Royal Caribbean International (RCI), formerly Royal Caribbean Cruise Line (RCCL), is a cruise line founded in 1969 in Norway and organized as a wholly owned subsidiary of Royal Caribbean Group since 1997.
Based in Miami, Florida, it is the largest cruise line by revenue and second largest by passenger counts. As of 2025, Royal Caribbean International controlled 27.0% of the worldwide cruise market by passengers and 24.8% by revenue.
As of August 2025, the line operated 29 ships, with additional vessels on order.
Contents
History
Royal Caribbean Cruise Line was founded in 1968 by three Norwegian shipping companies: Anders Wilhelmsen & Company, I.M. Skaugen & Company, and Gotaas Larsen. The newly created line put its first ship, Song of Norway, into service two years later. A year later, the line added Nordic Prince to the fleet and in 1972 it added Sun Viking. In 1978, Song of Norway became Royal Caribbean's first passenger ship to be lengthened. This was accomplished by inserting an 85-foot (26 m) section. Following the success of this work, Nordic Prince was also stretched in 1980. During the stretching of both ships, their sterns were modified to create more open space. In 1982, Royal Caribbean launched Song of America.
In 1986, Royal Caribbean leased a coastal property in Labadie, Haiti, to be used as a private destination for its guests, renamed as Labadee. After a corporate restructuring in 1988, the line launched Sovereign of the Seas, the largest passenger vessel afloat at the time. That same year, Royal Caribbean also merged with Admiral Cruises. Two years later in 1990, Nordic Empress and Viking Serenade entered service and Royal Caribbean purchased a second private destination, Little Stirrup Cay, an island in the Bahamas, which they branded as CocoCay.
The second and third Sovereign-class cruise ships Monarch of the Seas and Majesty of the Seas were delivered in 1991 and 1992 respectively.
Royal Caribbean went public on the New York Stock Exchange in 1993.
Reorganization and renaming
In 1997, it merged with the Greek cruise line Celebrity Cruises and changed its name from Royal Caribbean Cruise Line to Royal Caribbean International. At the same time, Royal Caribbean Group was formed as Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. to serve as a holding company that owned both Celebrity Cruises and Royal Caribbean International.
In 2000, Royal Caribbean operated a series of land-and-sea-based "cruise tours" in Alaska, featuring glass-domed train cars to scenic destinations within the state and Canada. Over the next two years, they also introduced cruise tours to destinations throughout Europe.
The larger Oasis class, featuring Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas, launched in 2009 and 2010. In December 2012, Royal Caribbean announced that they had ordered a third Oasis-class cruise ship from STX France, which would be larger than the previous ships in the class. In March 2014, Royal Caribbean announced that they had ordered a fourth Oasis-Class ship from STX France.
In February 2013, Royal Caribbean announced the first two ships of their newest Quantum class, Quantum of the Seas and Anthem of the Seas, which were being built at the Meyer Werft shipyard. In May of that year, Royal Caribbean announced that they had signed a contract for a third Quantum-class ship for delivery in mid-2016.
In September 2014, Royal Caribbean announced that the third Quantum-class ship would be named Ovation of the Seas, and in February 2015 they announced that the third Oasis-class ship would be named Harmony of the Seas.
In March 2015, Royal Caribbean announced that they had agreed to sell Splendour of the Seas to TUI Cruises in the second quarter of 2016.
In June 2016, Royal Caribbean announced that they had agreed to sell Legend of the Seas to TUI Cruises in the second quarter of 2017.
The company lobbies in various jurisdictions in which it operates. In the United States of America, lobbying expenditure records are held by the Senate Office of Public Records. In South Australia, the company is represented by lobbying company Richardson Coutts Pty Ltd.
Partnerships/capabilities
In August 2022, the company announced that it would partner with SpaceX to use its Starlink technology across all its ships, in an effort to improve historically weak internet connections. This comes on the heels of the Federal Communications Commission authorizing SpaceX to provide its services to boats, planes, and trucks.
Private resorts
Royal Caribbean operates two privately owned resorts that are used as stops on some Caribbean and Bahamas itineraries. They are Labadee, a resort on the northern coast of Haiti, and CocoCay, a private island in the Berry Islands region of the Bahamas. Royal Caribbean established the Royal Beach Club on Paradise Island in Nassau, Bahamas, in December 2025.
The company is planning to open additional private resorts in Cozumel in Mexico and on Lelepa Island, Vanuatu in the South Pacific.
Fleet
Current fleet
Since Sovereign of the Seas entered service in 1987, all subsequent Royal Caribbean ships have names ending with the phrase "of the Seas".
The Vision class consists of three pairs of sister ships. Legend and Splendour, built at Chantiers de l'Atlantique, Saint-Nazaire, France have a gross tonnage of approximately 70,000. Grandeur and Enchantment were built at Kvaerner Masa-Yards, Helsinki, Finland and had an original tonnage of approximately 73,000 GT. The final pair, Rhapsody and Vision were also built at Chantiers de l'Atlantique, and have a tonnage of 78,000 GT. In 2005, a 74-foot (23 m) midsection was added to Enchantment of the Seas, bringing its tonnage to over 80,000 GT. All ships of this class feature over 2 acres (8,100 m2) of glass. Royal Caribbean sold both Splendour of the Seas and Legend of the Seas to Marella Cruises. Splendour of the Seas last sailed for Royal Caribbean on 4 April 2016, and the final Legend of the Seas sailing for Royal Caribbean left port on 13 March 2017. In October 2019, Royal Caribbean announced a plan to transfer Grandeur of the Seas to Pullmantur Cruises after its last scheduled sailing on 21 March 2021. However, following Pullmantur's filing for bankruptcy, Royal Caribbean later announced in August 2020 that Grandeur would remain in Royal Caribbean's fleet.
