Royal Caribbean International

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Founded: 1969
NAIC: 483112 Deep Sea Passenger Transportation

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. is the world's second largest cruise company (behind top-ranking Carnival Corporation), with 29 cruise ships and a total of 60,590 passenger berths as of August 2005. Founded in 1969, the company has been instrumental in changing the cruise industry from a trans-ocean carrier service into a vacation option in and of itself. Royal Caribbean offers a variety of different itineraries and its ships call at more than 160 destinations in the Caribbean, Bahamas, Mexico, Alaska, Europe, Bermuda, Panama Canal, Hawaii, New England, and Canada. The company, a Liberian corporation, operates under two separate brands, Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises. Although the company operates globally in terms of its itineraries and destinations, nearly 85 percent of its passengers are from North America. After pleading guilty to charges of illegal dumping and obstruction of justice in the late 1990s, Royal Caribbean has pledged to clean up its act. In 2004, the company began installing Advanced Wastewater Purification systems on its fleet.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. can trace its history to the beginning of today's passenger cruise industry. When three major Norwegian shipping companies founded the Royal Caribbean Cruise Line in 1969, a cruise was an around-the-world or trans-ocean voyage on a large passenger liner, and was something only the wealthy could afford. According to Cruise Lines International Association, an industry trade group, an estimated half a million passengers took cruises of three nights or more in 1970, the year Royal Caribbean began offering cruises.

The company built and operated three ships during the 1970s, offering cruises throughout the Caribbean. In fact, Royal Caribbean was the first line to design ships specifically for warm water year-round cruising. Prior to this, a cruise line company would use its passenger liners for cruises in the Caribbean in the months they were not transporting people across the Atlantic or Pacific.

Royal Caribbean's first vessel, the 700-passenger Song of Norway, began service in November 1970, and introduced glass-walled dining rooms, expansive sun decks located in the middle of the ship, and the company's signature Viking Crown Lounge projecting out from the ship's funnel, high above the sea. Edwin Stephan, one of the company's founders and Royal Caribbean's president at the time, got the idea for the lounge from the revolving restaurant atop the Space Needle at the 1962 World's Fair in Seattle. He anticipated that not only would passengers have a terrific view from this cocktail and observation lounge, but its design would set the vessel apart from other ships and make Royal Caribbean vessels instantly recognizable.

In 1971, the Nordic Prince entered service in the Caribbean and the company began offering passengers air/sea vacations, with the airfare to Miami included in the price of the cruise. The following year, with the introduction of the Sun Viking, Royal Caribbean became the biggest cruise line in the Caribbean with weekly departures from Miami on seven- and 14-day vacations.

For the remainder of the decade, Royal Caribbean focused on establishing its name brand. To do this, it concentrated on ensuring a consistent high quality for all its cruises and on generating and meeting demand. In 1973 it opened a marketing office in London and, in 1978, took the unprecedented step of cutting the Song of Norway in two and adding an 85-foot midsection, increasing the passenger capacity to 1,000. This was the first cruise ship to be lengthened in this way. In 1980, the same thing was done to the Nordic Prince. As Royal Caribbean entered the 1980s, the three ships in its fleet ranged in size from 18,445 to 23,149 tons, with berths for 714 to 1,012 passengers.

The Song of America debuted in 1982. Weighing 37,584 tons and with 1,402 berths, it was the largest cruise ship built in 20 years. The new ship enabled Royal Caribbean to expand its itineraries, and in 1985 it moved outside the Caribbean for the first time, offering summer cruises to Bermuda from New York City.

The cruise industry grew as the target population--middle- and upper-income people--grew older and richer, quadrupling in the 15 years Royal Caribbean had been on the seas. In 1985, more than two million passengers took cruises marketed in North America, according to a Forbes article, with nearly two-thirds of them heading for the Caribbean. Projections were that the demand would only increase.

Cruise companies began a building spree in anticipation of the demand, taking advantage of low interest rates and shipyards eager for the business. Royal Caribbean initiated its first major capital expansion program, expanding Viking Serenade by 536 berths and building four new ships in four years. The new ships developed the "megaship" concept and introduced resort-style cruising. The first of the new vessels, the 874-foot Sovereign of the Seas, entered service in 1988. It weighed more than 73,000 tons, had berths for 2,276 passengers, and featured two indoor/outdoor cafes, two glass elevators, a five-story atrium, and nearly three football fields of open deck on which passengers could stroll.

In April 1988, Richard Fain was named chairman and CEO of the company. Two months later, Royal Caribbean and Admiral Cruises, a passenger cruise service that had operated for almost 100 years, combined their operations, although each kept their separate brand identity. Later that year the company underwent a fundamental ownership change. First, one of the original founding companies, Anders Wilhelmsen & Co., became the sole owner by buying out the other two partner companies. Then Wilhelmsen entered into a joint agreement with the Pritzker family (owners of Hyatt Hotels Corp. and other holdings) and the Ofer family, owners of a large shipping company. The result, once the process was completed in 1992, was that A. Wilhelmsen A/S, a Norwegian corporation, and Cruise Associates, a Bahamian general partnership, became the principal owners of Royal Caribbean. Members of the Wilhelmsen family of Norway controlled A. Wilhelmsen A/S and members of the Pritzker family of Chicago and of the Ofer family controlled Cruise Associates.

