60 Fun Facts About Royal Caribbean

In which country was Royal Caribbean founded?

Three Norwegian shipping companies set it up in the late 1960s; the head office is now in Miami.

In which city is Royal Caribbean based?

It is the largest cruise line by revenue and second largest by passenger count.

What was the name of the line's first ship, which entered service in 1970?

One of the first ships purpose-built for cruising, she ended her days as a gambling ship and was scrapped in 2014.

Since 1987, every Royal Caribbean ship name has ended with which phrase?

Sovereign of the Seas started the tradition when she entered service.

Which 1988 ship was the largest passenger vessel afloat when launched?

Monarch and Majesty of the Seas followed as her Sovereign-class sisters in 1991 and 1992.

Royal Caribbean's private resort Labadee is on the coast of which country?

Leased in the mid-1980s and often advertised as an island, it is actually a fenced peninsula of Hispaniola.

CocoCay, the line's private island, was originally called what?

It sits in the Bahamas' Berry Islands next to Great Stirrup Cay, which Norwegian Cruise Line has used since 1977.

Roughly how much did Royal Caribbean spend renovating CocoCay into "Perfect Day at CocoCay" in 2019?

The makeover added a pier so ships no longer tender, plus a waterpark with North America's tallest slide, Daredevil's Peak.

Which Greek cruise line did Royal Caribbean merge with in 1997, prompting its change of name?

The deal turned Royal Caribbean Cruise Line into Royal Caribbean International and created a holding company for both brands.

In what year did Royal Caribbean list on the New York Stock Exchange?

The company is incorporated in Liberia, a fact it once cited in a failed attempt to escape US jurisdiction over a pollution case.

Which ship class was the first to feature an ice rink at sea and the Royal Promenade?

Built in Turku, Finland, at around 137,000 gross tons, they were the world's largest cruise ships when built.

Which class introduced the FlowRider surfing simulator?

At 154,407 gross tons the Freedom ships were the world's largest from 2006 until the Oasis class arrived in 2009.

Which class is built to Panamax dimensions and uses gas turbine engines?

Radiance ships also boast the first self-levelling billiard tables at sea and over three acres of glass.

Which two ships were the first of Royal Caribbean's record-breaking class delivered in 2009 and 2010?

Royal Caribbean ran a naming contest with USA Today to pick both names.

Roughly how much does each Oasis-class ship cost the line?

They carry up to 6,296 passengers and top 225,000 gross tons.

Which dry-slide attraction debuted on Harmony and Symphony of the Seas?

Both ships were built at Chantiers de l'Atlantique in Saint-Nazaire, France.

Which observation capsule on a 41-metre crane arm is a signature of the Quantum class?

Quantum ships also carry the RipCord by iFLY skydiving simulator and the Two70 lounge.

Which Quantum-class venue hosts bumper cars, roller skating and a trapeze school?

The class also dropped the ice rink and Viking Crown Lounge found on earlier ships.

Which shipyard built the Quantum-class ships?

They were the first Royal Caribbean ships from Meyer Werft since the Radiance class.

Which fuel powers the Icon-class ships?

Royal Caribbean calls LNG a transitional fuel; environmental groups worry about methane leakage.

Which ship became the largest cruise ship in the world when she entered service in January 2024?

At 248,663 gross tons she and sister Star of the Seas share the title.

Which footballer christened Icon of the Seas in January 2024?

Her maiden voyage left PortMiami four days later, on 27 January.

How many swimming pools does Icon of the Seas have?

It also has six water slides across its 20 decks and claims the tallest waterfall at sea.

What is the maximum passenger capacity of Icon of the Seas?

Double occupancy is 5,610, served by a crew of 2,350.

What is the name of the glass-domed diving and performance venue atop Icon of the Seas?

The Hideaway, elsewhere on the ship, has the first suspended infinity pool at sea.

Thrill Island on Icon of the Seas is billed as what?

It has six different water slides.

Which Finnish shipyard builds the Icon-class ships?

Royal Caribbean plans at least seven Icon-class ships and has booked the yard for a follow-on class through 2036.

Which Icon-class ship entered service in August 2025?

She is the second of the class and matches her sister's 248,663 gross tons.

Which sixth Oasis-class ship entered service from Port Canaveral in July 2024?

By tonnage she ranks fourth in the world behind the three Icon-class ships.

Which Oasis-class ship of 2022 held the largest-ship title until Icon of the Seas arrived?

Built at Saint-Nazaire, she measures 235,600 gross tons.

Which ship was the fleet's first to resume sailing in the pandemic, from Singapore in December 2020?

Ovation of the Seas later became the first cruise ship back into the Port of Seattle in June 2021.

Which company's Starlink service did Royal Caribbean adopt fleet-wide in 2022 to fix weak internet?

