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Two former Royal Caribbean cruise ships will be sold

In:
15 Jul 2020

After weeks of speculation, Royal Caribbean is in the process of selling two former cruise ships.

Monarch and Sovereign are currently part of Pullmantur Cruises' fleet, but originally sailed as part of Royal Caribbean International.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Chairman and CEO Richard Fain confirmed the ships' fate during a call with travel agents.

He indicated that there are no plans to sell any ships right now, apart from the Pullmantur ships.

"The one exception would be the Pullmantur ships, which are now in the process of being sold."

On June 22, Spanish cruise line Pullmantur Cruises announced it was filing for reorganization, which is a form of bankruptcy.

Pullmantur's board of directors make the decision following the "unprecedented impact" made the decision necessary.

A piece of history

Sovereign of the Seas plays a significant role in the history of Royal Caribbean, as the first mega ship to ever launch.

Sovereign of the Seas is one of three Sovereign Class cruise ships (along with sister ship Monarch of the Seas), and was operated by Royal Caribbean beginning with her maiden voyage on January 16, 1988 from PortMiami.

Sovereign of the Seas was the first Royal Caribbean ship to feature the now well-known suffix "of the Seas".

At 73,192 tons, the ship featured a five-deck Centrum, glass elevators, fountains in marble pools, and sweeping staircases. She completely dwarfed every vessel of her time, coming in double the size of Royal Caribbean's Song of America. A ship that large, with those kind of features was unheard of at the time.

Sovereign of the Seas demonstrated that it is possible for a modern cruise ship to offer a balance of beauty and function and be something more than a container carrier or a ferry. 

Sister ship Monarch of the Seas was built in 1991 and was the second Sovereign Class ship to be built.

At 73,941 tons, Monarch was one of the largest cruise ships in the world at time of her completion.

With the end for Sovereign and Monarch, this will leave Majesty of the Seas as the last Soveriegn Class ship.

Monarch of the Seas returns to port after toddler falls from balcony

In:
22 Dec 2012

Royal Caribbean's Monarch of the Seas was forced to return to Port Canaveral hours after it left port because of a severe injury to a one year old.

Monarch of the Seas had initially left Port Canaveral at 4:30pm to head to the Bahamas when a 1-year-old crawled through an 11th floor railing and fell to a balcony one deck below.

At 7:30 p.m. the child was airlifted to Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children in Orlando.

There was no word on the child's condition.

Hurricane Sandy forces Royal Caribbean cruise ship itinerary changes

In:
26 Oct 2012

Hurricane Sandy has forced Royal Caribbean to change the itinerary of two more cruise ships.  

Given the location and direction of Hurricane Sandy, both Majesty of the Seas and Monarch of the Seas will not call on CocoCay this weekend.  CocoCay is Royal Caribbean's private island in the Bahamas.  Instead, both ships will spend a day at sea.

Royal Caribbean is still watching Hurricane Sandy and is considering itinerary changes for the Oasis of the Seas cruise leaving on October 27 as well as Explorer of the Seas leaving on October 28.

These changes are in addition to Allure of the Seas having skipped Falmouth, Jamaica earlier this week.

Royal Caribbean will continue to closely monitor weather conditions and will update this information again today, October 26, at 6:00 p.m. E.S.T.

Tropical Storm Isaac changes more Royal Caribbean ship itineraries

In:
24 Aug 2012

Royal Caribbean is announcing two more of its ships are being affected by Tropical Storm Isaac.  

Both Majesty of the Seas and Monarch of the Seas will not stop at Royal Caribbean's private island of CoCo Cay this weekend due to concerns of the storm.

This change is in addition to the previous announcement that Allure of the Seas will change from an eastern Caribbean itinerary to a western Caribbean itinerary.

As of 11 a.m. ET, Isaac was 165 miles south-southwest of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic and moving to the west-northwest at 14 miles per hour. The storm has maximum sustained winds of 60 miles per hour. 

Monarch of the Seas will be based out of Curacao after she leaves Royal Caribbean

In:
04 Jul 2012

Earlier this year, Royal Caribbean announced they would transfer Monarch of the Seas out of their fleet and into sister company Pullmantur Cruises in April 2013.  Now we know that Monarch of the Seas will be home based year round in Curacao when that transfer is complete.