In 1990, while the ownership restructuring was going on, Royal Caribbean opened its new headquarters at the port of Miami and consolidated all functions in one location. The Nordic Empress entered service, the first ship built specifically for short cruises such as the company's three- and four-night cruises in the Bahamas. With the addition of Viking Serenade, the company also added seasonal cruises to Alaska as well as to Europe.

Travel agents played a critical part in the company's operations, with some 30,000 independent agencies making essentially all the bookings for the cruises. To simplify that process, Royal Caribbean introduced CruiseMatch 2000, the world's first automated cruise booking system for travel agents. The new computer system allowed travel agents direct access to the company's computer reservation system, making it easy to book cruises. The year ended unhappily, however, when a shipyard fire damaged Monarch of the Seas, delaying its launch.

Monarch did enter service in 1991. Royal Caribbean's largest vessel at the time, weighing nearly 74,000 tons, with berths for more than 2,300 passengers, the new ship was based in San Juan. Viking Serenade was rebuilt for short cruises, adding berth capacity, a new dining room and cafe, and a Viking Crown Lounge. This enabled the company to enter the year-round Mexico market with three- and four-night cruises from Los Angeles. The company also established an international sales and marketing department to increase the number and percentage of its passengers from outside North America. That department oversaw operations of the company's sales offices in London, Oslo, and Frankfurt.

Royal Caribbean's strategy in the very competitive cruise/vacation market was to target the upper portion of the "mass" market, promising a quality product for slightly more money than other volume competitors such as Carnival Cruise Lines. But to fill its ships during a recession (and a war in the Persian Gulf, which affected cruises in the Mediterranean), the company had to offer discount prices. That factor, combined with the costs of servicing the debt from its shipbuilding activities, led to a sharp drop in profits in 1991.

With the entry of the final megaship in its expansion program, the Majesty of the Seas, in 1992, Royal Caribbean became the first cruise line to offer year-round megaship cruises in the major Caribbean markets. The building program begun in 1987 had more than tripled the company's number of berths, to 14,228, and brought the fleet's number to nine ships. That year also saw the end of Admiral Cruises, when Royal Caribbean sold its two-ship fleet and discontinued service.

During 1992 the company introduced Enterprise 2000, the company's new computer information system, which was used for reservations, passenger ticketing, sales tools used by the company's sales force, and tools for travel agents.

Royal Caribbean also initiated its "Save the Waves" program to preserve the environment by not dumping things overboard. In addition, each ship recycled about 20,000 aluminum cans each week, and the company purchased more than one million pounds of recycled products each year.

With its fleet in order, the company took action to reduce its debt, beginning with its first public debt offering of $126 million subordinated notes in 1992. The following year Royal Caribbean went public, offering 11.5 million shares of common stock on the New York Stock Exchange. During 1994, the company was able to lower its borrowing rates by refinancing its banking arrangements with a $750 million revolving credit facility. It then issued $125 million in senior notes. By the end of the year, the company had reduced its debt-to-capital ratio to 47 percent from a high of 75 percent in 1992. The company also built a second office facility in Miami to accommodate the Passenger Services Department.

Royal Caribbean celebrated 1994 with a 5 percent increase in revenues and a 28 percent rise in net income, without adding to its fleet capacity. Part of that success may have come from the company's advertisements on cable television. Over the years, the cruise industry's audience had expanded to include younger adults, not just those nearing or in retirement. Royal Caribbean targeted people 25 to 54 who made $40,000 or more. Rather than focusing on opportunities to socialize or nonstop activities, it positioned itself as "a vacation during which people can relax completely in their own way: with a trip to the spa, a jog around the deck, or a day on the white sands of an island beach," as described in a 1995 article in MediaWeek. In addition, recognizing the reality of that younger market, the company offered activities to entertain children.

The battle for consumers' leisure dollars continued to intensify, with cruise lines, resorts, and timeshare developers concentrating on offering all-inclusive vacations. Between 1995 and 1998, Royal Caribbean undertook its second major capital expansion program, building six Vision-class ships at a cost of approximately $1.5 billion. Each new ship used more than two acres of glass in the design and featured a seven-deck atrium with glass elevators, skylights and glass walls, a pool and entertainment complex covered by a moveable glass roof, a two-deck main dining room, a state-of-the-art show theater, a glass-encased indoor/outdoor cafe, and a shopping mall.

The largest of these new ships carried 2,000 passengers and weighed 75,000 tons. The smallest had 1,804 berths and weighed 70,000 tons, twice the number of people and three times the weight of the original Song of Norway. The expansion anticipated increasing the company's berth capacity by approximately 74 percent, from 14,228 to more than 24,700 berths.

The first of the new vessels, the Legend of the Seas, entered service in 1995, bringing the Viking Lounge silhouette to Hawaii and expanding Royal Caribbean's cruises in Alaska. The ship's amenities included an 18-hole miniature golf course with all the features, water hazards, and proportions of an average golf course; not surprising, perhaps, with Royal Caribbean the official cruise line of the Professional Golfers' Association.

Designed to be faster than most cruise ships, the new vessels permitted more flexibility in itinerary planning. The company entered the Far East market and was the first to offer year-round cruises there and in Southeast Asia. Two more new ships began cruises in 1996, the 1,800-berth Splendor of the Seas and the 1,950-berth Grandeur of the Seas. Also in 1995, the company sold the Nordic Prince, one of its original three ships, for approximately $55 million, realizing a gain of some $19.2 million.

