A piece of Royal Caribbean's early history is headed to the scrapyard.
Royal Caribbean's former Song of America, which was once one of the largest cruise ships in the world, was retired in 2023 by Celestyal Cruises.
Song of America entered service for Royal Caribbean in 1982 as the cruise line's fourth ship. She was preceded by Sun Viking, Nordic Prince, and Song of Norway.
The cruise ship initially offered Caribbean itineraries from Miami to Nassau, San Juan, and St. Thomas; however, she later added sailings from New York to Bermuda to expand the ship's appeal to a broader audience.
Read more: What happened to Royal Caribbean's first cruise ships?
Celestyal Cruises acquired the cruise ship in 2014, though she departed Royal Caribbean's fleet in 1999 after being sold to Sun Cruises. After a five-year stint as the MS Sunbird, she was once again sold in 2004 to Louis Cruises, operating under the name MS Thomson for eight years.
In 2012, she was renamed Louis Olympia and began offering cruises out of Piraeus (Athens), Greece, before Louis Cruise Lines re-branded to become Celestyal Cruises in 2014.
Celestyal Olympia sailed for Celestyal Cruises for about a decade before Celestyal sold her to a flag of convenience company which renamed her Bella Fortuna. Celestyal replaced the 40+-year-old ship with the former AIDAaura.
Bella Fortuna's name was eventually shortened to Fortu. On January 22, she departed the United Arab Emirates with her status listed as "to be broken up," according to The Maritime Executive.
She's en route to Alang, India, home to the world's largest shipbreaking yard.
Read more: Photos show dismantled cruises in a cruise ship graveyard
When Song of America launched, she was the third-largest passenger vessel at sea
She also featured many firsts for the cruise line, including Royal Caribbean's iconic Viking Crown Lounge which provided 360-degree views around the ship.
It was also the first time Royal Caribbean had put staterooms toward the front of the ship and public spaces near the aft so that the cabins were further from the ship's noisy engines.
Plus, Song of America had two swimming pools, which had never been done before on any Royal Caribbean ship! That seems unheard of today with vessels like Icon of the Seas that feature upward of seven pools for guests to enjoy.
Song of America catapulted Royal Caribbean into a modern era of cruising
“Every innovative maritime feature, every one of ‘tomorrow’s’ cruise concepts, will be part of Song of America today" is what the first preview brochure for Song of America said.
Following Song of America, Royal Caribbean's committee overseeing the construction of a new ship argued for building a vessel that would push the boundaries even further in terms of size.
Thus, Sovereign of the Seas was born. With a passenger capacity of over 2,600 guests, she could handle more than double what Song of America could accommodate.
And as we all know, Royal Caribbean ships have continued to become larger and more innovative. I suppose we should expect nothing less from an industry leader who had big dreams in the 1980s, starting with Song of America.
Read more: 8 ways Royal Caribbean changed the cruise industry
