Royal Caribbean International facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Royal Caribbean International

Type	Public
Industry	Transportation
Founded	1968
Headquarters	Miami, Florida, USA
Key people	Richard D. Fain (CEO)
Products	Cruises
Revenue	USD $5.229 billion (2006)
Operating income	USD $858.4 million (2006)
Net income	USD $633.9 million (2006)

U.S. headquarters in Miami, Florida.

Royal Caribbean International (NYSE: RCL) is a Norwegian-American cruise ship company based in Miami, Florida.

Fleet

Current fleet

All ships under Royal Caribbean have names ending with the phrase "of the Seas", a theme that began in 1987 with Sovereign of the Seas, which was delivered that same year.

Empress class

The Empress class is a single-ship class consisting solely of Empress of the Seas. The ship was originally a newbuild ordered by Admiral Cruises and slated to enter service as Future Seas, but became part of the Royal Caribbean fleet when Admiral Cruises merged with Royal Caribbean in 1988, while the ship was still under construction. It was eventually completed in 1990 as Nordic Empress, and was renamed Empress of the Seas in 2004. It was transferred to Pullmantur Cruises in 2008 as Empress and served there until 2016, when it was transferred back to Royal Caribbean and refitted to continue service with its earlier owner as Empress of the Seas again.

Ship	Year built	Gross tonnage	Berths		Notes	Ship image
			Double	Maximum
Empress of the Seas	1990	48,563	1,840		Sailed for Pullmantur Cruises as Empress from 2008 to 2016.

Sovereign class

At approximately 73,000 GT, these were described as 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 cruise ships to have an open atrium area. Like larger Royal Caribbean ships, the Sovereign-class ships have pools, open bars and lounges inside, and grand theaters.

Both Sovereign of the Seas and Monarch of the Seas were transferred to the fleet of Pullmantur Cruises in October 2008 and April 2013, respectively. Plans to transfer Majesty of the Seas to Pullmantur in 2016 were announced in November 2014, but Royal Caribbean reversed those plans in July 2015, instead stating that Majesty of the Seas would stay with Royal Caribbean International.

Ship	Year built	Gross tonnage	Berths		Notes	Ship image
			Double	Maximum
Majesty of the Seas	1992	74,007	2,350	2,767

Vision class

The Vision class consists of three pairs of sister ships. Legend and Splendour, built at Chantiers de l'Atlantique, Saint-Nazaire, France have a gross tonnage of approximately 70,000. Grandeur and Enchantment were built at Kvaerner Masa-Yards, Helsinki, Finland and had an original tonnage of approximately 73,000 GT. The final pair, Rhapsody and Vision were also built at Chantiers de l'Atlantique, and have a tonnage of 78,000 GT. In 2005, a 74-foot (23 m) midsection was added to Enchantment of the Seas, bringing its tonnage to over 80,000 GT. All ships of this class feature over 2 acres (8,100 m²) of glass. Royal Caribbean sold both Splendour of the Seas and Legend of the Seas to Marella Cruises. Splendour of the Seas last sailed for Royal Caribbean on April 4, 2016, and the final Legend of the Seas sailing for Royal Caribbean left port on March 13, 2017. In October 2019, RCI announced that the Grandeur of the Seas will be leaving the fleet after it's last scheduled sailing on March 21, 2021 transferring to Pullmantur Cruises.

Ship	Year built	Gross tonnage	Berths		Notes	Ship image
			Double	Maximum
Grandeur of the Seas	1996	73,817	1,992	2,440	On October 16, 2019, it was announced Grandeur of the Seas would be transferred to Pullmantur Cruises in the Spring of 2021.
Rhapsody of the Seas	1997	78,491	1,998	2,416
Enchantment of the Seas	1997	82,910	2,252	2,730
Vision of the Seas	1998	78,340	2,050	2,514

Voyager class

The sixth largest passenger ships at sea (Royal Caribbean's own Oasis, Quantum and Freedom classes, Norwegian Cruise Line's Norwegian Epic and Cunard's Queen Mary 2), the Voyager-class ships were the largest class of cruise ships in the world when constructed and were the first ships to have an ice rink at sea and the first to have Royal Caribbean's "Royal Promenade" mall concept, a main thoroughfare extending most of the length of the ship, flanked by bars, cafes, and shopping venues. They were built at Kvaerner Masa-Yards' (now Meyer Turku) facility in Turku, Finland. They have a gross tonnage of around 137,000 tonnes. Activity options on all five ships board include a basketball court, at least three pools, a mini-golf course, a rock wall, an ice skating rink and, originally, an inline skating track. Navigator of the Seas replaced the inline skating track with a Flowrider surf simulator in 2014, and similar changes are planned for Voyager and Explorer.

Navigator of the Seas and Mariner of the Seas are second-generation Voyager-class vessels, and feature glass stateroom balconies that extend out from the superstructure of the ship and a larger Windjammer buffet area.

Ship	Year built	Gross tonnage	Berths		Notes	Ship image
			Double	Maximum
Voyager of the Seas	1999	137,276	3,114	3,840	Refurbished in the Fall of 2019.
Explorer of the Seas	2000	137,308	3,114	3,840
Adventure of the Seas	2001	137,276	3,114	3,807
Navigator of the Seas	2002	139,999	3,376	4,000
Mariner of the Seas	2003	139,863	3,114	3,807

Radiance class

All Radiance-class ships have a gross tonnage of 90,090 and 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. Unlike the preceding Voyager class, these ships are built to the Panamax form factor, allowing them to pass through the Panama Canal.

