Royal Caribbean International (RCI), formerly Royal Caribbean Cruise Line (RCCL), is a cruise line founded in 1969 in Norway and organized as a wholly owned subsidiary of Royal Caribbean Group since 1997.
Based in Miami, Florida, it is the largest cruise line by revenue and second largest by passenger counts. Royal Caribbean International controlled 27.0% of the worldwide cruise market by passengers and 24.8% by revenue.
the line operated 29 ships, with additional vessels on order.</onlyinclude>
History
Royal Caribbean Cruise Line was founded in 1968 by three Norwegian shipping companies: Anders Wilhelmsen & Company, I.M. Skaugen & Company, and Gotaas Larsen. The newly created line put its first ship, Song of Norway, into service two years later. A year later, the line added Nordic Prince to the fleet and in 1972 it added Sun Viking. In 1978, Song of Norway became Royal Caribbean's first passenger ship to be lengthened. This was accomplished by inserting an section. Following the success of this work, Nordic Prince was also stretched in 1980. During the stretching of both ships, their sterns were modified to create more open space. In 1982, Royal Caribbean launched Song of America.
In 1986, Royal Caribbean leased a coastal property in Labadie, Haiti, to be used as a private destination for its guests, renamed as Labadee. After a corporate restructuring in 1988, the line launched Sovereign of the Seas, the largest passenger vessel afloat at the time. That same year, Royal Caribbean also merged with Admiral Cruises. Two years later in 1990, Nordic Empress and Viking Serenade entered service and Royal Caribbean purchased a second private destination, Little Stirrup Cay, an island in the Bahamas, which they branded as CocoCay.
The second and third s Monarch of the Seas and Majesty of the Seas were delivered in 1991 and 1992 respectively.
Royal Caribbean went public on the New York Stock Exchange in 1993.
Reorganization and renaming In 1997, it merged with the Greek cruise line Celebrity Cruises and changed its name from Royal Caribbean Cruise Line to Royal Caribbean International. At the same time, Royal Caribbean Group was formed as Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. to serve as a holding company that owned both Celebrity Cruises and Royal Caribbean International.
In 2000, Royal Caribbean operated a series of land-and-sea-based "cruise tours" in Alaska, featuring glass-domed train cars to scenic destinations within the state and Canada. Over the next two years, they also introduced cruise tours to destinations throughout Europe.
The larger Oasis class, featuring Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas, launched in 2009 and 2010. In December 2012, Royal Caribbean announced that they had ordered a third Oasis-class cruise ship from STX France, which would be larger than the previous ships in the class.Royal Caribbean Orders Third Oasis-Class Ship from STX France. Cruise Industry News, 27 December 2012. In March 2014, Royal Caribbean announced that they had ordered a fourth Oasis-Class ship from STX France.
In February 2013, Royal Caribbean announced the first two ships of their newest Quantum class, Quantum of the Seas and Anthem of the Seas, which were being built at the Meyer Werft shipyard.Royal Caribbean announces names for new cruise ships, baltimoresun.com In May of that year, Royal Caribbean announced that they had signed a contract for a third Quantum-class ship for delivery in mid-2016.
In September 2014, Royal Caribbean announced that the third Quantum-class ship would be named Ovation of the Seas, and in February 2015 they announced that the third Oasis-class ship would be named Harmony of the Seas.
In March 2015, Royal Caribbean announced that they had agreed to sell Splendour of the Seas to TUI Cruises in the second quarter of 2016.
In June 2016, Royal Caribbean announced that they had agreed to sell Legend of the Seas to TUI Cruises in the second quarter of 2017.
The company lobbies in various jurisdictions in which it operates. In the United States of America, lobbying expenditure records are held by the Senate Office of Public Records. In South Australia, the company is represented by lobbying company Richardson Coutts Pty Ltd.
In 2017, Royal Caribbean agreed to use Port Everglades as a preferred berth for its Oasis class ships. The new agreement extended the past contract with Port Everglades until 2026, contingent upon a $100 million remodeling of Cruise Terminal 25, and approved by the Broward County Board of County Commissioners.
In December 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Royal Caribbean suspended sailings across its fleet. It also sold Empress of the Seas and Majesty of the Seas, with the former going to Cordelia Cruises. , its first and only ship to resume sailing was Quantum of the Seas, which began sailing from Singapore in December 2020 under health and safety regulations formulated by the Singapore government.
