Royal Caribbean International was founded in Norway in 1968 as Royal Caribbean Cruise Line by hospitality entrepreneur, Ed Stephan, and Norwegian ship owners, Sigurd Skaugen, Anders Wilhelmsen and Gotaas Larsen. The first ship, Song of Norway, sailed from Miami on November 7, 1970, followed by Nordic Prince in 1971, and Sun Viking in 1972.
In 1988, the cruise line debuted the largest passenger vessel to date, Sovereign of the Seas. Also that year, Royal Caribbean merged with Admiral Cruises. In 1990, two more ships entered service for the cruise line, Nordic Empress and Viking Serenade. Two more Sovereign-class ships, Monarch of the Seas and Majesty of the Seas, entered service in 1991 and 1992.
Another merge took place in 1997. This time with Celebrity Cruises. Royal Caribbean Cruise Line was re-branded Royal Caribbean International at that time, and Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. was formed as the parent company for both Celebrity Cruises and Royal Caribbean International. In July 2020, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd, changed its name to Royal Caribbean Group.
Since the naming of Sovereign of the Seas in 1988, all Royal Caribbean ships end with the phrase “of the Seas.” Today, the cruise line is based in Miami, Florida and operates 28 ships with more on order and planned. Those ships are divided into seven classes–Vision, Voyager, Radiance, Freedom, Oasis, Quantum and Icon.
In 1995, the cruise line introduced the Vision class ships in three pairs–Legend of the Seas and Splendor of the Seas, Grandeur of the Seas and Enchantment of the Seas, Rhapsody of the Seas and Vision of the Seas. Legend of the Seas and Splendor of the Seas are no longer in service for Royal Caribbean.
The Voyager class was introduced in 1999 and was the largest class of cruise ships at that time. They were also the first ships with ice rinks and the first to have the cruise line’s “Royal Promenade” concept. There are five ships in the Voyager class-Voyager of the Seas, Explorer of the Seas, Adventure of the Seas, Navigator of the Seas and Mariner of the Seas.
Following the Voyager class was the Radiance class which debuted in 2001. The Radiance class ships are smaller ships with lots of amenities. The ships feature over 3 acres of glass including a retractable glass roof over a pool. These ships are also built so they can pass through the Panama Canal. There are four ships in this class–Radiance of the Seas, Brilliance of the Seas, Serenade of the Seas and Jewel of the Seas.
Next to launch were the Freedom class ships. At their debut, they were the largest ships in the world, and they feature a Royal Promenade mall that runs about the length of the ship. There are three ships in this class–Freedom of the Seas, Liberty of the Seas and Independence of the Seas.
In 2009, the cruise line introduced Oasis class ships surpassing the Freedom class ships in size making them the world’s biggest ships at the time. Royal Caribbean designed this class with the “neighborhood” concept that allows the passengers to spread out into seven or eight distinct areas meaning nearly 9,000 passengers and crew do not feel as crowded. There are now six ships in that class–Oasis of the Seas, Allure of the Seas, Harmony of the Seas, Symphony of the Seas, Wonder of the Seas, Utopia of the Seas–with one more coming in 2028.
In 2013, Royal Caribbean announced a new class of ship was under construction at the Meyer Werft shipyard, the Quantum class. The first ship, Quantum of the Seas, debuted in 2014 with some of the most unusual new attractions at sea–bumper cars, a skydiving simulator, the North Star observation capsule,and the three deck high Two70° venue that features windows that transform into projection screens. There are now five ships in that class–Quantum of the Seas, Anthem of the Seas, Ovation of the Seas, Spectrum of the Seas and Odyssey of the Seas.
Last and largest in the world is the Icon class which debuted in 2024 with Icon of the Seas. These ships are powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG) and weigh about 250,000 gross tons. These ships carry about 10,000 passengers and crew and have more venues than imaginable. Guests will find seven pools, a waterslide, indoor ice skating rinks, Broadway-style shows, and a huge casino. Icon of the Seas is the only ship currently sailing in this class, but Star of the Seas is scheduled to debut in August and Legend of the Seas and a still unnamed vessel will debut in 2026 and 2027 respectively.
In 1985, Royal Caribbean began leasing its first private destination–a coastal property in Haiti that is now called Labadee. In 1990, Royal Caribbean purchased a private island in the Bahamas–Little Stirrup Cay–which is now Perfect Day at CocoCay. In addition to Labadee and CocoCay, the cruise line is developing Perfect Day Mexico and Royal Beach Clubs in the Bahamas, Mexico, and the South Pacific.