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Royal Caribbean Cruise Line

 

 

Page 1 - First Generation Ships

 

 

These pages are devoted to postcards of the Royal Caribbean Cruise Line. The Table below gives links to complete postcard history pages on selected individual ships (to be added). Below the table are official postcards of the fleet in chronological order. This page covers the smaller 'first generation' cruise ships in the fleet, including the Nordic Empress, which was not delivered until after the first mega-ship, the Sovereign of the Seas, which is covered on RCI Page 2 - The Mega-Ships.

 

 

Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines are one of the three major players in the 21st Century cruise business, the others being Carnival and Star Cruises/NCL, (the fourth group P&O/Princess having joined Carnival). They were formed by Norwegian freighter owners Isak Skaugen and Anders Wilhelmsen specifically to operate new ships in the promising US cruise trade out of Miami. Two purpose-built ships were ordered from Wartsila of Helsinki, the world leaders in modern cruise ship design at that time. Song of Norway was delivered in 1970, followed by Nordic Prince in 1972. A third ship, the Sun Viking, to slightly modified design, arrived in 1972. All ships had a distinctive funnel-mounted lounge which set them apart from other lines. Another Norwegian company, Gotaas-Larsen later joined the partnership.

 

Royal Caribbean operated very successfully, maintaining very high occupancy rates on 7 and 14-day cruises out of Miami. In 1978, Song of Norway returned to her builders for the addition of a new 85-foot centre section, increasing capacity from 724 to 1040 berths. Nordic Prince received a similar extension in 1980, but Sun Viking remains unchanged, since it was decided to build the larger Song of America in 1982 rather than further modify the existing fleet. In 1987, the Sovereign of the Seas was delivered, at that time the largest cruise ship in the world, which set the scene for the incredible building-spree of huge mega-ships by all four cruise leaders which continues to this day (July 2001), although there are signs of a slow-down with some current options being put on hold. Sovereign of the Seas is covered on Royal Caribbean Page 2, along with the other mega-ships.

 

Two other smaller ships are covered on this page, Viking Serenade and Nordic Empress. These were acquired with Admiral Cruise Line, their earlier history being covered on the dedicated page to this company. In 2002, Royal Caribbean belatedly formed a European alliance with First Choice Holidays (main rivals Carnival are already well established with Costa). Viking Serenade will transfer to this new venture, and is to be renamed Island Escape. The advance brochure for the simply-named "Island" (not Island Cruises!) is aimed at the same market as German Aida Cruises - young professionals and families who have probably not cruised before, and want an informal on-board regime. The brochure is unusual in barely mentioning the ship, and has no clear photographs of it! In July 2001 there were reports indicating that RCCL would be interested in acquiring a stake in Sun Cruises, since Carnival are apparently looking to sell their 25% stake (this did not happen). In 2002 plans were announced for RCCL and P&O Princess to amalgamate, but P&O Princess evantually teamed up with Carnival in 2003. Nordic Empress was renamed Empress of the Seas in 2005, and was transferred to Pullmantur as the Empress in 2008.

 

 

Ships on This Page:-

Empress of the Seas - 2005-2008 (ex-Nordic Empress - later Empress)

Island Escape 2002 - (ex-Viking Serenade - joint venture with First Choice)

Nordic Empress - 1990-2005 (later Empress of the Seas, Empress)

Nordic Prince - 1971-1994

Song of America - 1982-1999

Song of Norway - 1970-1996

Sun Viking - 1972-1998

Viking Serenade - built 1982, RCI: 1989-2002 (later Island Escape)

 

Ships on RCI Page Two:-

Adventure of the Seas - 2002 - Voyager Class

Allure of the Seas - 2010 - Oasis Class (Project Genesis)

