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'Royal Caribbean International' ( ) is a Norwegian-American cruise ship company based in Miami, Florida. It is a brand of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., with 21 ships in service and one more under construction. All the ships have names ending in "of the Seas." Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. also operates Celebrity Cruises, Pullmantur Cruises, Azamara Cruises and has a stake in Island Cruises.

Contents

Company and brand history

Royal Caribbean ship history

Royal Caribbean cruise ships

Retired ships

Private resorts

Muster Drill

Onboard security

George Allen Smith case

Environmental Record

External links

Company and brand history

Royal Caribbean Cruise Line was founded in 1969 by Anders Wilhelmsen & Company, I.M. Skaugen & Company, and Gotaas Larsen - all Norwegian shipping companies. The newly created line put its first ship, the ''Song of Norway'', into service a year 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 the first passenger ship to be lengthened. This was accomplished via the insertion of an 85 foot 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 ''QE2'')
Royal Caribbean innovated once again with its 1986 purchase of a coastal property in Haiti for use as a private destination for its guests. This destination is now called Labadee. After a corporate restructuring in 1988, the line lauched ''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 2004, Royal Caribbean made history again with the massive refurbishment of ''Enchantment of the Seas'', cutting the ship in half and adding a 74 foot midsection. ''Grandeur of the Seas'' is rumored to be the next to have the massive refurbishment sometime in late 2007 or early 2008.
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. 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''.
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. ''Freedom of the Seas' sister ship, ''Liberty of the Seas'', was launched in 2007, and Independence of the Seas is scheduled to be delivered in 2008. An even larger class, the Genesis class, will be launched in 2009, guaranteeing Royal Caribbean the ship size lead for years to come.
In November 2006, Royal Caribbean finalized the purchase of Pullmantur Cruises in Madrid, Spain.

Royal Caribbean ship history

'RCI Cruise Ship Facts'

Ship	Ordered	Laid Down	Maiden Voyage (for RCI)	Tonnage	Status	Retired
Song of Norway	???	???	7/11/1970	18,416 GRT / 23,005 GRT (1978→)	Retired	1996
Nordic Prince	???	???	31/7/1971	18,346 GRT / 23,200 GRT (1980→)	Retired	1995
Sun Viking	???	???	12/1972	18,559 GRT	Retired	1998
Song of America	???	???	5/12/1982	37,584 GRT	Retired	1999
'Sovereign of the Seas'	???	???	16/1/1988	73,192 GRT	Operational
Viking Serenade	???	6/4/1981	1990	40,132 GRT	Retired	2002
'Empress of the Seas' formerly Nordic Empress	???	???	25/6/1990	48,563 GRT	Operational
'Monarch of the Seas'	???	???	17/11/1991	73,941 GRT	Operational
'Majesty of the Seas'	???	???	26/4/1992	73,941 GRT	Operational
'Legend of the Seas'	???	???	16/5/1995	69,130 GT	Operational
'Splendour of the Seas'	???	???	30/3/1996	70,950 GT	Operational
'Grandeur of the Seas'	???	???	14/12/1996	73,817 GRT	Operational
'Rhapsody of the Seas'	???	???	1997	78,491 GRT	Operational
'Enchantment of the Seas'	???	???	13/7/1997	81,500 GRT	Operational
'Vision of the Seas'	???	???	2/5/1998	78,491 GRT	Operational
'Voyager of the Seas'	???	???	11/1999	137,276 GRT	Operational
'Explorer of the Seas'	???	???	28/10/2000	137,308 GRT	Operational
'Radiance of the Seas'	???	???	10/3/2001	90,090 GRT	Operational
'Adventure of the Seas'	???	???	18/11/2001	137,276 GRT	Operational
'Brilliance of the Seas'	???	???	15/72002	90,090 GRT	Operational
'Navigator of the Seas'	???	???	14/12/2002	138,279 GRT	Operational
'Serenade of the Seas'	???	???	1/8/2003	90,090 GRT	Operational
'Mariner of the Seas'	???		16/11/2003	138,279 GRT	Operational
'Jewel of the Seas'	???	23/4/2004	8/5/2004	90,090 GRT	Operational
'Freedom of the Seas'	9/6/2003	11/2004	6/5/2006	154,407 GT	Operational
'Liberty of the Seas'	11/2003	17/10/2005	5/19/2007	154,407 GT	Operational
'Independence of the Seas'	11/2003	???	May 2008	154,407 GT	Construction
'Genesis Class Ship 1'	???	???	???	???	Construction
'Genesis Class Ship 2'	???	???	???	???	Construction

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. The line's first ship was the ''Song of Norway'', now Caspi Cruises's ''Dream Princess''. The current fleet consists of:
===Genesis Class===
The first ship of this class, as yet unnamed (though, if it follows suit of previous vessels, its name will end in ''... of the Seas''), is expected to surpass the Freedom-class ships as the world's largest passenger ship in autumn 2009. It will be able to accommodate up to 5,400 double-occupancy passengers (up to 6,400 when third & fourth passengers are included), will have a registered tonnage of approximately 220,000 tons and will cost the line around US$1.24 billion. This would make it “the most valuable ship ever ordered in the history of commercial shipbuilding” as per a Royal Caribbean spokesperson. It is anticipated that the Genesis-class of vessels will primarily sail the waters of the Caribbean Sea, but Royal Caribbean may also choose to deploy these vessels in other parts of the world. Like the Freedom class ships, it will be constructed at Aker Finnyards, Turku, Finland. A second Genesis-class ship was ordered on April 2 2007, to be delivered in August 2010. [1]

===Freedom Class===
Freedom of the Seas left Aker Finnyards shipyard in Turku, Finland on April 24, 2006. The third ship of this class is currently under construction at Aker Finnyards in Turku, Finland, with a scheduled delivery of May 2008. With gross tonnage of 154,407 tons, they dethrone Cunard Line's ''Queen Mary 2'' as the largest passenger 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 mall named the Royal Promenade, featuring pubs, shops, arcades, bars, and a 24 hour Cafe Promenade.

