Royal Caribbean at present has 26 cruise ships–quickly to be 27–however do you know that the cruise line as soon as owned an extra 11 ships?
When Royal Caribbean was based in 1968, the cruise line ordered three ships: Music of Norway, Nordic Prince, and Solar Viking. These cruise ships, whereas small by right now’s requirements, had been record-breaking vessels that led the best way for right now’s mega ships like Marvel of the Seas and Icon of the Seas.
However as increasingly more cruise ships got here to be over the following few many years, older ships retired, had been bought to different firms, and later met their destiny on the scrapyard.
So what occurred to Royal Caribbean’s first ships?
Music of Norway
Ship’s destiny: Scrapped
Royal Caribbean’s first cruise ship, the Music of Norway, was launched in 1970, as one of many first giant ships to be constructed particularly for Caribbean cruising as an alternative of a transformed ferry or ocean liner.
Associated: What occurred to Royal Caribbean’s first cruise ship?
The ship is a crucial piece of the cruise line’s historical past, as she set the best way for Royal Caribbean’s main success all through the following 5 many years.
The Music of Norway initially weighed 18,000 gross tons and had a capability for under 724 passengers. She was lengthened within the late Nineteen Seventies to extend capability to 1,024 passengers. Following the ship’s lengthening, she sailed 7 and 14-night cruises from Miami.
Associated: The story of how Royal Caribbean minimize a cruise ship in half and lengthened it
Cruising within the Nineteen Seventies was fairly completely different from cruising right now. Music of Norway had its personal radio station, company acquired a passenger checklist of everybody onboard, there was a midnight buffet, and skeet taking pictures was out there on sea days.
Associated: What it was prefer to go on a Royal Caribbean cruise within the Nineteen Seventies
After 26 years of service for Royal Caribbean, the previous Music of Norway was bought to Solar Cruises in 1996. She operated because the Sundream till 2004, when she was bought to Caspi Cruises because the MS Dream Princess. She was bought a number of instances once more and operated underneath the names Dream, Clipper Pearl, Clipper Pacific, Competition, and Ocean Pearl.
The Music of Norway’s final operations had been underneath the identify Formosa Queen as a floating on line casino in China operated by Hong Kong’s Star Cruises.
In 2014, the previous Music of Norway (Formosa Queen) was scrapped in China.
Nordic Prince
Picture credit score: Raether
Ship’s destiny: Scrapped
The Nordic Prince was the second ship constructed for Royal Caribbean. She launched in the summertime of 1971, providing cruises from Miami. After being lengthened in 1980, nevertheless, Nordic Prince provided cruises all over the world.
She operated for Royal Caribbean till 1995, at which level she was bought to Solar Cruises with the brand new identify Carousel. In 2004, she was bought as soon as once more to Louis Cruise Traces (now Celestyal Cruises) and was renamed Aquamarine.
After being chartered to Transocean Excursions for 5 years underneath the identify Arielle, she was returned to Louis Cruise Traces in 2008 and operated because the Aquamarine till being bought to Ocean Star Cruises in 2010.
The previous Nordic Prince operated because the Ocean Star Pacific underneath Ocean Star Cruises till Could 2012. She was then acquired by PV Enterprises Worldwide, who modified her identify to Pacific (and later the Pacific Victory).
She encountered many technical and engine difficulties throughout her later years of service, from a gash on the hull above the water line in 2008 to a hearth within the engine room in 2011. In 2014, she ran aground within the Philippines en path to India for ship breaking.
The Pacific was decommissioned and scrapped in 2015.
Solar Viking
Ship’s destiny: Scrapped
The Solar Viking is the final of three authentic ships ordered by Royal Caribbean. At 18,000 tons, she could be dwarfed compared to right now’s largest cruise ships (with Marvel of the Seas at 236,857 tons).
Solar Viking sailed within the Caribbean and Mexican Riviera, and she or he operated underneath Royal Caribbean till being bought to Star Cruises in 1998. She was renamed the SuperStar Sagittarius and later sailed for the Hyundai Service provider Marine because the Hyundai Pongnae and Asia Cruises because the Omar III.