Brilliance of the Seas - 2002 - Radiance Class

Enchantment of the Seas - 1997 - Vision Class

Explorer of the Seas - 2000 - Voyager Class

Freedom of the Seas - 2006 - Freedom Class

Grandeur of the Seas - 1996 - Vision Class

Independence of the Seas - 2008 - Freedom Class

Jewel of the Seas - 2004 - Radiance Class

Legend of the Seas - 1995 - Vision Class

Liberty of the Seas - 2007 - Freedom Class

Majesty of the Seas - 1992 - Sovereign Class

Mariner of the Seas - 2003 - Voyager Class

Monarch of the Seas - 1991 - Sovereign Class

Navigator of the Seas - 2002 - Voyager Class

Oasis Of The Seas - 2009 - Oasis Class (Project Genesis) - new!

Radiance of the Seas - 2001 - Radiance Class

Rhapsody of the Seas - 1997 - Vision Class

Serenade of the Seas - 2003 - Radiance Class

Sovereign of the Seas - 1987-2008 - Sovereign Class - later Sovereign

Splendour of the Seas - 1996 - Vision Class

Vision of the Seas - 1998 - Vision Class

Voyager of the Seas - 1999 - Voyager Class

 

Royal Caribbean Pages:-

Royal Caribbean Cruise Line - Page 1: The First Generation Ships - this page!

Royal Caribbean Cruise Line - Page 2: The Mega-Ships

Royal Caribbean Cruise Line - Page 3: Fleet & Advertising Postcards

Admiral Cruises - Amalgamated with RCCL in 1989

Celebrity - Upmarket brand owned by RCCL

Sun Cruises - Acquired three of the first four RCCL ships.

 

Associated Pages:-

Cruise Ship Postcards

Ocean Liner Postcards

Simplon Postcards - Recent Updates

Simplon Postcards - Home Page

www.royalcaribbean.co.uk - Royal Carribean UK Home Page

 

References:-

Click on images for details

   

 

 

 

 

 

Table of Individual Ship Pages

Name	Other names	Built
Jewel of the Seas		2004
Liberty of the Seas		2007
Navigator of the Seas		2002
Nordic Prince	Carousel	1971
Song of America	Sunbird	1982
Song of Norway	Sundream, Dream Princess, Dream, Clipper Pearl, Clipper Pacific	1970
Splendour of the Seas		1996
Viking Serenade	Scandinavia, Stardancer, Island Escape	1982

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

RCCL Fleet List - Part One

 

 

 

Song of Norway

(RCCL: 1970-1996)

 

Song of Norway was the first ship built for Royal Caribbean, being delivered from Helsinki builders Wartsila in 1970. She was 18000 tons as built, and carried 724 passengers. In 1978, she was lengthened by 85 feet, to carry a total of 1024 passengers and increase size to 23000 gross tons. She initially operated on 7 and 14-day cruise out of Miami, but later served throughout the world, breaking new territories for RCCL, when superseded by larger ships in the Caribbean. She was sold to Sun Cruises (Airtours) in 1996, becoming their Sundream. The distinctive sky lounge on the funnel was removed as part of the deal, greatly improving her appearance. In 2005, she became the Dream Princess of Caspi Cruises for short cruises from Israel, and was later renamed Dream (pressure from Princess Cruises?). In November 2006 Dream was chartered to Gulf Dream Crusise, running out of Dubai, but the venture collapsed after one cruise. She was later acquired by the Clipper Group and is due to replace The Topaz with the PeaceBoat Organization in 2008.

 

Complete history of Song of Norway

 

 

The official RCCL card below shows Song of Norway her original condition.

She is photographed at Oslo (original headquarters of RCCL) presumably on her delivery voyage from Helsinki to Miami.

 

 

A later card of Song of Norway following lengthening (Wolf Enterprises)

 

 

A later card of Song of Norway following lengthening (Wolf Enterprises)

 

P.Asenjo postcard 679 of Song of Norway following lengthening.

Click to open larger image in new window

 

 

Official RCCL postcard RCCL-1 of Song of Norway in Norway, following lengthening.