The FCC had just cleared the satellite service for boats, planes and trucks.

Which harbour did Royal Caribbean agree in 2017 to use as a preferred berth for Oasis-class ships?

The deal hinged on a $100 million remodel of Cruise Terminal 25 in Fort Lauderdale.

Which two ships did Royal Caribbean sell to TUI Cruises in 2016 and 2017?

Royal Caribbean Group owns half of TUI Cruises, which runs the Mein Schiff fleet.

Which cruise line did Royal Caribbean merge with in 1988, gaining the lease on CocoCay?

The island's lease came with the acquisition, and Royal Caribbean branded it CocoCay two years later.

Which glass-domed train tours did Royal Caribbean start offering in 2000?

Land-and-sea 'cruise tours' spread to Europe over the following two years.

Which ship's 2014 norovirus outbreak sickened 689 people, one of the largest in two decades?

The ship came home two days early and passengers were offered a 50% refund plus future credit.

Passengers from which ship were among those killed in the 2019 Whakaari / White Island eruption?

Twenty-one people from the ship died; it was docked at Tauranga, New Zealand.

Which Royal Caribbean ship dumped oily waste and faked records, earning a $9 million fine in 1998-99?

The company argued its Liberian incorporation put it outside US courts, and lost.

Royal Caribbean Group's holding company is incorporated in which country?

It is the world's second-largest cruise operator after Carnival Corporation and also owns Celebrity and Silversea.

Which cruise line did Royal Caribbean Group add to its wholly owned brands alongside Celebrity?

The group also holds a 50% stake in TUI Cruises and runs a global fleet of 71 ships.

How was the line's first ship made bigger in 1978?

Nordic Prince got the same treatment in 1980, and both sterns were reshaped for open space.

Which Vision-class ship had a 74-foot midsection added in 2005, pushing it over 80,000 gross tons?

Every Vision-class ship carries more than two acres of glass.

Which new private destination did the line open in Nassau in December 2025?

Further private resorts are planned in Cozumel, Mexico, and on Lelepa Island in Vanuatu.

Which South Pacific spot did Royal Caribbean pick in 2019 for a planned private resort?

Announced as Perfect Day at Lelepa, it would be the line's first private destination outside the Caribbean and Bahamas.

Which ship was involved in the 2005 disappearance of passenger George Allen Smith?

The case was settled for more than $1 million after a criminal investigation.

Which Quantum-class ship's 2021 debut was delayed after eight crew members tested positive for COVID-19?

The inaugural sailing was pushed back to the end of July 2021.

Around what share of the worldwide cruise market by passengers did Royal Caribbean hold in 2025?

By revenue its share was 24.8%, and it ran 29 ships as of August 2025.

Which three Norwegian shipping companies founded Royal Caribbean Cruise Line in 1968?

The new line put its first ship, Song of Norway, into service two years later.

Which second ship joined the fleet a year after Song of Norway, and was itself stretched in 1980?

Sun Viking followed in 1972; both early stretches also modified the ships' sterns to create more open space.

Which Royal Caribbean ship was the first cruise ship back in the Port of Seattle after the pandemic?

The line had suspended all sailings in December 2020 and sold Empress and Majesty of the Seas.

Which French shipyard built the Vision-class pairs Legend and Splendour, and Rhapsody and Vision?

Grandeur and Enchantment were built at Kvaerner Masa-Yards in Helsinki instead.

Which unusual amenity did the Radiance-class ships introduce as a first at sea?

The class also boasts over three acres of glass, glass viewing elevators and a retractable roof over a pool.

At 154,407 gross tons, the Freedom-class ships were the world's largest from 2006 until which year?

The Oasis class then took over; Freedom ships added hot tubs cantilevered over the side and a boxing ring.

How many passengers can an Oasis-class ship carry at double occupancy?

Maximum capacity is 6,296 passengers, on a ship of at least 225,282 gross tons.

As of 2025, how many Icon-class ships at minimum did Royal Caribbean plan to build?

The first two were ordered from Meyer Turku in October 2016, and a post-Icon class will be built there until 2036.

How much did the EPA fine Royal Caribbean in 2024 over hazardous-waste reporting failures?

The lapses covered the period from July 2019 to July 2024.

Roughly how far is Labadee from the epicentre of the 2010 Haiti earthquake, near which ships kept docking?

Vice president John Weis said relief supplies were delivered and proceeds went to relief, but the decision drew criticism.

Royal Caribbean Group holds a 50 percent stake in which cruise company that operates Mein Schiff?

That company also runs Hapag-Lloyd Cruises; the Group's global fleet numbered 71 ships in September 2025.

Which Madrid-based line did Royal Caribbean's parent company buy in November 2006?

Azamara was created as a Celebrity subsidiary the following year, and CDF was formed in 2008 for French speakers.