As soon as once more renamed to the Lengthy Jie and later the Oriental Dragon, the previous Solar Viking operated as a playing ship in Asia in her later years.
She was retired in 2021 and the previous Solar Viking was beached in Pakistan in January 2022.
Music of America
Picture credit score: CeeGee
Ship’s destiny: Crusing underneath one other model
Launched in 1982, Royal Caribbean’s Music of America cruise ship was double the scale of its earlier ships at 37,584 GT. She was the primary ship to be constructed with the Viking Crown Lounge offering 360 diploma views across the ship.
Music of America initially sailed Caribbean cruises from Miami to Nassau, San Juan, and St. Thomas, however she later ran cruises from New York to Bermuda.
She sailed underneath Royal Caribbean till 1998 when Music of America was bought to Solar Cruises, though the ship was chartered again to Royal Caribbean till 1999.
Renamed the MS Sunbird, the previous Music of America was based mostly within the Mediterranean. She was bought to Louis Cruise Traces in 2004 and operated underneath the identify MS Thomson Future. In 2012, she started working underneath the identify Louis Olympia, homeporting from Piraeus, Greece.
Immediately the previous Music of America is working underneath Celestyal Cruises because the Celestyal Olympia within the Greek Isles. She is the oldest former Royal Caribbean ship nonetheless in operation.
Viking Serenade
Picture credit score: Mark Goebel
Ship’s destiny: Scrapped
The Viking Serenade is the one former Royal Caribbean ship that was not initially constructed for the cruise line.
She launched in 1982 as the biggest cruiseferry on this planet, the MS Scandinavia, for Scandinavian World Cruises. After a number of years of service because the MS Scandinavia and MS Stardancer, she was bought to Royal Caribbean in 1990.
The Viking Serenade was transformed right into a cruise ship from a cruiseferry in 1991, when she started crusing for Royal Caribbean. Simply 11 years later, nevertheless, Viking Serenade was transferred to Island Cruises, a former subsidiary of Royal Caribbean, and was renamed the Island Escape.
She sailed for Island Cruises till 2009, when she joined Thomson Cruises. In 2015, she was bought to Floating Lodging, a US-based firm that gives housing wants for brief and long run initiatives. The ship was renamed the Ocean Gala.
The Ocean Gala was contracted by the Swedish Migration Company in 2016 for use as a floating resort for asylum seekers, however plans didn’t materialize.
The ship spent 2017 in limbo, first close to Suez and later in Abu Dhabi earlier than being scrapped in India in 2018.
Bonus: The retirement of contemporary ships
Royal Caribbean’s first 5 cruise ships had been a place to begin for the cruise line, however the ships that got here later had been recreation changers within the cruise business.
And simply because it’s laborious to think about mega ships like Oasis of the Seas or Odyssey of the Seas being scrapped, it was as soon as simply as tough to image Royal Caribbean’s Sovereign and Imaginative and prescient Class vessels on the scrapyard.
Six of Royal Caribbean’s extra trendy ships have been retired from the fleet, every of which has encountered a distinct destiny.
Sovereign of the Seas
Ship’s destiny: Scrapped
Sovereign of the Seas, regardless of being thought-about a small ship by right now’s requirements, was as soon as the biggest cruise ship on this planet. At 73,529 gross tons and with a capability of two,850 passengers, she was a lot bigger than Royal Caribbean’s earlier cruise ships.
As the primary Sovereign Class cruise ship, her maiden voyage was in April of 1988, and she or he was the primary Royal Caribbean ship to characteristic the cruise line’s signature suffix “of the Seas.”
Associated: Have a look again to a Sovereign of the Seas cruise in 1998
Sovereign of the Seas sailed for Royal Caribbean from 1988 to 2008, when she was transferred to Pullmantur Cruises, a subsidiary of Royal Caribbean. She was renamed the MS Sovereign and sailed for Pullmantur Cruises till they filed for reorganization in 2020.