Royal Caribbean's offerings in the Caribbean also included stops at two private company-operated destinations: CocoCay, an island in the Bahamas owned by the company, and Labadee, a peninsula on the north coast of Haiti leased by the company. Passengers could shop at artisan markets, eat picnics along the beach, and windsurf, snorkel, and sail. In 1995 the company added to these the industry's first on-shore club, the Crown & Anchor, at St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

In December 1995, a series of class-action suits were filed alleging that the company misrepresented to its passengers the amount of its port charge expenses. These were followed in 1996 with class-action suits alleging that seven cruise lines, including Royal Caribbean, should have paid commissions to travel agents on port charges included in the price of cruise fares. In February 1997, Royal Caribbean and other companies agreed that all components of the cruise ticket price, other than governmental taxes and fees, would be included in the advertised price.

During 1996, some 973,000 passengers went on Royal Caribbean cruises, over 100,000 more than sailed in 1995. That year saw the sale of another of the company's original ships, the Song of Norway, for $40 million (a gain of $10.3 million), and the establishment of the $1 million Royal Caribbean Ocean Fund.

In July, Royal Caribbean bought Celebrity Cruise Line Inc. for $515 million. Celebrity became a wholly owned subsidiary and continued to operate under its own brand name. Celebrity served the premium cruise vacation market, owned five ships with approximately 8,200 berths, and offered 40 different itineraries ranging from 6 to 18 nights, and stopping in more than 50 ports in Alaska, Bermuda, the Caribbean, and through the Panama Canal. The addition of Celebrity Cruises greatly enhanced the company's presence in the premium destination market of one- and two-week cruises, and its acquisition increased Royal Caribbean's total market share in 1996 to approximately 27 percent of the 4.7 million North Americans who went on cruises that year.

Royal Caribbean continued its capital expansion program by contracting for two Eagle-class ships to be delivered in the fall of 1999 and 2000. These were to be the largest passenger cruise ships built at the time, each weighing 130,000 tons and accommodating 3,100 passengers, and were being designed to attract families and those seeking active sports and entertainment activities. Among the planned amenities: rock climbing facilities, conference centers, and a wedding chapel.

During January 1997 a new television advertising campaign debuted, introducing a new brand identity--Royal Caribbean International--and presenting Royal Caribbean as a global vacation brand with a focus on worldwide cruise vacations. That same month, the company and two of Hyatt Hotels' Puerto Rican properties began jointly marketing what was a first in the Caribbean, a week-long vacation package that included both a cruise and a stay at a hotel. To attract new passengers, Royal Caribbean also marketed its vessels as conference sites for groups ranging from romance writers to dental anesthesiologists, and combined cruising and golf with Golf Ahoy!, a shore excursion program for people who would rather play golf than shop, sunbathe, or sightsee. To help passengers finance their cruise, the company announced "CruiseLoans," allowing people to charge all the expenses, including upgrades, excursions, and onboard spending. The program was administered by Citicorp's Citibank NA.

In the fall of 1997, the company sold $9 million of stock to repay some of its debt and announced that it would sell the Sun Viking, its smallest ship and the last of its original three vessels, to Star Cruises for $30 million. At the same time, Celebrity Cruises took delivery of the 1,850-berth Mercury, the last of a five-ship expansion program begun in 1990, bringing its total fleet capacity to some 8,200 berths.

With its two brands, Royal Caribbean Cruises, Ltd. had strong name recognition in both the popular, warm-weather vacation market and the seasonal cruise market. Its new ships received press attention because of their size and facilities. Between 1996 and 2000, the company expected to increase its berth capacity by 102 percent, to 38,000. Other cruise lines were doing the same, as industry capacity was expected to grow 12.4 percent in 1998 and 11.7 percent in 1999, according to the Cruise Line Industry Association. With the number of passengers growing only at an average 7.6 percent a year since 1981, Royal Caribbean Cruises would need to use all of its creativity and traditional service quality to attract new passengers to cruising in order to fill their ships.

During the late 1990s, Royal Caribbean was forced to fend off negative publicity when it became embroiled in several lawsuits related to dumping oil and hazardous chemicals in coastal waters around the United States. In 1998, the company pled guilty to obstruction of justice for attempting to cover up its illegal dumping practices. Royal Caribbean faced five years probation and agreed to pay a $9 million fine. Trouble continued the following year, however, when the company was indicted on additional charges of dumping toxic solvents in New York Harbor, and oil and toxic chemicals from its photo and dry cleaning shops in waters near Miami, the Virgin Islands, Los Angeles, and the Inside Passage in Alaska. Royal Caribbean pled guilty to 21 counts of polluting and faced an $18 million fine. The state of Alaska also sued the company and in 2000 the firm paid out $3.3 million to the state to settle the charges.

During this time period, the cruise industry as a whole felt pressure from environmental groups to clean up their act. According to these groups, sewage from cruise ships contributed to a host of problems including contamination of the world's oceans. Oceana, an organization created to protect the ocean, launched a campaign against Royal Caribbean in the early years of the new millennium. Before ships set out to sea, the group would fly a banner behind an airplane that read, "Got Sewage? Royal Caribbean Dumps Daily." In May 2004, Royal Caribbean agreed to install new advanced wastewater treatment plants on its ships.