★ ''Freedom of the Seas''

★ ''Liberty of the Seas''

★ ''Independence of the Seas''

===Voyager Class===
The largest passenger ships at sea only behind the Freedom Class and Cunard's ''Queen Mary 2'', the Voyager class ships were built at Kvaerner Masa-Yard’s (now Aker Finnyards) facility in Turku, Finland. These ships include a 350 foot 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.

★ ''Adventure of the Seas''

★ ''Explorer of the Seas''

★ ''Mariner of the Seas''

★ ''Navigator of the Seas''

★ ''Voyager of the Seas''

===Radiance Class===
Radiance class ships have all the features of RCI, as well as grand public rooms such as on the Queen Mary 2. All ships have more environmentally-friendly gas turbine engines. The Radiance Class ships have over 3 acres 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.

★ ''Brilliance of the Seas''

★ ''Jewel of the Seas''

★ ''Radiance of the Seas''

★ ''Serenade of the Seas''

===Vision Class===
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 or Voyager classes. The 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. The Grandeur and Enchantment were built at Kvaerner Masa-Yards, Helsinki, Finland and have a tonnage of approximately 81,000 gross tons. The final pair, Rhapsody and Vision were also built at Chantiers de l'Atlantique, and have a tonnage of 83,000 gross tons. All ships of this class feature over 2 acres of glass.
In 2004, a 74 foot midsection was added to the Enchantment of the Seas, allowing for the addition of a pool, suspension bridges, specialty restaurants, additional staterooms, and expanded areas for guest comfort.

★ ''Enchantment of the Seas''

★ ''Grandeur of the Seas''

★ ''Legend of the Seas''

★ ''Rhapsody of the Seas''

★ ''Splendour of the Seas''

★ ''Vision of the Seas''

===Sovereign Class===
These were the first "mega-ships" in the industry, built at the Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyards in Saint-Nazaire, France. They were also the last of RCI's ships to feature the Viking Crown Lounge as a separate visual element as part of the design. The Sovereign Class ships were the first ships ever to have an open atrium area. Like larger Royal Caribbean ships, the Sovereign Class ships have pools, open bars and pools, bars and lounges inside, and grand theaters.
In 2004, the Monarch of the Seas went into drydock for an extensive refurbishment, followed by the Sovereign in 2005, and the Majesty of the Seas in 2007. New features include enhances staterooms, public areas, Johnny Rockets, addition of rock walls, new pools, and more space for guest comfort.

★ ''Majesty of the Seas''

★ ''Monarch of the Seas''

★ ''Sovereign of the Seas''

===Empress of the Seas===
This vessel, previously named "''Nordic Empress''", is the smallest ship in RCI's fleet. It was originally ordered by Admiral Cruises from Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard. Unlike other Royal Caribbean vessels it is the sole ship of its type. In 2003, Royal Caribbean did a massive refurbishment of the Nordic Empress, adding additional restaurants, restoring glass walls and windows, adding additional staterooms, refurbishing public areas and atriums, adding new pools, and adding additional space for guest comfort. Soon after the refurbishment the ship was renamed to follow the "of the seas" convention of RCI. In March 2008 the ship will be transferred to Pullmantur Cruises' fleet.[2]

Retired ships

Former RCI ships no longer in the fleet:

★ ''Song of Norway'' - Now operating with Capsi Cruises as ''Dream Princess''

★ ''Nordic Prince'' - Now operating with Transocean Tours as ''Arielle''

★ ''Sun Viking'' - Now the casino-cruise ship ''Omar III''

★ ''Song of America'' - Now operating with Thomson Cruises as ''Thomson Destiny''

★ ''Viking Serenade'' - Now operating with Island Cruises as ''Island Escape''

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 island features beautiful beaches, canopies for eating, lounge chairs, palm trees, and clear blue water with white sand beaches.

Muster Drill

International law requires a muster drill be conducted by Royal Caribbean and all other cruise lines prior to departure from port. A muster drill is a demonstration in the use of life vests and life boats, and it prepares passengers for several possible emergencies.
Attendance at the muster drill is mandatory for all passengers, even those who have previously sailed and have attended one recently. Onboard crew will strictly enforce attendance and will search for each passenger on the manifest in staterooms and other areas of the ship.

Onboard security

Following several incidents on cruise ships that have claimed media attention, Royal Caribbean and other cruiselines have worked to increase security in order to make the cruising experience safer for all passengers. This includes the use of closed-circuit cameras and other technology, and an increase in security personnel.
Some security measures include:

★ Metal detectors and x-ray. Similar to those found at airports, these are used to prevent passengers from bringing aboard contraband.

George Allen Smith case

Main articles: George Allen Smith

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 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 on June 29, 2006.[3]

Environmental Record

In 1998 and 1999, the company was fined 27 million US dollars 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 is incorporated in Liberia, Royal Caribbean unsuccessfully argued that this case could was not in the jurisdiction of US courts [4].

External links

★ Official site

★ RCI ship history at Fakta om Fartyg (only in Swedish)

★ F/Y 2006 Report for Royal Caribbean from 10kwizard.com