The vessel was scrapped in Turkey from August 2020 by way of February 2021.
Monarch of the Seas
Ship’s destiny: Scrapped
Monarch of the Seas was a Sovereign Class cruise ship that launched in 1991. Like sister ship Sovereign of the Seas, she was one of many largest cruise ships on this planet.
She sailed for Royal Caribbean for twenty two years, and was the primary ship on this planet to be captained by a girl, Karin Stahre-Janson from Sweden.
In 2012, it was introduced that Monarch of the Seas could be transferred to Pullamantur Cruises, and she or he formally transferred to the subsidiary in April 2013 because the MS Monarch.
Monarch was scrapped in 2020 alongside Sovereign of the Seas.
Splendour of the Seas
Ship’s destiny: Crusing underneath one other model
Spendour of the Seas, a Imaginative and prescient Class cruise ship, was launched by Royal Caribbean in 1996. She sailed for the cruise line till 2016, providing a few of the most unusual itineraries by the cruise line to locations together with Brazil, Oman, and Abu Dhabi.
In 2015, she was bought to Thompson Cruises/TUI cruises and she or he sailed her final Royal Caribbean itinerary in April 2016. She then started crusing underneath the identify TUI Discovery for TUI Cruises.
Only one yr later, although, Thomson Cruises introduced it might be renamed Marella Cruises, and the ship was renamed as soon as once more to the Marella Discovery. She at present operates because the Marella Discovery and affords cruises to the Caribbean, Greek Isles, Israel, Cyprus, and Turkey.
Legend of the Seas
Ship’s destiny: Crusing underneath one other model
The second Imaginative and prescient Class ship to be bought by Royal Caribbean was Legend of the Seas. Legend of the Seas was probably the most traveled ship in Royal Caribbean’s fleet, having been based mostly in Asia, Australia and New Zealand, the South Pacific, Alaska, Central America, Caribbean, the Baltic, Mediterranean, and the Center East.
She sailed over 600 cruise itineraries throughout her 18 years in service for Royal Caribbean.
It was introduced in June 2016 that Legend of the Seas, like sister ship Splendour of the Seas, could be bought to Thomson cruises. The final crusing of Legend of the Seas departed on March 13, 2017.
Legend of the Seas is at present working underneath Marella Cruises because the Marella Discovery 2. She affords itineraries to the Caribbean, Panama Canal, Mediterranean, Greek Isles, Holy Land, and Egypt.
Empress of the Seas
Ship’s destiny: Crusing underneath one other model
Empress of the Seas (initially the Nordic Empress) was launched in 1990 as the only real ship within the fleet’s Empress Class.
After her launch in 1990, Empress of the Seas sailed for Royal Caribbean till 2008, when she was transferred to Pullmantur Cruises. In 2016, nevertheless, she was transferred again to Royal Caribbean.
She sailed for Royal Caribbean till the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020, and it was introduced she could be bought to Cordelia Cruises in December 2020.
Associated: A final take a look at Royal Caribbean’s Empress of the Seas
Cordelia Cruises is a brand new Indian cruise line providing cruises to Mumbai, Kochi, Goa, Lahkshadweep, Chennai, and Visakhapatnam in India. Empress of the Seas (now named Empress) at present operates because the cruise line’s solely ship.
Majesty of the Seas
Ship’s destiny: Crusing underneath one other model
Majesty of the Seas was launched in 1992. As a Sovereign Class ship, she had a capability of almost 2,800 passengers and weight of 73,941 gross tons.
She sailed for Royal Caribbean for 28 years, however in December 2020 it was introduced that Majesty of the Seas had been bought by Seajets, a Greek and Cypriot ferry firm.
Associated: A final take a look at Royal Caribbean’s Majesty of the Seas
She was renamed Majesty of the Oceans, however it’s not clear if she is at present working voyages, as there isn’t a details about the vessel on the Seajets web site. It seems she is in Greece, however plans for the ship are unclear.