Despite the troubles brought on by the litigation, Royal Caribbean continued expansion efforts in the late 1990s and beyond. In 1999, the company launched Voyager of the Seas, a 142,000-ton, 3,114-passenger ship. Explorer of the Seas entered service the following year and was the first ship to include an atmospheric and marine laboratory on board. Radiance of the Seas, a 90,090-ton, 2,100-guest ship set sail the following year and was the first Royal Caribbean vessel to use gas turbines. Brilliance of the Seas, Serenade of the Seas, and Jewel of the Seas--all Radiance-class ships--were launched in 2002, 2003, and 2004, respectively.

During 2004, Royal Caribbean began offering cruises to the Galapagos Islands via its Celebrity Xpeditions line. It also announced the launch of its new Freedom of the Seas ship in 2006. With a 3,600-guest capacity, the Freedom would be the largest cruise ship in the world. Even as rising fuel costs threatened company revenue in 2004 and 2005, Royal Caribbean experienced marked success. Net income grew to $474.7 million in 2004 while earning per share increased by 59 percent over the previous year. Revenues also increased by more than 20 percent in 2004 and occupancy was at an all-time high. With its dumping problems behind it, Royal Caribbean appeared to have set sail into a prosperous future.

Principal Subsidiaries

Adventure of the Seas Inc.; Blue Sapphire Marine Inc.; Cape Liberty Cruise Port LLC: Celebrity Cruise Lines Inc.; Cruise Mar Investment Inc.; Enchantment of the Seas Inc.; Esker Marine Shipping Inc.; Explorer of the Seas Inc.; Fantasia Cruising Inc.; Galapagos Cruises Inc.; Grandeur of the Seas Inc.; Infinity Inc.; Islas Galapagos Turismo y Vapores CA; Jewel of the Seas Inc.; Majesty of the Seas Inc.; Mariner of the Seas Inc.; Millennium Inc.; Monarch of the Seas Inc.; Navigator of the Seas Inc.; Nordic Empress Shipping Inc.; Radiance of the Seas Inc.; RCL UK Ltd.; Rhapsody of the Seas Inc.; Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines A.S.; Royal Celebrity Tours Inc.; Seabrook Maritime Inc.; Serenade of the Seas Inc.; Sovereign of the Seas Shipping Inc.; Summit Inc.; Universal Cruise Holdings Ltd.; Vision of the Seas Inc.; Voyager of the Seas Inc.; Zenith Shipping Corporation.

Principal Competitors

Carnival Corporation; NCL Corporation; Star Cruises Ltd.

Further Reading

Behar, Richard, "Floating Resorts," Forbes, January 26, 1987, p. 62.

DeGeorge, Gail, "Royal Caribbean May Be Taking on Water," Business Week, May 25, 1992, p. 34.

Hannafin, Matt, "Celebrity Eschews Megaships for Little Adventures," Boston Herald, February 19, 2004.

Keates, Nancy, "Danielle and Joey Urban Can't Believe Mickey Mouse Let Them Down," Wall Street Journal, October 24, 1997.

McDowell, Edwin, "In Alaska, Cruise Line Chief Offers Apology for Dumping," The New York Times, August 26, 1999.

"RCCL Reaffirms Its Commitment to the Ocean Environment," Travel Weekly, November 4, 1996, p. C19.

"RCCL to Debut 'Legend of the Links,'" Travel Weekly, November 7, 1994, p. C22.

Rice, Faye, "What to Do on Your Summer Vacation," Fortune, June 12, 1995, p. 20.

"Sea Change," Travel Weekly, January 9, 1997, p. 20.

"Trolling for Cruisers Among Upscale Viewers," MediaWeek, May 27, 1995, p. S22.

Wald, Matthew L., "Cruise Line Pleads Guilty to Dumping of Chemicals," The New York Times, July 22, 1999.

------, "A Cruise Line Starts to Clean Up After Itself," New York Times, November 28, 2004.

— Ellen D. Wernick; Updated by Christina M. Stansell

Royal Caribbean International

Type	Subsidiary
Industry	Transportation, Travel, and Tourism
Founded	1968 in Norway
Headquarters	1050 Caribbean Way, Miami, Florida, USA
Key people	Dick D Fain (Chairman) Adam M Goldstein (President)
Products	Cruises
Revenue	US$7.53 Billion (FY 2011)[1]
Operating income	US$931 million (FY 2011)[1]
Net income	US$607 million (FY 2011)[1]
Total assets	US$19.8 billion (FY 2011)[1]
Total equity	US$8.40 billion (FY 2011)[1]
Parent	Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.
Website	RoyalCaribbean.com RoyalCaribbean.co.uk

U.S. headquarters in Miami, Florida

Night view of the headquarters in Miami, Florida

Royal Caribbean International is a Norwegian and American cruise line brand based in Miami, Florida and owned by Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.. With 22 ships in service under, it controls a 17% share of the world cruise market.^[2] All ships under the Royal Caribbean International brand have names ending in "of the Seas" since 1991. Sister brands are Celebrity Cruises, Azamara Cruises, Pullmantur and CDF Croisières de France.

