Royal Caribbean is one of the most popular cruise lines in the world, offering the latest and greatest in cruise ship activities, design, and itineraries. Whether you’re new to Royal Caribbean or not, it can be confusing to tell Royal Caribbean’s cruise ships apart. So just how many cruise ships does Royal Caribbean have, and what do they offer?

Royal Caribbean currently has 26 cruise ships and has four additional ships on order which will launch in the next four years. The cruise line has six distinct classes of cruise ships, each of which offer differ in layout, size, onboard activities, stateroom options, and amenities. A seventh class will debut in fall 2023 with Icon of the Seas.

Here is the list of ships in Royal Caribbean’s fleet:

Vision Class ships

• Grandeur of the Seas
• Enchantment of the Seas
• Rhapsody of the Seas
• Vision of the Seas

Vision Class ships are the oldest and smallest ships in Royal Caribbean’s fleet. While considered small by Royal Caribbean terms, they hold nearly 2,500 passengers and offer many of the same amenities as larger ships, including a pool deck, adults-only Solarium, Adventure Ocean kids programming, spa and fitness centers, and specialty dining venues.

Related: All about Vision Class cruise ships

Radiance Class ships

• Radiance of the Seas
• Brilliance of the Seas
• Serenade of the Seas
• Jewel of the Seas

Radiance Class ships are the second smallest class of ships in Royal Caribbean’s fleet and are designed to sail in all types of climates, thus offering unique itineraries around the world. There are over three acres of glass found throughout Radiance Class ships, so guests can enjoy views of the ocean from nearly any vantage point.

Related: All about Radiance Class cruise ships

Voyager Class ships

• Voyager of the Seas
• Explorer of the Seas
• Adventure of the Seas
• Navigator of the Seas
• Mariner of the Seas

Voyager Class cruise ships are considered “medium” in size, although quite large with a capacity of around 4,000 guests. They were the first Royal Caribbean ship class to feature the Royal Promenade, the main thoroughfare in the middle of the ship. Several Voyager Class ships have recently been amplified with the addition of water slides, new specialty restaurants and bars, and other new activities such as the Sky Pad, escape rooms, and laser tag.

Related: All about Voyager Class cruise ships

Freedom Class ships

• Freedom of the Seas
• Liberty of the Seas
• Independence of the Seas

Freedom Class ships are extremely similar to Voyager Class ships, but are longer in length, allowing for an additional pool area as well as more retail, food, and bar venues. Many passengers find the Freedom Class to be an ideal size for a Royal Caribbean cruise. While not as large as Royal Caribbean’s newest ships, there is certainly no shortage of excellent entertainment, dining choices, and onboard activities.

Related: All about Freedom Class cruise ships

Oasis Class ships

• Oasis of the Seas
• Allure of the Seas
• Harmony of the Seas
• Symphony of the Seas
• Wonder of the Seas

The Oasis Class ships were a game changer in the cruise industry, with a split layout that was unlike anything ever seen before at sea. Oasis Class ships feature distinct neighborhoods, from the nostalgic outdoor boardwalk to peaceful Central Park. There are activities for guests of all ages onboard, whether ziplining, ice skating, or catching a show in the AquaTheater.

Related: All about Oasis Class cruise ships

Quantum Class ships

• Quantum of the Seas
• Anthem of the Seas
• Ovation of the Seas
• Spectrum of the Seas
• Odyssey of the Seas

Quantum Class ships combine technology with cruising to bring a modern, state-of-the-art experience to passengers at sea. The Quantum Class has several differences to other Royal Caribbean ships, including a two-story Royal Esplanade, the North Star observation pod, and an indoor skydiving simulator. Quantum Class ships are built for a variety of climates, so most of the ships have an indoor pool in addition to the adults-only Solarium. The SeaPlex can also be found on Quantum Class ships, which is an indoor sports arena with bumper cars, fitness activities, and an arcade.

Related: All about Quantum Class cruise ships

Icon Class cruise ships

The Icon Class will be Royal Caribbean’s newest and seventh class of ships, although little is known about the features, layout, and amenities of the Icon Class. The class will debut in fall 2023 with Icon of the Seas, and will be the first class in Royal Caribbean's fleet to be powered by LNG.

Related: Which Royal Caribbean ships are powered by LNG?

Royal Caribbean recently announced the Icon Class will be bigger than Oasis Class cruise ships, although it is unclear in what aspect Icon will be bigger. Construction images have been shared of Icon of the Seas as well, including several of a large sphere that has recently been installed on the ship.

More details on Icon of the Seas and the Icon Class are expected to be released soon.

How to pick a ship for your upcoming cruise

While one cruise ship is not inherently better than another, it’s important to look at your preferences and vacation style before choosing a ship for your Royal Caribbean cruise.

If you’re new to cruising, it may seem tempting to pick the cheapest cruise possible. However, choosing a cruise based solely on price is not recommended. Instead, consider the following:

• Ship size
• Entertainment options
• Kids activities and amenities
• Dining venues
• Itinerary choices
• Old vs new ship

Related: Why you shouldn’t book the cheapest cruise fare you can find

Budget does play a factor, of course, but if you're set on having access to activities like water slides or bumper cars, you'll want to look at bigger or recently amplified cruise ships.

