Royal Caribbean: the back story

About Royal Caribbean: the back story

By the ULTIMATE the world’s cruise lines Editorial Team

Editor-in-Chief: Jai Michael

Royal Caribbean began with a single ship, Song of Norway, and a simple idea: a week in the Caribbean from Miami. Half a century on, it builds the biggest ships afloat and has turned them into family resorts with neighbourhoods, parks and waterparks.

A week in the sun

Royal Caribbean was founded by a Miami cruise man and three Norwegian ship owners, and its first ship, Song of Norway, sailed on her maiden voyage from Miami on 7 November 1970 (royalcaribbeangroup.com). The formula was simple and it worked: a week of Caribbean islands, with the ship itself as a floating hotel. Everything the line has done since has been about making that hotel more of a destination in its own right.

The neighbourhood idea

The turning point came with Oasis of the Seas, delivered from the yard in Turku, Finland, on 28 October 2009 (royalcaribbeanpresscenter.com). She was the largest ship in the world, and she broke the ship into ‘neighbourhoods’: a Boardwalk with a carousel, a Royal Promenade of shops and bars, and Central Park, an open-air garden of more than 10,000 plants in the heart of the ship. Six Oasis-class ships now sail, from Oasis to Utopia of the Seas, and the neighbourhood plan has become the line’s signature.

A ship with a park in the middle of it.

Icon class

Icon of the Seas took the idea further when she debuted in January 2024 as the biggest cruise ship in the world. Her sisters Star of the Seas and Legend of the Seas now match her gross tonnage. On board you find Category 6, the largest waterpark at sea; Royal Bay, the largest pool at sea; Surfside, a whole neighbourhood for young families; and the glass AquaDome, a theatre with a pool for a stage. Hero of the Seas, the fourth of the class, arrives in Miami in August 2027 with nine pools and the first funnel raft slide at sea.

The island

On land, the line has its own island in the Bahamas. Perfect Day CocoCay is for Royal Caribbean guests only, with a waterpark of 14 slides, an adults-only beach and the Coco Beach Club with overwater cabanas. The idea is spreading: Royal Beach Clubs now welcome guests at Paradise Island in Nassau and on a black-sand beach in Santorini, with another planned for Cozumel.

Who it is for

This is the line for families, for groups of friends and for first-time cruisers who want the ship to be the holiday. Much is included, from the main restaurants and buffets to the pools, waterparks, kids’ clubs and the big shows. Specialty restaurants, drinks packages, Wi-Fi and spa treatments cost extra, so the final bill depends on how you sail.

Our advice: choose the ship before the itinerary. If you have children, Icon or Oasis class is the whole point; book specialty dining and the CocoCay passes before you sail, and pick a week that includes a day on the island.

Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Royal Caribbean: the back story before you go.