Contents 1 Company and brand history 2 Royal Caribbean cruise ships 2.1 Oasis class 2.2 Freedom class 2.3 Radiance class 2.4 Voyager class 2.5 Vision class 2.6 Sovereign class 2.7 Future fleet 2.8 Retired ships 3 Private resorts 4 Controversies 4.1 Docking in Haiti 4.2 George Allen Smith case 4.3 Environmental record 5 Accessibility 6 See also 7 References 8 External links

Company and brand history

Royal Caribbean International was founded as Royal Caribbean Cruise Line in 1968 by Anders Wilhelmsen & Company, I.M. Skaugen & Company, and Gotaas Larsen, Norwegian shipping companies. The newly created line put its first ship, the Song of Norway, into service two years later. The next year, the line's capacity was doubled with the addition of the Nordic Prince to the fleet. Continuing to expand, the line added the Sun Viking in 1972. After four years of successful operation, Royal Caribbean's Song of Norway became their first passenger ship to be lengthened. This was accomplished via the insertion of an 85-foot (26 m) section to the vessel's severed center. Following the success of this procedure, Nordic Prince was stretched in 1980. Royal Caribbean finally received widespread global recognition when in 1982 it launched the Song of America, over twice the size of Sun Viking and at the time the third largest passenger vessel afloat (after the Norway and the Queen Elizabeth 2)

Royal Caribbean innovated once again with its 1986 lease of a coastal property in Haiti for use as a private destination for its guests.^[3] This destination is now called Labadee. After a corporate restructuring in 1988, the line launched Sovereign of the Seas, the largest passenger vessel afloat at the time. Two years later, Nordic Empress and Viking Serenade entered service for the line, continuing a rapid growth trend within the company. In the same year Royal Caribbean purchased its second private destination, Little Stirrup Cay, an island in the Bahamas, which they rechristened "Coco Cay."

Monarch of the Seas, the second ship of the Sovereign class, entered service the next year. The third ship of the Sovereign class, Majesty of the Seas, was delivered one year later. With a large passenger capacity and a growing market share, Royal Caribbean finally went public on the New York Stock Exchange in 1993. Over the next two years the company experienced extreme growth. A new corporate headquarters in Miami, Florida was completed, and the Nordic Prince replaced by a new vessel, the Legend of the Seas.

The next year brought more growth. Two more Vision class vessels entered service, the Splendour of the Seas and Grandeur of the Seas. Also in 1996, the company finalized its contracts for 130,000-ton vessels with Aker Finnyards in Finland. The trend of growth and change continued into 1997. The line's oldest ship, Song of Norway, was sold, and two new Vision-class ships entered service as Rhapsody of the Seas and Enchantment of the Seas. The company also merged with the Greek cruise line Celebrity Cruises and changed its name from "Royal Caribbean Cruise Line" to "Royal Caribbean International." The next year marked a transition to a more "strictly modern line", when the last of the company's older vessels, Song of America and Sun Viking, were retired. In 1998, Vision of the Seas came into service, the last of the Vision Class Ships. In 1999 the Voyager of the Seas, the line's newest and world's largest cruise ship entered service with much attention from the news media. The next two years saw the delivery of Voyager's sister ship, Explorer of the Seas, and the first of a new class of more environmentally friendly cruise liners, Radiance of the Seas, as well as the introduction of Royal Caribbean's "cruise tours Alaska", featuring glass-domed train cars to scenic destinations within the state and Canada. During Adventure of the Seas' christening ceremony in November 2001, Royal Caribbean made a $50,000 contribution to the Twin Towers Relief fund.^[4]

2002 saw the debut of the Navigator of the Seas, as well as the Brilliance of the Seas, the second ship of the Radiance class. Serenade of the Seas and Mariner of the Seas were introduced the next year, and rock-climbing walls were made a feature of every Royal Caribbean ship. Jewel of the Seas followed in 2004, and the line's ship Nordic Empress was refurbished and re-christened as Empress of the Seas, which was later sold to Pullmantur Cruises in 2008. Construction commenced on Freedom of the Seas, the line's newest ship, at Aker Finnyards in 2005 and the vessel launched the next year as the largest passenger vessel in the world. In 2005, Royal Caribbean made history again with the massive refurbishment of Enchantment of the Seas, cutting the ship in half and adding a 74-foot (23 m) midsection. Grandeur of the Seas was rumored to be the next to have the massive refurbishment sometime in early 2008, but that never took place.

Freedom of the Seas' sister ship, Liberty of the Seas, was launched in 2007, and Independence of the Seas was delivered in 2008. An even larger class, the Oasis Class, featuring the Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas was launched in 2009 and 2010, guaranteeing Royal Caribbean the ship size lead for years to come.

In 2012, twelve ships of RCCL's fleet will sail in Europe. The Serenade of the Seas will make her European debut and will be home ported at Barcelona for cruises to the Mediterranean. Brilliance of the Seas will be home ported at Amsterdam and Copenhagen for a new series of Northern Europe cruises. She will visit the Norwegian Fjords, the North Cape and the Baltic. The Jewel of the Seas will continue with her sailings to the Baltic, but she will also offer a new cruise to Norway and Iceland. All cruises start and end in Harwich.

Other ships in Europe are Liberty of the Seas, Independence of the Seas, Navigator of the Seas, Adventure of the Seas, Voyager of the Seas, Grandeur of the Seas and Splendour of the Seas (all Mediterranean), as well as Vision of the Seas which will sail to Northern Europe and the Mediterranean.

Royal Caribbean International has used the services of The Boyd Company, Inc., for its coverage of corporate location trends and the economy.

Royal Caribbean cruise ships

Each Royal Caribbean ship includes a top-of-ship lounge called the Viking Crown Lounge offering sweeping panoramic views, onboard rock climbing walls, bars, lounges, spas, gyms, a main dining room and alternative dining venues. The line has a special kids and youth program known as Adventure Ocean.

