Royal Caribbean’s newest cruise ship Anthem of the Seas was christened in a spectacular ceremony in Southampton, U.K. last Monday. 1,950 VIP guests, travel agents and journalists attended the long-awaited event.

Emma Wilby, a 27-year-old travel agent from Sunderland, U.K., officially named Royal Caribbean International’s newest mega-ship with the words: “I name this ship Anthem of the Seas. May God bless her and all who sail on her,” then pushed the button to release a huge bottle of Perrier Jouet champagne which smashed on the ship’s top deck. The naming took place in the ship’s Royal Theater and it was shown on a huge video screen in the ship’s Royal Theater and streamers popped out onto thousands of guests.

Wilby works as an agent at Thomson Holidays and she was picked from a large group of travel agents who applied for the honor. Emma Wilby is a military wife and a singer who performs in the Military Wives Choir  in Kinloss, Scotland. Wilby performed onstage Katy Perry’s Firework with Britain’s Got Talent finalists Only Boys Aloud.

The 4,200-passenger Anthem of the Seas is the second ship in Royal’s Quantum class and offers its guests technologically advanced amenities such as the unique Two70 entertainment venue; the North Star, a jewel-shaped glass capsule that rises 300 feet above sea level and offers breathtaking views of the ocean; a skydiving simulator, sports complex with bumper cars, staterooms featuring virtual balconies with real-time ocean views.

The Anthem will be based in Southampton for the summer sailing on various European itineraries. The ship leaves on October 27 for an eight-night transatlantic crossing to its permanent home port of Cape Liberty, New Jersey. The Anthem will spend the winter cruising to the Bahamas and the Caribbean from Bayonne.