Sing a chorus of I'm So Glad We Had This Time Together...
It's saddening to learn that we are losing two venerable ladies from Royal Caribbean - Empress of the Seas and Majesty of the Seas.
It stands to reason with the recent loss of Sovereign and Monarch that these retirements would eventually happen. It's part of the economic reality of our time as these older ships are less efficient and don't have all the facilities or bells-and-whistles that the newer ships have. Sure they have their legions of fans, but the reality is that these vessels simply do not fit the picture of the future.
New ships will be constructed.
They will dazzle a new generation of cruisers with more of everything!
That future, by the way, includes more and more balconies that the older ships cannot provide. It will also include more space in staterooms than their predecessors offered.
Add to that more space in the staterooms than the older ships offered (those standard inside and oceanview cabins were miniscule at best on Empress and Majesty).
Their public spaces were great from the Centrum to the Viking Crown. They also had great open space on the Lido deck, and The Windjammer offered a great buffet with beautiful views!
According to Royal Caribbean, the Empress was the first ship designed for three- and four-night cruises when she launched in 1990, with her initial sailings visiting The Bahamas from Miami.
Prior to Empress, Royal Caribbean did not do 3 and 4 night cruises; that was the domain of other lines. Royal Caribbean's shortest cruises were 7 nights; they also did 10, 11, and 14 night voyages. And the 14 night cruises weren't just back-to-back week-long itineraries. They were a full tour of the Caribbean that included stops at Aruba and Curacao - perhaps even LaGuira for Caracas, Venezuela.
Before Empress, Royal Caribbean occupied the space in the market that Celebrity exists in today. The company's slick brochures showed well-dressed couples in their 40s and up enjoying cocktails in what were, back then, teeny-tiny versions of the Viking Crown Lounge that only wrapped around the back of the funnel in Song of Norway, Sun Viking, and Nordic Prince. But we digress.
Just as these grand ladies of the seas were innovators of their time, others will do the same.
Of course, we will celebrate the memory of Empress and Majesty for their beauty and for their service.
Certainly, it would be nice to see them sail under new ownership. Wouldn't Empress of the Seas make a perfect addition to the two-night cruise market to the Bahamas? Alas, they've been sold to a company in the Asia-Pacific region. #justsayin
https://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/24059-royal-caribbean-s-majesty-and-empress-sold.html
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