Oasis class

Main article: Oasis class cruise ship

The first ship of this class, Oasis of the Seas surpassed the Freedom-class ships as the world's largest cruise ship in December 2009. It is able to accommodate up to 5,400 passengers, has a registered tonnage of 225,282 tons and cost the line around US $1.4 billion. It is anticipated that the Oasis-class of vessels will primarily sail the waters of the Atlantic Ocean, but Royal Caribbean may also choose to deploy these vessels in other parts of the world. A second Oasis-class ship was ordered on April 2, 2007, and was constructed at STX Europe's Finland Yards (formerly Aker Finnyards), Turku, Finland. It was delivered on October 28, 2010 and went into service December 1, 2010.^[5]

Royal Caribbean International, in conjunction with USA Today, sponsored a contest to name the vessels.^{[6][7] [8]}

Ship	Built	Entered service with Royal Caribbean	Gross tonnage	Current Home Port	Notes	Image
Oasis of the Seas	2009	December 5, 2009	225,282	Port Everglades, Florida	Worlds largest cruise ship when built.
Allure of the Seas	2010	December 1, 2010	225,282	Port Everglades, Florida	Currently the world's largest cruise ship.

Freedom class

Main article: Freedom class cruise ship

Freedom of the Seas left Aker Finnyards shipyard in Turku, Finland on April 24, 2006. With gross tonnage of 154,410 tons, they surpassed Cunard Line's Queen Mary 2 as the largest ships in the world even though they are five meters shorter than the Queen Mary 2. Freedom of the Seas includes two new features, the Flowrider and the H2O Zone for kids. The Freedom of the Seas continues the traditions of the Voyager-class ships with a 400-foot (120 m) mall named the Royal Promenade, featuring pubs, shops, arcades, bars, and a 24 hour Cafe Promenade.

Ship	Year Built	Entered service with Royal Caribbean	Gross tonnage	Current Home Port	Notes	Image
Freedom of the Seas	2006	June 4, 2006	154,407	Port Canaveral, Florida	Largest cruise ship in the world, 2006-2009
Liberty of the Seas	2007	May 19, 2007	154,407	Fort Lauderdale, Florida Barcelona, Spain beginning late April 2012	Largest cruise ship in the world when built, originally supposed to be named Endeavour of the Seas
Independence of the Seas	2008	May 2, 2008	154,407	Southampton, England	Largest cruise ship in the world when built

Radiance class

Main article: Radiance class cruise ship

Radiance class ships have a gross tonnage of 90,090 gross tons. All ships have environmentally friendlier gas turbine engines. The Radiance class ships have over 3 acres (12,000 m²) of glass, glass exterior viewing elevators, over 700 balcony staterooms, two-level glass windowed dining rooms, alternative restaurants, a retractable glass roof over a pool, an outdoor pool, as well as the first self-leveling billiard tables at sea. The Radiance class ships were constructed at Meyer Werft, Papenburg, Germany.

Ship	Year Built	Entered service with Royal Caribbean	Gross tonnage	Current Home Port	Notes	Image
Radiance of the Seas	2001	March 10, 2001	90,090	Sydney, Australia	First cruise ship to feature pool tables that are stabilized by a computer-controlled gyroscope
Brilliance of the Seas	2002	July 19, 2002	90,090	Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Serenade of the Seas	2003	August 1, 2003	90,090	San Juan, Puerto Rico
Jewel of the Seas	2004	May 8, 2004	90,090	Tampa, Florida

Voyager class

Main article: Voyager class cruise ship

The fifth largest passenger ships at sea (behind the Oasis class, Freedom class, Norwegian Cruise Line's Norwegian Epic and Cunard's Queen Mary 2), the Voyager class ships were built at Kvaerner Masa-Yards' (now STX Europe) facility in Turku, Finland. They have a gross tonnage of around 137,000 tonnes. These ships include a 350-foot (110 m) indoor mall known as the Royal Promenade, featuring indoor pubs, shops, cafes, and bars. Activity options on board include: basketball courts, skating rinks, at least 3 pools, a mini-golf course, and a rock wall.

Ship	Year Built	Entered service with Royal Caribbean	Gross tonnage	Current Home Port	Notes	Image
Voyager of the Seas	1999	November 21, 1999	137,276	New Orleans, Louisiana	Voyager of the seas was the first vessel ever to have an ice skating rink onboard.
Explorer of the Seas	2000	October 28, 2000	137,308	Bayonne, New Jersey
Adventure of the Seas	2001	November 18, 2001	137,276	San Juan, Puerto Rico
Navigator of the Seas	2002	December 14, 2002	138,279	Fort Lauderdale, Florida	First of the second generation of Voyager-class vessels
Mariner of the Seas	2003	November 16, 2003	138,279	Galveston, Texas	Due to dry dock April 2012

Vision class

Main article: Vision class cruise ship

Technically speaking the Vision class consists of three pairs of sister ships and is not a "class" of ships in the same sense as the Radiance, Freedom, Voyager, or Oasis classes. Legend and Splendour, built at Chantiers de l'Atlantique, Saint-Nazaire, France have a gross tonnage of approximately 70,000 and are the only ones which have a golf course. Grandeur and Enchantment were built at Kvaerner Masa-Yards, Helsinki, Finland and have a tonnage of approximately 80,000 gross tons (after lengthening). The final pair, Rhapsody and Vision were also built at Chantiers de l'Atlantique, and have a tonnage of 78,000 gross tons. All ships of this class feature over 2 acres (8,100 m²) of glass.