On 29 June 2021, Royal Caribbean International's Ovation of the Seas became the first cruise ship to return to the Port of Seattle since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
Partnerships/capabilities In August 2022, the company announced that it would partner with SpaceX to use its Starlink technology across all its ships, in an effort to improve historically weak internet connections. This comes on the heels of the Federal Communications Commission authorizing SpaceX to provide its services to boats, planes, and trucks.
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 CocoCay, a private island in the Berry Islands region of the Bahamas. Royal Caribbean established the Royal Beach Club on Paradise Island in Nassau, Bahamas, in December 2025.
The company is planning to open additional private resorts in Cozumel in Mexico and on Lelepa Island, Vanuatu in the South Pacific.
Fleet Current fleet Since Sovereign of the Seas entered service in 1987, all subsequent Royal Caribbean ships have names ending with the phrase "of the Seas".
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 . The final pair, Rhapsody and Vision were also built at Chantiers de l'Atlantique, and have a tonnage of . In 2005, a midsection was added to Enchantment of the Seas, bringing its tonnage to over . All ships of this class feature over 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 4 April 2016, and the final Legend of the Seas sailing for Royal Caribbean left port on 13 March 2017. In October 2019, Royal Caribbean announced a plan to transfer Grandeur of the Seas to Pullmantur Cruises after its last scheduled sailing on 21 March 2021. However, following Pullmantur's filing for bankruptcy, Royal Caribbean later announced in August 2020 that Grandeur would remain in Royal Caribbean's fleet.
Name YearbuiltGrosstonnage Berths Flag Notes Ship imageDoubleMaximumBuilt in Kvaerner Masa-YardsGrandeur of the Seas 1996 73,817 1,9922,440Last renovated in 2012.Enchantment of the Seas 1997 82,910 2,2522,730 Lengthened in 2005. Last renovated in 2013.Built in Chantiers de l'AtlantiqueRhapsody of the Seas 1997 78,878 1,9982,416 Last renovated in 2012.Vision of the Seas 1998 78,717 2,0502,514 Last renovated in 2013.
Voyager class
The Voyager-class ships were the largest class of cruise ships in the world when constructed, were the first ships to have an ice rink at sea and the first to have Royal Caribbean's "Royal Promenade" 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. Ships introduced onboard amenities, including sports facilities and themed public spaces.
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.
Name YearbuiltGrosstonnage BerthsFlag Notes Ship imageDoubleMaximumVoyager of the Seas 1999 138,194 3,1143,840Last renovated in 2019.Explorer of the Seas 2000 138,194 3,1143,840Planned renovation postponed.Adventure of the Seas 2001 138,193 3,1143,807Last renovated in 2016.Navigator of the Seas 2002 139,9993,3764,000Last renovated in 2019.Mariner of the Seas 2003 139,863 3,1143,807Last renovated in 2018.
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 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.
Name YearbuiltGrosstonnage Berths Flag Notes Ship imageDoubleMaximumRadiance of the Seas 2001 90,090 2,1432,466Last renovated in 2011.Brilliance of the Seas 2002 90,090 2,1422,543Last renovated in 2013.Serenade of the Seas 2003 90,090 2,1462,476Last renovated in 2012.Jewel of the Seas 2004 90,090 2,1122,502Last renovated in 2016.
Freedom class
The Freedom-class ships are lengthened versions of the second-generation Voyager-class ship, and contain a 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.
Name YearbuiltGrosstonnage Berths Flag Notes Ship imageDoubleMaximum 2006 156,271 3,7824,515Last renovated in 2020.Liberty of the Seas 2007 155,889 3,7984,960Last renovated in 2016.Independence of the Seas 2008 155,889 3,6344,375Last renovated in 2018.
Oasis class
The Oasis-class ships are among the largest passenger ships ever built, having surpassed the Freedom-class ships, and are surpassed only by the Icon-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.Aker Yards press release, Royal Caribbean orders another giant cruise vessel from Aker Yards, 2 April 2007. 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. They introduced the Ultimate Abyss dry slide feature. Royal Caribbean International, in conjunction with USA Today, sponsored a contest to name the first two vessels.Name that ship contest, usatoday.com In February 2019, Royal Caribbean announced the order of a 6th Oasis class vessel, later named Utopia of the Seas, from Chantiers de l'Atlantique for delivery in 2024 with a double occupancy of 5,714 and gross tonnage of 231,000.