Sovereign-class cruise ship

For the Royal Navy warships, see Royal Sovereign-class battleship.
MS Sovereign as Sovereign of the Seas.
Class overview
Builders: Chantiers de l’Atlantique; Saint-Nazaire, France
Succeeded by: Vision class
Built: 1987-1992
Completed: 3 Ships
Active: 3 Ships
General characteristics
Tonnage:73,192-73,941 gt
Length:268.33 m (880.3 ft)
Beam:32.21 m (105.7 ft)
Draft:7.55 m (24.8 ft)
Decks:12
Installed power:4 × 9-cyl, Pielstick-Alsthom diesels combined 21844 kW[2]
Propulsion:Two controllable pitch propellers rear; two thrusters each side forward
Speed:21.5 kts
Capacity:2,744 passengers
Crew:833

The Sovereign class is Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd's third generation of cruise ships, currently being operated by Royal Caribbean International and Pullmantur Cruises.

The three ships of the class were built in Saint-Nazaire, France at the Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyards. The first modern "megaships" to be built, they also were the first series of cruise ships to include a multi-story atrium with glass elevators. They also had a single deck devoted entirely to cabins with private balconies instead of oceanview cabins. The first ship, the Sovereign of the Seas launched in 1988, was the world's largest passenger ship in service, breaking the record held by the SS Norway (originally designed as an ocean liner.[1] Sovereign held this distinction until 1990 when Norway succeeded her after being refurbished with the addition of two more decks. In 1991, Royal Caribbean International launched a slightly modified sister ship, the Monarch of the Seas. In 1992, the line launched its third and final sister ship, the Majesty of the Seas. These ships were among the largest modern cruise ships to sail during the late 80's and early 90's.

During that time, other major cruise lines also followed suit, building ships that included many of the same features and similar dimensions as the Sovereign class. Carnival Cruise Lines launched the Fantasy class in 1990, comparable in size to the Sovereign class and also featuring a multi-story atrium with glass elevators. Princess Cruises also countered by launching two ships in 1990 and 1991 to compete with the Sovereign class, the Crown Princess and the Regal Princess. They also featured an atrium and two decks devoted to cabins with private balconies instead of windowed "oceanview" cabins.

Since then, newer and larger ships have exceeded the size of the Sovereign-class ships. 'They are less than half the size of the Freedom-class ships and about a third the size of Oasis-class ships.

In 2007, Monarch of the Seas became the first major cruiseliner in the world to be captained by a woman, the Swede Karin Stahre Janson, who remained the only one until 2010 when the British captain Sarah Breton took charge of MS Artemis of P&O Cruises.[2][3]

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd transferred Sovereign of the Seas and Monarch of the Seas from Royal Caribbean International to their Pullmantur Cruises subsidiary in 2008 and 2013, respectively,[4] and Majesty of the Seas will be transferred in April 2016.[5]

Ships

Ship Year Built Gross tonnage Operated By Current Home Port Notes Image
MS Sovereign 1988 73,192 Pullmantur Cruises Barcelona, Spain/Rome, Italy/Genoa, Italy Largest ship in the world at the time of its completion. Transferred to Pullmantur and renamed Sovereign in 2008.
MS Monarch 1991 73,937 Pullmantur Cruises Caracas, Venezuela/Colon, Panama/Cartagena, Colombia/Aruba Completely refurbished in May 2003.[6] Transferred to Pullmantur and renamed Monarch in 2013.
Majesty of the Seas 1992 73,941 Royal Caribbean International Miami, Florida Retrofitted in 2007 with new features such as enhanced staterooms, public areas, Compass Deli, Jade, addition of rock walls, re-painted pool floors, new carpeting and more spaces enhanced for guest comfort. Will be transferred to Pullmantur in 2016.[5]

References

  1. ↑ "Are mega-ships better ships?". Globe and Mail. October 15, 2005.
  2. ↑ "Q&A: World's first female captain of a major cruise ship". USA Today. 5 November 2007. Retrieved 22 April 2010.
  3. ↑ "Sarah Breton:The first female cruise ship captain". Daily Express. 22 April 2010. Retrieved 22 April 2010.
  4. ↑ http://www.presstur.com/site/news.asp?news=36059
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Gene Sloan, USA TODAY (November 21, 2014). "Royal Caribbean to say goodbye to Majesty of the Seas". usatoday.com. Retrieved November 21, 2014.
  6. ↑ "Royal Caribbean International's Monarch of the Seas to be completely refurbished in late-5/03". Travel Agent (magazine). March 24, 2003. Look for Royal Caribbean International's Monarch of the Seas, one of RCI's older ships, to be completely refurbished in late May before it begins Los Angeles service in June.