Ship	Year Built	Entered service with Royal Caribbean	Gross tonnage	Current Home Port	Notes	Image
Legend of the Seas	1995	May 16, 1995	69,130	Asia	Legend is the most-traveled ship in the Royal Caribbean fleet, having been based in Asia, Australia and New Zealand, the South Pacific, Alaska, Central America, Caribbean, the Baltic, Mediterranean and the Middle East during her 14 year career at sea.
Splendour of the Seas	1996	March 31, 1996	69,130	Santos, São Paulo
Grandeur of the Seas	1996	December 14, 1996	73,817	Colon, Panama, Cartagena, Colombia	A collision occurred in 2005 where a long hole was torn in the hull of the ship
Rhapsody of the Seas	1997	May 19, 1997	78,491	Singapore
Enchantment of the Seas	1997	July 13, 1997	82,910	Baltimore, Maryland	In 2005, a 74-foot (23 m) midsection was added to Enchantment of the Seas, allowing for the addition of a pool, suspension bridges, specialty restaurants, additional staterooms, and expanded areas for guest comfort.
Vision of the Seas	1998	May 2, 1998	78,340	Santos, São Paulo

Sovereign class

Main article: Sovereign class cruise ship

At approximately 73,000 GT (gross tonnage), these were the first "mega-ships" in the industry (with the exception of the SS Norway, an ocean liner converted into a cruise ship), built at the Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France. The first one, Sovereign of the Seas, was launched in 1988. The Sovereign-class ships were the first ships ever to have an open atrium area.^{[citation needed]} Like larger Royal Caribbean ships, the Sovereign Class ships have pools, open bars and lounges inside, and grand theaters.

In October 2008, Sovereign of the Seas was transferred to the fleet of Pullmantur Cruises.^[9] The Monarch of the Seas will depart the fleet in 2013 and will be transferred to Pullmantur Cruises like her sister ship the Sovereign of the Seas.^[10][11]

Ship	Year Built	Entered service with Royal Caribbean	Gross tonnage	Current Home Port	Notes	Image
Monarch of the Seas	1991	November 17, 1991	73,937	Port Canaveral, Florida	Retrofitted in 2005 and again in 2011 with new features such as enhanced staterooms, public areas, Compass Deli, Jade, addition of rock walls, re-painted pool floors, new carpeting and more spaces enhanced for guest comfort. She will leave the fleet in 2013.
Majesty of the Seas	1992	April 26, 1992	74,077	Miami, Florida	Retrofitted in 2007 with new features such as enhanced staterooms, public areas, Compass Deli, Jade, addition of rock walls, re-painted pool floors, new carpeting and more spaces enhanced for guest comfort

Future fleet

Ship	Year Built	Capacity	Gross tonnage	Current Home Port	Notes	Image
unnamed	Summer 2014	4,200	158,000	TBA	Project Sunshine[12]
unnamed	Spring 2015	4,200	158,000	TBA	Project Sunshine[12]

Retired ships

Former RCI ships no longer in the fleet:

• Song of Norway - Now operating with International Shipping Partners as MV Ocean Pearl
• Nordic Prince - Now operating with Ocean Star Cruises as MV Ocean Star Pacific
• Sun Viking - Now operating with China company as Oriental Dragon
• Song of America - Now operating with Louis Cruises as Louis Olympia
• Viking Serenade - Now operating with Thomson Cruises as Island Escape
• Empress of the Seas - Now operating with Pullmantur Cruises as MS Empress
• Sovereign of the Seas - Now operating with Pullmantur Cruises as MS Sovereign

Private resorts

Royal Caribbean operates two privately owned resorts that are used as stops on some Caribbean and Bahamas itineraries. They are Labadee, a resort on the northern coast of Haiti; and Coco Cay, a private island in the Berry Islands region of The Bahamas. Each resort features beaches, canopies for eating, lounge chairs, palm trees, and white sand beaches.

Controversies

Docking in Haiti

It was reported that Royal Caribbean Cruise lines was docking cruise ships at the Labadee resort in Haiti despite the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the aftermath of the 2010 Haiti earthquake. While the ships have delivered relief supplies to the affected and the company has promised to donate all proceeds from the visit to help the earthquake many passengers on board the cruise ships were "sickened" by the company's decision to dock in Haiti. Associate vice president John Weis defended the company's decision by stating that the company had "tremendous opportunities to use our ships as transport vessels for relief supplies and personnel to Haiti ... Simply put, we cannot abandon Haiti now that they need us most." The Labadee resort located over 60 miles from the epicenter of the earthquake is on lease to the company from the Government of Haiti.^[13][14]

George Allen Smith case

Main article: MS Brilliance of the Seas#George Allen Smith controversy

On July 5, 2005, passengers on board the Brilliance of the Seas reported what appeared to be blood on a part of the ship below the passenger balconies. After a search, George Allen Smith was discovered to be missing and thought to have fallen overboard. A criminal investigation into possible foul play was conducted, and a brief press release on the company's investor relations website announced the settlement of the case,^[15] later revealed to be more than $1 million.^[16]

Environmental record

In 1998 and 1999, the company was fined US$9 million because one of its ships, the Sovereign of the Seas, had repeatedly dumped oily waste into the ocean and tried to hide this using false records, including fake piping diagrams given to the US Coast Guard. Because the company was and is incorporated in Liberia, Royal Caribbean argued that this case was not in the jurisdiction of US courts. Despite their argument, they were unsuccessful.^[17]

