Welcome to Royal Caribbean Cruise
As from the autumn of 2009 Royal Caribbean will have six classes of cruise ship in their fleet. The latest class being what is now known as the Oasis class is a result of Royal Caribbean’s project Genesis. At 220,000 tons these monsters of the seas out weigh their current largest ships the Freedom class by some 60,000 tons. Oasis of the Seas will be the first Oasis class to enter service and will become the largest cruise ship in the world. Cruises onboard Oasis of the Seas has now gone on sale for its inaugural season, cruising out of Fort Lauderdale.
There are five other classes of ship in the Royal Caribbean fleet, the Freedom class ships, soon to be the second largest cruise ships in the world at 160,000 tons are basically extended versions of the Voyager class ships and the first to offer a flow rider machine, where you can practice your surfing many stories above sea level. The Voyager class ships at 138,000 tons introduced many new innovative activities and features. The Radiance class, many peoples favourite class, at 90,000 tons reportedly has proportionately more glass, open space and balconies than the other cruise ships. The Radiance class appears to be a smaller version of the Voyager class ship and a larger version of the slightly older Vision class. The Royal Caribbean Vision classes of ships are 79,000 tons and have so much glass that they are often known as ships of light. It is normal in cruising to name a class of ship after the first ship in that class; however with the Vision class the Legend of the Seas entered service in May 1995 while the Vision of the Seas joined in 1998 and was the last of six ships in that class. There is however a different internal structure between the earlier models and Vision herself. The Sovereign class are 73,000 tons and were first built in 1988.
Brief History
The innovations of Royal Caribbean Cruise do not start just with their ships; in 1986 they purchased coastal property in Haiti for use as a private destination for its guests on a Caribbean cruise, it is now called Labadee. In the same year Royal Caribbean purchased its second private destination, Little Stirrup Cay, one of the Berry Islands in the Bahamas, which they rechristened Coco Cay. Royal Caribbean is one of a few cruise lines that match an abundance of onboard activities and entertainment with spectacular cruising destinations.
Royal Caribbean Cruise’ CEO Richard Fain visited London on February 26, 2007 to make a “major news announcement” about a “major increase in European deployment and new-build ships”. There had been speculation for some time as to what is going to happen to Independence of the Seas, the third of the Freedom class ships, at the time under construction at the Aker ship yard in Finland and due to enter service in May 2008. Previously Royal Caribbean Cruise had signed a 10 million, seven-year deal with the Port of Southampton to enlarge the port’s City Cruise Terminal. Associated British Ports (owners of Southampton’s Cruise Terminal) said at the time, the agreement to expand the terminal was “so it can accommodate the new generation of large cruise ships.” With Navigator of the Seas imminent arrival, one could imagine, this was why the agreement was signed. However it now seems that the expansion was so that the Independence of the Seas could cruise out of Southampton after its inauguration.
Royal Caribbean 2008
Royal Caribbean Cruise are now set to have 6 ships in Europe for 2008, Independence of the Seas and Jewel of the Seas offering Cruise Holidays out of the UK, with Voyager and Navigator of the Seas out of Barcelona, Splendour of the Seas in Venice and Legend of the Seas ported in Rome. With these six ships Royal Caribbean now offer more beds in Europe than P&O Cruises who are a traditional British cruise line. Like many US owned cruise companies they see Europe as a way to fill beds after the recent saturation of the US market with new ships.
The Old Royal Caribbean Newsline is still around, however it is no longer updated as the new Newsline is at Royal Caribbean News as from April 2008 onwards.
