Royal Caribbean International

Miami, Florida: Royal Caribbean International (RCI) is one of the world’s most popular cruise line. Featuring over twenty ships sailing to destinations on six continents, its easy to see why Royal Caribbean is the choice for cruisers from all over the world.

Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines was formed in 1968 when three Norwegian shipping companies merged together to form a cruise line. Anders Wilhelmsen & Company, IM Skauge & Company and Gotaas Lardsen were the controlling companies that founded RCI. They commissioned their first ship in 1970, Song of Norway. During the next few years, they added two more ships to the fleet, Nordic Princess and Sun Viking.

As the popularity of the cruise line grew, so did the ships. In 1978, the Song of Norway was stretched to accommodate more guests. Then in 1980 Nordic Princess followed and passenger capacity was increased a couple hundred guests for each ship. RCI added a new ship to its fleet in 1982 with the Song of America, which at the time was the third largest passenger vessel.

In 1986, the company purchased land along the northern coast and Hispaniola to operate their own private resort. Labadee, Haiti became a private stop on the itinerary of the Caribbean cruises.

By the end of the 1980’s the corporate side of RCI continued to grow and in 1988 they entered into joint ownership with the Pritzker family, owner of the Hyatt hotel chain. This helped the cruise line improved the accommodations and service of the guests aboard the ships.

The first ship in the Sovereign Class was unveiled in 1988. Sovereign of the Seas made her first voyage in January of 1988 as the largest cruise ship ion the world.

The fleet of ships continued to grow in the early 1990’s. The Sun Viking entered the fleet in 1990 and offered European cruising. Then the Viking Serenade began offering West Coast cruises in 1991. RCI also added another private island to their itinerary with the purchase of Little Stirrup Cay in the Bahamas. The island was renamed Coco Cay and became a stop on the Caribbean itinerary.

Two more ships were added to the Sovereign class with the releases of the Monarch of the Seas and Majesty of the Seas. At the same time two of the Admiral ships were sold to other cruise lines.

Royal Caribbean corporate side continued to grow also. In 1993 the brand went public and began being traded on the New York Stock Exchange. The following year they opened a new corporate headquarters at the Port of Miami.

1994 also saw a new class of ship introduced, the Vision Class. The first ship of the class, Legend of the Seas replaced the Nordic Prince. Two more Vision ships followed the following years with the Splendour of the Seas and Grandeur of the Seas. Splendour offered an European itinerary to the fleet. Two more Vision class ships were added in 1997 with the introduction of Rhapsody of the Seas and Enchantment of the Seas. At the same time, RCI also retired their oldest ship Song of Norway. The last of the older ships were retired in 1998 prior to the release of Vision of the Seas.

The late 1990’s saw RCI raise the bar again with the addition of the world’s largest cruise ship, the Voyager of the Seas. Sister ships Explorer of the Seas and Adventure of the Seas were soon to follow.

The Radiance Class was unveiled in 2001 with the Radiance of the Seas. The Radiance class was slightly smaller than the Voyager class but featured more glass making its entrance into the Alaskan waters more enjoyable.

The following few years saw new ships added to both the Voyager and Radiance classes. Navigator of the Seas and Mariner of the Seas were added to the Voyager class. Serenade of the Seas, Brilliance of the Seas and Jewel of the Seas were added to the Radiance class.

It didn’t take long for RCI to raise the bar again, once again taking the top spot for largest passenger ship. In 2006 the Freedom of the Seas set sail as the largest passenger vessel in the would. Two sister ships, Liberty of the Seas and Independence of the Seas would follow in the next two years.

But the race to be the biggest and most entertaining ship on the water didn’t stop there. RCI introduced the Oasis class, almost double the size of the Freedom class. The Oasis of the Seas set sail on its maiden voyage in December of 2009. A sister ship Allure of the Seas is currently under construction and is expected to set sail in 2010.

Currently Royal Caribbean has six classes of ships with 21 ships in service and one on the way. All of the ships feature a rock climbing wall, swimming pools and world class food venues, casino, and fitness center. As the ships continued to grow, so did the amenities. Some ships include a miniature golf course, basketball court, ice skating rinks, Flow Rider surf pool, Solarium. The newest ships in the Oasis class feature the most amenities adding a boardwalk with carousel and zip cord, central park, rising bar and many more features.

Royal Caribbean has become the world wide leader in cruising. With 251 ports in 76 countries and the amenities on board each ship, its easy to see how they continue to attract customers from around the world.

For photos from the cruise ships, visit my Royal Caribbean International photo page.