Accessibility

Royal Caribbean has made a focused effort to make their cruises highly acccessible to persons with disabilities, retrofitting their vessels extensively with lifts and ramps for wheelchairs, adding brail lettering to all signage throughout cruise ships, infrared systems in theatres to amplify sound for the hard of hearing, and sensitivity training for staff to handle the needs of disabled persons.^[18]

See also

	Miami portal
	Companies portal

• Muster drill
• Carnival Cruise Lines

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e} "2011 Royal Caribbean Form 10-K". http://phx.corporate-ir.net/External.File?item=UGFyZW50SUQ9NDU5MzM0fENoaWxkSUQ9NDg3MDM1fFR5cGU9MQ==&t=1. Retrieved April 15, 2012. 
2. ^ "Cruise Market Watch". Cruise Market Watch. http://www.cruisemarketwatch.com/blog1/market-share. Retrieved May 21, 2012. 
3. ^ Dave says: (November 26, 2009). "Cruise Travel Guide | Labadee Haiti, an Oasis of the Seas port of call | Cruise Accommodations". Planeteyetraveler.com. http://planeteyetraveler.com/2009/11/26/labadee-haiti-oasis-of-the-seas-port-of-call/. Retrieved December 10, 2011. 
4. ^ Ward, Douglas (2005). Berlitz Complete Guide to Cruising & Cruise Ships. Singapore: Berlitz. ISBN 981-246-510-3. 
5. ^ Royal Caribbean orders another giant cruise vessel from Aker Yards, Aker Yards, April 2, 2007
6. ^ Name that ship contest, usatoday.com
7. ^ "Royal Caribbean's next ships will be Oasis, Allure". USA Today. May 23, 2008. http://blogs.usatoday.com/cruiselog/2008/05/and-the-second.html?csp=34. Retrieved May 23, 2008. ^{[dead link]}
8. ^ "Press Release: Royal Caribbean selects Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas as the names for its Project Genesis ships" (PDF). Royal Caribbean International. May 23, 2008. http://www.royalcaribbean-genesis.com/releases/052308_Oasis_of_the_Seas.pdf. Retrieved May 23, 2008. ^{[dead link]}
9. ^ Cruise Business Review 12. 10. 2007: Say goodbye to Sovereign! The first ever modern megaship to join Pullmantur fleet, retrieved October 13, 2007^{[dead link]}
10. ^ http://www.presstur.com/site/news.asp?news=36059
11. ^ http://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/6986-royal-caribbean-moving-monarch-of-the-seas-to-pullmantur.html
12. ^ ^{a b} "Royal Caribbean Signs Letter of Intent to Build New Generation... - MIAMI and PAPENBURG, Germany, Feb. 11, 2011 /PRNewswire/". Florida, Germany: Prnewswire.com. http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/royal-caribbean-signs-letter-of-intent-to-build-new-generation-of-ships-115958699.html. Retrieved December 10, 2011. 
13. ^ "Luxury Cruise Ship Docks On Private Haitian Beach, Just 60 Miles From Devastation". Huffington Post. January 18, 2010. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/18/luxury-cruise-ship-docks_n_427247.html. 
14. ^ "Royal Caribbean's decision to dock ships at Haitian resort creates controversy". Yahoo News. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ynews/20100119/ts_ynews/ynews_ts1063. 
15. ^ "Press Release: Royal Caribbean And Jennifer Hagel Smith Reach Settlement". Royal Caribbean International. June 29, 2006. http://www.royalcaribbean.com/ourCompany/pressCenter/pressReleases/info.do;jsessionid=00005GUDOofYbxJCe1iwbwC5BiV:12hdhu87a?prDate=06-29-2006&prCode=A. Retrieved May 10, 2008. ^{[dead link]}
16. ^ "Judge uphold widow's settlement". AP/AOL. May 2, 2008. http://news.aol.com/story/_a/judge-uphold-widows-settlement/n20080502173309990044. Retrieved May 10, 2008. 
17. ^ "U.S. keeps wary eye on cruise ships for more pollution". USA Today. November 8, 2002. http://www.usatoday.com/travel/news/2002/2002-11-08-cruise-dumping.htm. Retrieved May 14, 2008. 
18. ^ "Ability Magazine: Royal Caribbean's New Wave of Accessibility’’". http://www.abilitymagazine.com/douglas_rc.html. Retrieved 2012-04-06. 

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Royal Caribbean

• Official website
• RCI ship history at Fakta om Fartyg (Swedish)

v t e Royal Caribbean International fleet Sovereign class Monarch of the Seas Majesty of the Seas Vision class Legend of the Seas Splendour of the Seas Grandeur of the Seas Rhapsody of the Seas Enchantment of the Seas Vision of the Seas Voyager class Voyager of the Seas Explorer of the Seas Adventure of the Seas Navigator of the Seas Mariner of the Seas Radiance class Radiance of the Seas Brilliance of the Seas Serenade of the Seas Jewel of the Seas Freedom class Freedom of the Seas Liberty of the Seas Independence of the Seas Oasis class Oasis of the Seas Allure of the Seas Former ships Song of Norway Nordic Prince Sun Viking Song of America Viking Serenade Empress of the Seas Sovereign of the Seas

v t e Members of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Cruise lines Fully-owned subsidiaries Azamara Club Cruises CDF Croisières de France Celebrity Cruises Pullmantur Cruises Royal Caribbean International Joint ventures with TUI TUI Cruises (50% share) Former subsidiaries Island Cruises (50% share) Other companies Air Pullmantur

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