 

 

Official RCCL postcard RCCL-2 of Song of Norway following lengthening.

 

 

Scenic Productions (St Thomas) postcard CS-1 of Song of Norway following lengthening.

 

 

Postcard of Song of Norway.

 

 

Simplon Postcards serial sc2040, released November 1993, of Song of Norway (plus Sun Viking astern) at Oslo in September 1993.

Photograph by Ian Boyle.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nordic Prince

(RCCL: 1971-1994)

 

Nordic Prince was the second of two sisters built for Royal Caribbean, being delivered from Helsinki builders Wartsila in 1971. She was 18000 tons as built, and carried 724 passengers. In 1980, she was lengthened by 85 feet, to carry a total of 1024 passengers and increase size to 23000 gross tons. She initially operated on 7 and 14-day cruise out of Miami, but later served throughout the world, breaking new territories for RCCL, when superseded by larger ships in the Caribbean. She was sold to Sun Cruises in 1994, becoming their Carousel. The distinctive sky lounge on the funnel was removed as part of the deal, greatly improving her appearance.

 

A complete history of this ship is available on this link.

 

 

This card by Gulfstream (Miami) shows Nordic Prince in original condition

(plus Sun Viking and three NCL ships) at Miami (serial GS1016/2)

 

Astral Graphics postcard 670 of Nordic Prince following lengthening.

Click to open larger image in new window

 

 

 

 

 

Sun Viking

(RCCL: 1972-1998)

 

Sun Viking was the last of three similar ships built for Royal Caribbean, being delivered from Helsinki builders Wartsila in 1972. She was 18455 tons as built, and differed from her two predecessors in that the bow was one deck higher, allowing a few additional cabins. Unlike her "sisters", she was not lengthened. She initially operated on 7 and 14-day cruise out of Miami, but later served throughout the world, breaking new territories for RCCL, when superseded by larger ships in the Caribbean. She was sold to Hyundai, becoming their Hyundai Pongnae.

 

Astral Graphics postcard 671 of Sun Viking.

Click to open larger image in new window

 

 

Astral Graphics postcard 8-12 of Sun Viking.

 

 

Editions Subervie (Rodez, France) postcard Bx508 of Sun Viking at Bordeaux

(photo Maurice Subervie)

 

 

Simplon Postcards serial sc2041, released November 1993, of Sun Viking at Oslo in September 1993.

Photograph by Ian Boyle.

 

 

Ramsey Postcards 63 of Sun Viking.

 

 

Lord & Hunter 160 of Song of Norway & Sun Viking at St Maarten.

 

 

Sun Viking as Hyundae Pongnae.

Click to open larger image in new window

 

 

 

 

 

Song of America

(RCCL: 1982-1999)

 

After increasing capacity on two of their three ships through lengthening, Royal Caribbean decided to build their first new ship in ten years. The Song of America was delivered from Wartsila in Helsinki (builders of their first three ships) in 1982. Song of America was larger than her predecessors, at 37584 gross tons and 1414 berths (1575 maximum). She pioneered a layout where cabin decks were stacked at the front of the ship, furthest from the engines, with public rooms further aft. Although common on large car ferries, this layout has not been repeated much on cruise ships. The Sky Lounge was even more prominent than before, completely encircling the funnel. Song of America initially operated the company's busiest 7-day itinerary from Miami to Nassau, San Juan and St Thomas. Displaced by larger tonnage, she was sold to Airtours' Sun Cruises, becoming their Sunbird in 1999. Unlike previous sales to Airtours, the Sky Lounge was not removed. She later received the rebranded MyTravel livery. Following the cessation of MyTravel, she passed to Louis Cruise Lines management for charter to Thomson Cruises as Thomson Destiny. Ownership was initially with a Norwegian consortium, but Louis purchased outright in 2008.