The Voyager-class ships were the largest class of cruise ships in the world when constructed, were the first ships to have an ice rink at sea and the first to have Royal Caribbean's "Royal Promenade" concept, a main thoroughfare extending most of the length of the ship, flanked by bars, cafes, and shopping venues. They were built at Kvaerner Masa-Yards' (now Meyer Turku) facility in Turku, Finland. They have a gross tonnage of around 137,000 tonnes. Ships introduced onboard amenities, including sports facilities and themed public spaces.
Navigator of the Seas and Mariner of the Seas are second-generation Voyager-class vessels, and feature glass stateroom balconies that extend out from the superstructure of the ship and a larger Windjammer buffet area.
All Radiance-class ships have a gross tonnage of 90,090 and environmentally friendlier gas turbine engines. The Radiance-class ships have over 3 acres (12,000 m2) of glass, glass exterior viewing elevators, over 700 balcony staterooms, two-level glass windowed dining rooms, alternative restaurants, a retractable glass roof over a pool, an outdoor pool, as well as the first self-leveling billiard tables at sea. The Radiance class ships were constructed at Meyer Werft, Papenburg, Germany. Unlike the preceding Voyager class, these ships are built to the Panamax form factor, allowing them to pass through the Panama Canal.
Future fleet
Royal Caribbean is also planning a new class of ships to follow the Icon-class. Those ships will be built at Meyer Turku until 2036.
Ports of call
Royal Caribbean operates internationally and has many ports of call.
Awards
Travel awards include
"Best Cruise Line Overall" 2016 by Travel Weekly
"Cruise Line of the Year 2018" by Cruisedaily
Controversies
Cruise line operators have been criticized for using their large economic impact to cut deals over ship-generated waste with home ports, ports of call, and agencies.
Norovirus outbreaks
In January 2014, an outbreak of norovirus aboard Explorer of the Seas sickened 689 of 4,237 passengers and crew (16.3%), causing the ship to return to port two days early. The outbreak was reported as one of the largest cruise ship illness incidents in two decades. Royal Caribbean offered all passengers aboard that cruise a 50% refund of their cruise fare, an additional 50% (plus 10% for each day sick passengers were quarantined) of their cruise fare as a credit towards another cruise, and reimbursed extra travel expenses for guests returning home early.
Docking in Haiti
In the aftermath of the 2010 Haiti earthquake, Royal Caribbean continued docking cruise ships at the Labadee resort, located approximately 60 miles from the epicenter of the earthquake, during the ongoing humanitarian crisis. Royal Caribbean vice president John Weis stated that relief supplies were delivered and proceeds went toward relief efforts. The decision to continue docking was criticized nonetheless and created concern among passengers.
George Allen Smith case
On 5 July 2005, passengers on board Brilliance of the Seas reported what appeared to be blood on a part of the ship below the passenger balconies. After a search, George Allen Smith was discovered to be missing and thought to have fallen overboard. A criminal investigation into possible foul play was conducted, and a brief press release on the company's investor relations website announced the settlement of the case, later revealed to be more than $1 million.
Environmental record
In 1998 and 1999, the company was fined US$9 million because one of its ships, Sovereign of the Seas, had repeatedly dumped oily waste into the ocean and tried to hide this using false records, including fake piping diagrams given to the U.S. Coast Guard. Because the company was and is incorporated in Liberia, Royal Caribbean argued that this case was not in the jurisdiction of U.S. courts. Despite their argument, they were unsuccessful.
In 2024, the Environmental Protection Agency fined Royal Caribbean International $475,000 for failing to properly report solid and hazardous waste management and handling between July 2019 and July 2024.
Whakaari / White Island eruption
On 9 December 2019, a volcanic eruption occurred killing 21 people from Ovation of the Seas. It occurred on New Zealand's Whakaari / White Island while Ovation was docked in the nearby Port of Tauranga. Despite an increase in seismic activity in preceding weeks, 47 people (including 38 passengers and crew from the ship) were on the island when it erupted. As of December 10, 2019, 44 of the 47 were injured, missing, or killed. A Royal Caribbean spokesperson said the line was "devastated by today’s events", and the ship remained in port until 10 December to assist with recovery efforts. In April 2020, legal action was commenced in Australia on behalf of relatives and Ovation passengers against Royal Caribbean.
Death of Chloe Rae Margaret Wiegand
On 7 July 2019, 18-month-old Chloe Rae Margaret Wiegand was dropped to her death from an open window by her grandfather Salvatore Anello on Freedom of the Seas while docked in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He was later arrested on counts of homicide by authorities in Puerto Rico. The family attempted to file a civil suit against Royal Caribbean claiming that Anello did not know the window was open. Royal Caribbean later released several videos from surveillance cameras showing this incident. As of 25 February 2020, Anello took a plea deal with authorities. However, the civil lawsuit was still approved by a judge.
COVID-19 pandemic
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Miami Herald reported that, after cruises were cancelled worldwide and they had disembarked all passengers, Royal Caribbean Cruises had refused to repatriate many of their crew members due to the associated costs, with many crew members turning to desperate measures, such as hunger strikes, as a result.
As part of the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA), Royal Caribbean paused its global sailing operations through 30 April 2021.
On 16 June 2021, Royal Caribbean International announced that it was delaying the inaugural sailing of their newest cruise liner, Odyssey of the Seas after eight crew members tested positive for SARS-CoV-2–COVID-19. Six of the crew members were without showing signs of symptoms while the other two were experiencing mild symptoms of the disease. The delay was extended until 31 July 2021.