Ship	Year built	Gross tonnage	Berths		Notes	Ship image
			Double	Maximum
Radiance of the Seas	2001	90,090	2,143	2,466
Brilliance of the Seas	2002	90,090	2,142	2,543
Serenade of the Seas	2003	90,090	2,146	2,476
Jewel of the Seas	2004	90,090	2,112	2,502

Freedom class

The Freedom-class ships are lengthened versions of the second-generation Voyager-class ship, and contain a 400-foot (120 m) Royal Promenade mall running much of the length of the ship, an ice skating rink, basketball court, several pools, a mini-golf course, and a rock wall. New features on the Freedom class include the FlowRider surfing simulator, the H2O Zone kids water play area, a boxing ring, and hot tubs cantilevered over the side of the ship. At 154,407 gross tons, the Freedom-class ships were the largest ships in the world from 2006, until the debut of the Oasis class in 2009.

Ship	Year built	Gross tonnage	Berths		Notes	Ship image
			Double	Maximum
Freedom of the Seas	2006	154,407	3,782	4,515	To be refurbished for 2020
Liberty of the Seas	2007	155,889	3,798	4,960
Independence of the Seas	2008	154,407	3,634	4,375

Oasis class

The Oasis-class ships are the largest cruise ships ever built, having surpassed Freedom-class ships. They can accommodate up to 5,400 passengers at double occupancy and they have a maximum capacity of 6,296 passengers. Furthermore, the ships have a gross tonnage of at least 225,282 tons, and cost the line around US$1.4 billion each. The first two ships in the class, Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas, were delivered in 2009 and 2010 by STX Europe Turku Shipyard, Finland. The third and fourth ships in the class, Harmony of the Seas and Symphony of the Seas were built at Chantiers de l'Atlantique in Saint-Nazaire, France. Royal Caribbean International, in conjunction with USA Today, sponsored a contest to name the first two vessels. On February 18th 2019 Royal Caribbean announced the order of a 6th Oasis class vessel from Chantiers de l'Atlantique for delivery in 2023 with a double occupancy of 5,714 and gross tonnage of 231,000.

Ship	Year built	Gross tonnage	Berths		Notes	Ship image
			Double	Maximum
Oasis of the Seas	2009	225,282	5,400	6,360	Refurbished in fall of 2019.
Allure of the Seas	2010	225,282	5,492	6,410
Harmony of the Seas	2016	226,963	5,497	6,687
Symphony of the Seas	2018	228,081	5,518	6,680	The largest passenger ship in the world by gross tonnage as of June 2019[update].

Quantum class

The Quantum-class of ships debuted as the second largest class of cruise ships in the world. The Quantum-class ships were the first ships built for Royal Caribbean by Meyer Werft since the Radiance class and share many features with those ships, including indoor pools with retractable roofs, vast expanses of glass, outdoor seating in the "Windjammer" buffet, and self-leveling pool tables. Other distinctive features of the Quantum-class include the "North Star" observation capsule mounted on the end of a 41-meter-long (135 ft) crane arm, "RipCord by iFLY" a skydiving simulator, the three-deck-high Two70° lounge and performance venue at the aft of the ship featuring panoramic windows that convert into projection screens, and the multi-purpose SeaPlex facility which hosts activities such as basketball, roller skating, bumper cars, and a trapeze school. The Quantum class was the first class designed specifically for Dynamic Dining, and feature several separate complementary dining facilities instead of a single main dining room. Each venue will maintain the same menu and staff throughout the cruise. Unlike the earlier Voyager, Freedom, and Oasis class, Quantum-class ships do not feature a Viking Crown Lounge or ice skating rink, and the Royal Promenade mall down the center of the ship is not featured in its traditional form.

Four ships, Quantum of the Seas, Anthem of the Seas, Ovation of the Seas, and Spectrum of the Seas have been built so far. A fifth ship, Odyssey of the Seas is planned for 2020.

Ship	Year built	Gross tonnage	Berths		Notes	Ship image
			Double	Maximum
Quantum of the Seas	2014	168,666	4,180	4,905
Anthem of the Seas	2015	168,666	4,180	4,905
Ovation of the Seas	2016	168,666	4,180	4,905
Spectrum of the Seas	2019	169,379	4,246		First Quantum Ultra Class ship

Future fleet

Former fleet

Ship	Class	Year built	Duration in service for Royal Caribbean International	Current status (as of 2018[update])	Gross tonnage	Notes	Ship image
Song of Norway	Song of Norway class	1970	1970–1997	Scrapped in 2013 as the Formosa Queen.	22,945
Nordic Prince	Song of Norway class	1971	1971–1995	Scrapped in 2015 as the Pacific	23,149
Sun Viking	Song of Norway class	1972	1972–1998	Operating as floating casino Oriental Dragon for Oceanic Group Intl.	16,607
Song of America	Song of America class	1982	1982–1999	Operating as the Celestyal Olympia for Celestyal Cruises	37,584
Viking Serenade		1982	1990–2002 (built 1982)	Scrapped in 2018 as the Ocean Gala.	40,171	Transferred from Royal Caribbean's subsidiary Admiral Cruises in 1990.
Sovereign of the Seas	Sovereign class	1987	1988–2008	Operating as the Sovereign for Pullmantur Cruises	73,192
Monarch of the Seas	Sovereign class	1991	1991–2013	Operating as the Monarch for Pullmantur Cruises	73,192
Splendour of the Seas	Vision class	1996	1996–2016	Operating as the Marella Discovery for Marella Cruises	69,130
Legend of the Seas	Vision class	1995	1995–2017	Operating as the Marella Discovery 2 with Marella Cruises	69,130

Images for kids

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  Majesty of the Seas and Monarch of the Seas in Nassau, Bahamas

See also

In Spanish: Royal Caribbean International para niños