 

A complete history of this ship (including additional RCI cards) is available on this link.

 

 

Official RCCL postcard P42072 (Astral Graphics?).

 

 

P.Asenjo postcard A.200 of Song of America.

 

 

Bermuda Prints postcard 305 of Song of America.

 

 

Photolaminados (Puerto Rico) postcard #6 of Song of America passing El Morro.

 

 

 

 

 

Viking Serenade

(RCCL: 1989-2002)

 

Viking Serenade was originally built as the Scandinavia for DFDS subsidiary Scandinavian World Cruises. She operated a cruise-ferry service from New York to Freeport (Bahamas) which was not successful. DFDS transferred her to their Oslo-Copenhagen service until she was sold to Sundance Cruises in 1984. The Stardancer was Sundance Cruises only ship. Sundance merged with Eastern Cruise Line to form Admiral Cruises. She then became the RCCL Viking Serenade when Admiral was merged. Built as a car ferry, her chunky ferry looks were further spoilt when the funnel was shortened and an RCCL 'sky lounge' were fitted. Recent postcards describe her as weighing 40132 gross tons, having a length of 635 feet, and carrying 1946 passengers (maximum 2560). In 2002 she will be renamed Island Escape and operate 7-Day Mediterranean cruises as part of a Royal Caribbean/First Choice Holidays joint venture.

 

A complete postcard history of this ship is available on this link.

 

 

Astral Graphics official postcard dg-P80064 of Viking Serenade.

 

 

Catalina Island official postcard (photo Burney Ramming) of Viking Serenade.

 

 

Catalina Publications official postcard (photo Alan Barlow) of Viking Serenade.

 

 

RCCL official postcard (vik-2) of Viking Serenade.

 

 

 

 

 

Island Escape

(island Cruises: 2002- )

 

Royal Caribbean have initiated a joint venture with UK holiday operators First Choice to operate the Viking Serenade from 2002. The new company is being marketed simply as Island, and Viking Serenade will be renamed the Island Escape. The brochure is aimed at young first-time cruisers, and emphasises the informality of their operation - it appears to be a UK equivalent of the German Aida Cruises (now owned by P&O, but sticking with the German market). She will operate two alternating 7-day itineraries from Palma (Majorca) through the summer of 2002.

 

A complete history of this ship is available on this link.

 

 

This oversized advertising card was issued for the Brasillian market.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nordic Empress (RCCL: 1990-2004)

Empress of the Seas (RCCL: 2004-2008)

 

The Nordic Empress was ordered by Admiral Cruises to replace Emerald Seas. She was due to be named Future Seas, but never appeared with this name since Admiral merged with Royal Caribbean before her delivery. She became the Nordic Empress in the Royal Caribbean fleet. Nordic Empress was renamed Empress of the Seas in 2004. She was transferred to Pullmantur as the Empress in 2008.

 

 

Official RCCL postcard of Nordic Empress

 

 

Official RCCL postcard of Nordic Empress

Serial number AC-21

 

 

Official RCCL postcard of Nordic Empress

 

 

Official RCCL postcard of Nordic Empress

Serial number PCN592

 

 

Official RCCL postcard of Nordic Empress

Serial number NOR

 

 

Chantry Classics serial number CC/S128, photographed by A.O.Wilhelmi 3rd.

 

 

CT Publishing serial number 008, photographed by Richard I.Weiss, Nassau, 24th November 1990.

 

 

Official RCCL postcard of Empress of the Seas

Click to open larger image in new window

 

 

Photograph of Empress of the Seas

Photo: © R.J.Wingrove, Curacao, January 25th 2005.

 

 

Photograph of Empress of the Seas.

Photo: © R.J.Wingrove, Curacao, January 25th 2005.

 

 

 

 

 

Royal Caribbean Cruise Line- Page 2 - Royal Caribbean Cruise Line - Page 3

Admiral Cruises - Sun Cruises - Carnival

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