward to seeing it all come together in the coming months,” said Adam Goldstein, President and CEO, Royal Caribbean International. “The new ship will be such a leap forward in terms of vessel design and guest experiences that we thought the name Quantum of the Seas was perfectly appropriate.”

Royal Caribbean International’s legacy is built on introducing ‘at sea firsts’ such as rock-climbing walls, ice-skating rinks, surf simulators, zip lines and even a tropical park with over 12,000 live plants.

The Quantum class of ships will continue to build on this legacy with unprecedented experiences and amenities. They will once again deliver on Royal Caribbean’s tradition of designing for ‘WOW’.

“Throughout our history we have made huge strides in cruise ship design and innovation and the Quantum class will be no exception,” said Richard D. Fain, Chairman and CEO, Royal Caribbean Cruises, Ltd. “We look forward to introducing consumers to Quantum cruising.”