Monarch of the Seas will offer 7 night Southern Caribbean itineraries to ports in Venezuela, Panama, Colombia and Aruba.

The decision wraps up two months of negotiations between the cruise line and the Minister of Tourism.

Royal Caribbean to transfer Monarch of the Seas out of fleet

In:
26 Mar 2012

The oldest ship in Royal Caribbean's fleet, Monarch of the Seas, will be transferred to sister company Pullmantur Cruises in April 2013.

Monarch of the Seas, built in 1991, was sailing 3 and 4 night cruises out of Port Canaveral to the Bahamas and will conduct its last sailing on March 29, 2013.

Royal Caribbean will announce a replacement for Monarch in the next few months.\

Royal Caribbean CEO Adam Goldstein commented on the news, "She will go on creating wonderful travel memories through her final sailings for our brand through next March and then continue doing the same for Pullmantur's guests."

Monarch of the Seas passes CDC inspection after failing earlier

In:
10 Jan 2012

A few weeks ago Royal Caribbean's Monarch of the Seas failed the Center for Disease Control's inspection after being cited for health-related issues such as fruit flies and food storage mistakes.

Last week, Royal Caribbean fixed the problems and Monarch of the Seas passed the test with flying colors, according to Royal Caribbean spokeswoman Cynthia Martinez. During the January 6 inspection, Monarch of the Seas earned a score of 96 (out of 100).  The examination was conducted as part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP).

Monarch of the Seas fails CDC Inspection

In:
20 Dec 2011

Dozens of infractions on a recent Centers for Disease Control inspection earned Royal Caribbean's Monarch of the Seas a failing score of 85 out of 100 on its November 18 vessel sanitation inspection.

The inspection was unannounced and Monarch barely missed passing by one point (86).

Monarch was cited for among other infractions

  • fruit flies were mentioned 11 times (found in bulkheads, by preparation counters, and in and around the buffet during live service)
  • Soiled plates in the clean buffet stack
  • missing safety signage

The inspection also revealed that Monarch of the Seas had not adopted new standards from the CDC's Vessel Sanitation Program's (VSP) Operations Manual, which include carrying a test kit for measuring alkalinity in the swimming pools and posting poolside safety signs warning passengers not to use the facilities if they are "experiencing diarrhea, vomiting, or fever" and encouraging them to shower before entering the facility.

Royal Caribbean issued a statement in which it was "extremely disappointed" to learn that Monarch only received an 85 during its last inspection. The line added that it is working closely with the proper authorities to "correct and remedy the deficiencies found aboard Monarch that caused the low score," and that it was "confident that Monarch of the Seas would receive a passing score when the ship was re-inspected." We've reached out to Royal Caribbean and the CDC to determine if and when the ship was re-tested. We'll keep you posted.

Royal Caribbean considering the future for Monarch of the Seas still

In:
22 Sep 2011

 

In addition to keeping Freedom of the Seas in Port Canaveral, Royal Caribbean also agreed to keep Freedom's smaller cousin, Monarch of the Seas,  sailing out of Port Canaveral until at least April 24, 2012.  Beyond that, Royal Caribbean is keeping its options open, according to J. Stanley Payne, Canaveral Port Authority Chief Executive Officer.  
 
Royal Caribbean could bring another ship in to replace Monarch or just remove Monarch of the Seas completely and leave just Freedom of the Seas in Port Canaveral.
 
According to Payne, a final decision regarding the fate of Monarch of the Seas will be made later this fall.

CocoCay open again after Hurricane Irene damage is repaired

In:
31 Aug 2011

Hurricane Irene caused enough damage to Royal Caribbean's private island of CocoCay in the Bahamas that Royal Caribbean officials had to cancel three stops over the weekend to the island.  The damage has been repaired and CocoCay is open for business once again.

Royal Caribbean's Monarch of the Seas was able to stop today at CocoCay.  Royal Caribbean said it made all the repairs it needed and  that “the site is back to business as usual.”

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