From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Royal Caribbean International
Type	Public
Founded	1968
Headquarters	Miami, Florida, USA
Key people	Richard D. Fain (CEO)
Industry	Transportation
Products	Cruises
Revenue	USD $5.229 billion (2006)
Operating income	USD $858.4 million (2006)
Net income	USD $633.9 million (2006)
Website	http://www.royalcaribbean.com/ or http://www.royalcaribbean.co.uk/

Royal Caribbean International (OSE: RCL NYSE: RCL) 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 1 Company and brand history 2 Royal Caribbean ship history 3 Royal Caribbean cruise ships 3.1 Genesis Class 3.2 Freedom Class 3.3 Voyager Class 3.4 Radiance Class 3.5 Vision Class 3.6 Sovereign Class 3.7 Empress of the Seas 3.8 Retired ships 4 Private resorts 5 Onboard security 6 George Allen Smith case 7 Environmental Record 8 References 9 See also 10 External links

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 their 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. The year 2000 saw the formation of a joint venture with British First Choice Holidays to form a joint venture for the informal British and Brazilian markets, Island Cruises.^[1]

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. Onwards from that point the company expanded radically with the creation of new cruise lines. Azamara Cruises was created in May 2007 as a subsdiary of Celebrity Cruises.^[2] In September 2007 Royal Caribbean unveiled plans for a new cruise line, Croisières de France, aimed at French-language customers. The new company will start operations in Spring 2008, initially with one ship, the Bleu de France, which currently sails for Pullmantur Cruises as the Holiday Dream.^[3] Just two months later Royal Caribbean announced plans for yet another new cruise line, this time aimed at a German-speaking audience in collaboration with TUI AG. This brand will be called TUI Cruises and begins operations in 2009 with one ship transferred from an existing Royal Caribbean brand, with two newbuildings following in 2011 and 2012.^[4] TUI and Royal Caribbean already collaborate in the British market, as TUI AG acquired the majority of First Choice Holidays in 2007,^[5] hence gaining control of 50 % of the Island Cruises brand.

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	2008
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	8/2007	5/2008	154,407 GT	Construction
Genesis Class Ship 1	2006	2009	2010	220,000	Construction
Genesis Class Ship 2	2007	2010	2011	220,000	Construction

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:

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 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

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 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

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

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. In October 2007 it was reported that the Sovereign of the Seas will transfer to the fleet of Pullmantur Cruises in late 2008.^[6]

• Majesty of the Seas
• Monarch of the Seas
• Sovereign 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 2004, 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]

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

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.

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.

Main article: 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]

In 1998 and 1999, the company was fined $9 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].

1. ^ Island Cruises ownership (PDF). Island Cruises press material. Retrieved on 2007-12-11.
2. ^ Celebrity Cruises Presents New, Deluxe Cruise Line: Azamara Cruises. Royal Caribbean Cruise Ltd. Press Release. Retrieved on 2007-12-11.
3. ^ Cruise Business Review: Royal Caribbean starts new cruise line dedicated to French market, retrieved 14. 10. 2007
4. ^ TUI AG and Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Announce Joint Venture to Serve German Cruise Market. Royal Caribbean Cruise Ltd. Press Release. Retrieved on 2007-12-11.
5. ^ Tui Travel plc Begins Trading on the London Stock Exchange (PDF). TUI Travel PLC press release. Retrieved on 2007-12-11.
6. ^ Cruise Business Review 12. 10. 2007: Say goodbye to Sovereign! The first ever modern megaship to join Pullmantur fleet, retrieved 13. 10. 2007

• Muster drill

• Official site
• RCI ship history at Fakta om Fartyg (only in Swedish)
• F/Y 2006 Report for Royal Caribbean from 10kwizard.com
• Independent Royal Caribbean Cruise resource

v • d • e Members of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.
Fully-owned subsidiaries	Royal Caribbean International • Celebrity Cruises • Pullmantur Cruises • Azamara Cruises • CDF Croisières de France (begins service 2008)
Joint ventures with TUI	Island Cruises • TUI Cruises (begins service 2009)