Caribbean Cruise

Royal Caribbean Cruise Line was founded in 1968 by Anders Wilhelmsen & Company, I.M. Skauge & Company, and Gotaas Larsen - all Norwegian shipping companies. The newly created line put its first ship, the Song of Norway, into service two years later. The next year, the line's capacity was doubled with the addition of the Nordic Prince to the fleet. Continuing to expand, the line added the Sun Viking in 1972. After four years of successful operation, Royal Caribbean's Song of Caribbean Cruise became the first passenger ship to be lengthened. This was accomplished via the insertion of Caribbean Cruise an 85 foot section to the vessel's severed center. Following the success of this procedure, Nordic Prince was stretched in 1980. Royal Caribbean Caribbean Cruise finally received widespread global recogntion when in 1982 it launched the Song of America, over twice the size of Sun Viking and at the time the third largest passenger vessel afloat (after the Norway and the QE2)

Royal Caribbean innovated once again with its 1986 purchase of a coastal property in Haiti for use as a private destination for its guests. This Caribbean Cruise is now called Caribbean Cruise Labadee. After a corporate restructuring in 1988, the line lauched Sovereign of the Seas, the largest passenger vessel afloat at the time. Two years later, Nordic Empress and Viking Serenade entered service for the Caribbean Cruise, continuing a rapid growth trend within the Caribbean Cruise. In the same year Royal Caribbean purchased its second private destination, Little Stirrup Cay, an island in the Bahamas, which they rechristened "Coco Cay".

Monarch of the Seas, the second ship of the Sovereign class, entered service the next year. The third ship of the Sovereign class, Majesty of the Seas, was delivered one year later. With a large passenger capacity and a growing market share, Royal Caribbean finally went public on the New York Stock Exchange in 1993. Over the next two years the Caribbean Cruise experienced extreme growth. A new corporate headquarters in Miami, Florida was completed, and the Nordic Prince replaced by a new vessel, the Legend of the Seas.

The next year brought more growth. Two more Vision class vessels entered service, the Splendour of the Seas and Grandeur of the Seas. Also in 1996, the company finalized its contracts for 130,000 ton vessels with Aker Finnyards in Finland. The trend of Caribbean Cruise and change continued into 1997. The line's oldest ship, Song of Norway, was sold, and two new Vision-class ships entered service as Rhapsody of the Seas and Enchantment of the Seas. The company also merged with the Greek cruise line Celebrity Cruises and changed its name from "Royal Caribbean Cruise Line" to "Royal Caribbean International". The next year marked a transition to a more "strictly modern line", when the last of the company's older Caribbean Cruise , Song of America and Sun Viking, were retired. in 1998, Vision of the Seas came into service, the last of the Vision Class Ships. In 2004, Royal Caribbean made history again with the massive refurbishment of Enchantment of the Seas, cutting the ship in half and adding a 74 foot midsection. Grandeur of the Seas is Caribbean Cruise to be the next to have the massive refurbishment sometime in late 2007 or early 2008.

In 1999 the Voyager of the Seas, the line's newest and world's largest cruise ship entered service with much attention from the news media. The next two years saw the delivery of Voyager's sister ship, Explorer of the Seas, and the first of a new class of Caribbean Cruise friendly cruise liners, Radiance of the Seas, as well as the introduction of Royal Caribbean's "cruise tours Alaska", featuring glass-domed train cars to scenic destinations within the state and Canada. 2002 saw the debut of the Navigator of the Seas, as well as the Brilliance of the Seas, the second ship of the Radiance class. Serenade of the Seas and Mariner of the Seas were introduced the next year, and rock-climbing walls were made a feature of every Royal Caribbean ship. Jewel of the Seas followed in 2004, and the line's ship Nordic Empress was refurbished and re-christened as Empress of the Seas.

Construction Caribbean Cruise on Freedom of the Seas, the line's newest ship, at Aker Finnyards in 2005 and the vessel launched the next year as the largest passenger vessel in the Caribbean Cruise . Freedom of the Seas' sister ship, Liberty of the Seas, and Independence of the Seas of the Freedom class are scheduled to be delivered in 2007 and 2008 respectively. An even larger class, the Genesis class, will be launched in 2009, guaranteeing Royal Caribbean the ship size lead for years to Caribbean Cruise .

In November 2006, Royal Caribbean finalized the purchase of Pullmantur Cruises in Madrid, Spain.

The Royal Caribbean Cruises Fleet

With just slightly fewer ships than Carnival Cruise Lines, the Royal Caribbean fleet is one of the largest in the world. The company also controls Celebrity Cruises and has begun expanding itinerary options to include different Alaskan voyages. In 1988, Royal Caribbean unveiled the Sovereign of the Seas, one of the largest passenger ships of the time, and that innovation Caribbean Cruise a resurgence of megaship construction. With the 2006 introduction of the Freedom of the Seas, a monolith that includes the first surfing machine on a cruise ship, Royal Caribbean is continuing its dominance as a creative and innovative cruise line that caters to passengers? wildest notions.

Size

Royal Caribbean Cruises operates some of the largest cruise ships in the world. The Empress of the Seas is the line?s smallest ship, and after major renovation in early 2004 she can now accommodate 1,600 passengers at double occupancy (two guests per cabin). The Caribbean Cruise larger Vision class are also older ships, though they are spacious enough to hold between 1,800 and 2,000 guests. The Radiance class vessels can accommodate well over two thousand passengers, while the behemoths in the Caribbean Cruise class set sail with more than 3,100 guests on each sailing. Older ships typically have smaller staterooms, though each vessel offers spacious and breathtaking public areas that make the ship even more open and luxurious.

Departure Ports

With such a large number of ships, Royal Caribbean offers cruises from a number of U.S. ports. All the major Florida ports ? Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Port Caribbean Cruise (http://www.portcanaveral.org/) and Tampa (http://www.visittampabay.com/) ? offer an assortment of Bahamas and Caribbean voyages, while other itineraries are available from New Orleans (http://www.neworleansonline.com/rebirth/index.html), Galveston (http://www.galveston.com/), Baltimore (http://www.baltimore.org/), Philadelphia (http://www.gophila.com/), and Boston (http://www.bostonusa.com/). Limited sailings from San Juan (Puerto Rico) and Vancouver (Canada) cover more exotic destinations. As ships are Caribbean Cruise during the year, departure ports are often changed, so
be sure to ask a travel agent or visit RoyalCaribbean.com (http://www.royalcaribbean.com) for updated details.

Caribbean Cruises

Voyage to a tropical paradise filled with magic and wonder when you sail with Disney Cruise Line® on an unforgettable eastern or western 7-night Caribbean cruise. Sunbathe in stunning Seven Mile Beach in Grand Cayman, dive in 20 miles of coral reef of Cozumel and Caribbean Cruise till you drop in luxurious Key West. Discover the multicultural oasis of St. Maarten, go golfing in St. Caribbean Cruise and enjoy a stop in Disney's own Castaway Cay. In addition, Disney Cruise Line® frequently offers special cruises to the Caribbean.