Royal Caribbean has been sailing the seas for more than five decades, and over that time a number of its most cherished ships have quietly slipped away — sold off, repurposed, or ultimately scrapped. A recent deep-dive from Royal Caribbean Blog traces the stories of 11 retired vessels, from the cruise line's very first purpose-built ships to a vessel that was once the largest cruise ship on earth.
When Royal Caribbean launched in 1968, it ordered three ships designed specifically for Caribbean cruising: Song of Norway (1970), Nordic Prince (1971), and Sun Viking (1972). At the time they were record-setters, though each eventually changed hands multiple times. Song of Norway ended her days as a floating casino in Asia before being scrapped in China in 2014; Nordic Prince ran aground in the Philippines en route to an Indian scrapyard before being dismantled in 2015; and Sun Viking was scrapped as recently as 2022 at a ship-breaking yard in Gadani, Pakistan.
Song of America, launched in 1982, holds the distinction of being the first Royal Caribbean ship to feature the now-iconic Viking Crown Lounge with its 360-degree views. She sailed Caribbean routes out of Miami and later New York-to-Bermuda itineraries before being sold in 1998. She passed through several owners and names — Sunbird, Thomson Destiny, Louis Olympia, Celestyal Olympia — before being renamed Fortu in early January 2025 and sent to a shipyard in India. Meanwhile, Viking Serenade had an unusual origin: she was originally built in 1982 as the world's largest cruise ferry before Royal Caribbean purchased and converted her in 1990. After a stint as floating accommodations for an asylum-seeker housing project that never materialized, she was scrapped in India in 2018.
Perhaps the most storied departure is Sovereign of the Seas, whose April 1988 maiden voyage marked the arrival of the first ship to carry Royal Caribbean's signature "of the Seas" name. At 73,529 gross tons with capacity for 2,850 passengers, she was once the largest cruise ship in the world — a title that feels almost quaint compared to today's Icon of the Seas and Utopia of the Seas. Sovereign was transferred to Royal Caribbean subsidiary Pullmantur Cruises in 2008 and was ultimately scrapped in Aliağa, Turkey, in 2020. When Majesty and Empress of the Seas were also sold that same year, Royal Caribbean president and CEO Michael Bayley called it "a major moment in Royal Caribbean's history — one that is difficult but necessary."
This story was reported by Royal Caribbean Blog.
