Viking Crown Lounge
The Viking Crown Lounge is a signature design element of every Royal Caribbean International cruise ship. The lounge, originally built around a stack of the ship, is the highest guest-accessible area on board. Early versions were difficult to reach via narrow stairs but on newer ships such as Grandeur of the Seas and Enchantment of the Seas, the lounge is accessible via elevators in the Centrum (a soaring multi-deck atrium), mid-ship stair access, as well as outside staircases. The original design was a 180-degree wraparound structure facing aft(towards the back of the ship). The first and original design was used on the Song of Norway,the Nordic Prince,the Sun Viking, and later was used on the Viking Serenade and the Empress of the Seas. The second design is a full 360-degree wraparound structure that was used on the Song of America and on the Sovereign Class vessels. The third and current design is a 180-degree wraparound structure facing forward (towards the front of the ship) that is currently used on all Royal Caribbean cruise ships built after the Sovereign Class. However, the third design of the Viking Crown Lounge was built apart from the funnel on the Vision Class ships except for the Legend of the Seas and the Splendour of the Seas. The newest ship Quantum of the Seas no longer has the Viking Crown Lounge. It was replaced with North Star, a gondola suspended from a mechanical arm that swings out beyond the sides of the ship.
