When it comes to ranking the largest cruise ships in the world, size is measured in gross tonnage (GT), not gross register tonnage (GRT), an older measurement system phased out decades ago under international maritime convention and no longer used…
Having sailed aboard Oasis of the Seas and Harmony of the Seas from the Oasis-class, as well as Quantum of the Seas, it becomes clear that Royal Caribbean was not simply scaling ships up or down. These two classes represent…
Quantum of the Seas was conceived under Royal Caribbean’s “Project Sunshine” program as a prototype for a new Quantum‑class, combining advanced naval engineering with a suite of headline-grabbing “firsts at sea,” but its radical dining experiment—Dynamic Dining—proved one of the…
Quantum of the Seas marked a turning point for Royal Caribbean when she debuted, introducing an entirely new class built around technology, flexible spaces, and all weather experiences. Designed for travelers who want big ship features without the overwhelming scale…
My next short getaway takes me aboard Quantum of the Seas, sailing round-trip from Los Angeles. Departing from LA is always a favorite of mine. It’s one of the country’s busiest commercial ports, and watching container ships, tankers, and working…
Royal Caribbean International has built its reputation on scale, innovation, and bold design. Founded in 1968 by Ed Stephan and backed by a trio of Norwegian shipping companies, the line quickly distinguished itself by introducing purpose-built cruise ships at a…
Last month I was onboard the Oasis of the Seas and while it was extremely short, I used this opportunity to document the ship. The Oasis of the Seas is the lead ship in the groundbreaking Oasis-class of vessels for…
The Hostile Takeover That Almost Sank Royal Caribbean In 1988, the cruise industry was a hotbed of ambition and intense rivalries. The biggest showdown was between two companies in positive growth mode: Carnival Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean Cruise Line.…
Royal Caribbean’s visionary project that gave us the Oasis of the Seas was born from a desire to not just build a bigger cruise ship, but to completely redefine the cruise vacation experience. The result was a floating city that…
I’ll be setting out soon on a short two-day cruise aboard Oasis of the Seas. The itinerary is simple—just one port, Royal Caribbean’s private island destination, Perfect Day at CocoCay. It will be interesting to see just how much one…
Star of the Seas, debuting in August 2025, is Royal Caribbean’s second Icon-class cruise ship and one of the largest passenger vessels ever built. Constructed at Meyer Turku in Finland, the ship measures about 250,800 gross tons, with capacity for…
The 2025 Perspective on LNG and the upcoming, fuel cells on cruise ships Royal Caribbean’s newest ship Star of the Seas is the latest in the LNG powered newbuilds that are being launched. In early August, she completed her first…
Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas has officially started sailing, so now is a good time to revisit our the Largest Cruise Ship list and the Largest Ships List. In this post we will focus on the largest ships in…
Last month I spent a week onboard the Harmony of the Seas. I used this opportunity to document the ship with over one hundred photos featured in this tour alone. The Harmony of the Seas is the 3rd in the…
Royal Caribbean recently announced that they will be changing up some ship deployments, but why? And what is IMO2023? Well, it’s related to new regulations concerning the speed and efficiency that the ships can sail at. In recent years the…
The challenge is to design and build the largest and most technologically advanced cruise ship in history. In this video you’ll discover how and why Voyager of the Seas came to be the largest cruise ship ever built. Revealing interviews…
UPDATE 7/1/20: The Sovereign and Monarch have had all valuable equipment removed in Naples and will head to Aliaga, Turkey for scrapping. The Horizon will head to Athens to have equipment stripped, then she will head to Turkey. UPDATE 6/30/20:…
Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. today launched a $3.3 billion bond offering. They will use 28 ships as collateral. It’s not currently known if its 28 of the current and partially completed ships in the Royal Caribbean International fleet or 28…
Royal Caribbean has recently been able to better it’s liquidity by arranging for a debt holiday from payments for its newbuilds in Germany and France. The French credit agency is applying this to the Symphony of the Seas, Celebrity Edge,…
Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd today announced that due to the spread and recent developments related to the COVID-19 outbreak, the company has increased its revolving credit capacity by $550 million bolstering the company’s liquidity. The company is pursuing additional actions to improve…
And so it begins… Well technically they started shuffling around the vision-class when they sent the Legend and Splendour of the Seas off to TUI cruises. The next in the vision-class to leave the Royal Caribbean International fleet is the…
…Vanuatu. Lelepa is off the coast of Vanuatu which is a chain of islands, 1076 miles ENE of Australia. Royal Caribbean, along with the Vanuatu government, will develop the island into a private cruise destination. The project is still in…
She’ll be named Wonder of the Seas and be based in China. The Wonder of the Seas was all but confirmed to be originally named Melody of the Seas. However today they just announced that she will in fact be…
A look inside the ship that made history with short cruises, European voyages, and Cuba sailings. Royal Caribbean’s Empress of the Seas began her story in the late 1980s under a very different name. Originally conceived by Admiral Cruises as…
UPDATE Tuesday: Royal Caribbean has announced that as a result of damage to the ship, they are canceling the next three cruises (April 7, 14 & 21 [Transatlantic]). There’s speculation that she suffered damage to one of her Azipods. At…