On the other hand, if you're looking for a classic cruise experience without all the bells and whistles, an older and smaller ship may suit your vacation needs just fine.

There is a Royal Caribbean ship to fit every style of cruising, so it's important to research ships thoroughly before booking to ensure you don't find yourself disappointed or surprised once onboard.

Related: 8 questions to ask yourself before picking a cruise ship

How big are Royal Caribbean’s cruise ships?

Royal Caribbean is known for building the largest cruise ships in the world. With the exception of the Queen Mary 2 from 2003-2006, a Royal Caribbean ship has held the title of the world’s largest passenger ship since 1999!

Despite this, Royal Caribbean ships come in all shapes and sizes. Vision and Radiance Class ships are the smallest in the fleet, with passenger capacities around 2,500. Voyager and Freedom Class are significantly larger, with capacities around 4,000 and 4,500 respectively.

Related: 12 differences between the big and small Royal Caribbean cruise ships

The largest classes in the fleet are the Quantum Class and Oasis Class. Quantum Class ships can hold around 5,000 - 5,600 passengers whereas Oasis Class ships have capacity for nearly 7,000 passengers!

One of the best ways to get a feel for what each ship looks like is to watch a full video tour of the ship on YouTube. By doing so, you’ll be able to “explore” the ship before choosing which class of ship, or even which ship in a particular class, will work best for your cruise.

Is Royal Caribbean building new cruise ships?

In the coming years, Royal Caribbean will add four new cruise ships to its fleet. Two new cruise ships are currently in construction: Icon of the Seas and Utopia of the Seas.

Icon of the Seas will be the first ship in the new Icon Class. Two additional Icon Class ships have been ordered for 2025 and 2026, but they are not currently named.

Related: What’s new and coming to Royal Caribbean in 2022, 2023, 2024

Utopia of the Seas will be the sixth Oasis Class cruise ship. While details on the ship have not yet been shared, it can be assumed she will share many of the same features as other ships in the Oasis Class, including distinct neighborhoods and entertainment venues like the AquaTheater.

More cruise ships outside of these four are likely to be ordered in the future, but these are the only ones ordered at this point.

Royal Caribbean registered 24 new cruise ship names recently, which could be used for a new cruise ship.

The registrations were made with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

Royal Caribbean Group filed 24 different trademark registrations with the PTO for names that sound like they might be used for cruise ship names.

Trademark registrations are notoriously vague, and rarely give much insight into what they may be used for onboard a cruise ship, but it can sometimes tip Royal Caribbean's hand in what they have planned.

The names were trademarked on December 16, 2021.

Here are all the new names trademarked:

• MAGNIFICENCE OF THE SEAS
• FANTASIA OF THE SEAS
• PARADISE OF THE SEAS
• HAVEN OF THE SEAS
• MELODY OF THE SEAS
• GRACE OF THE SEAS
• SANCTUARY OF THE SEAS
• ILLUMINATION OF THE SEAS
• UNITY OF THE SEAS
• INTRIGUE OF THE SEAS
• ARIA OF THE SEAS
• EUPHORIA OF THE SEAS
• SPLENDOR OF THE SEAS
• AWE OF THE SEAS
• ETERNITY OF THE SEAS
• EDEN OF THE SEAS
• VIBRANCE OF THE SEAS
• BLISS OF THE SEAS
• AURA OF THE SEAS
• UTOPIA OF THE SEAS
• JOY OF THE SEAS
• MARVEL OF THE SEAS
• NIRVANA OF THE SEAS
• DIVINE OF THE SEAS

It's worth noting that of the 24 names registered, one is a name previously used.

Splendor of the Seas is the name of a former Royal Caribbean cruise ship, although it was spelled "Splendour".

Royal Caribbean sold Splendour to Marella Cruises, where she serves now as the Marella Discovery.

Splendour was the second in line in the Vision Class.

It is worth noting that Royal Caribbean has registered other cruise ship names that it never ended up using for actual ships. Joy of the Seas and Apex of the Seas were registered back in 2017 and have yet to be used.

Royal Caribbean currently has three unnamed ships on order, in addition to Wonder of the Seas & Icon of the Seas.

Why do these trademarks matter?

If you are curious what might be next for Royal Caribbean, trademark filings are a good hint of what the cruise line may be thinking.

While a lot of trademarks get filed but never used, some do end up being the names of new venues, services or even cruise ships.

With new cruise ships under construction, and other projects around the world in various stages of development, there is always a chance the dreamers at Royal Caribbean are ready to move from concept to reality, and locking in a name is part of that process.

When it comes to ship names, it is common for Royal Caribbean to register more names than it intends to use. Think of this list as the finalists in a naming competition. In short, it's better to have more names than you need to ensure no one takes up a name later.

What's your prediction?

Now is your chance to show us how much you (think you) know! Share your predictions what these trademarks will be used for the name of a new ship in the future!

As Royal Caribbean moves deeper into its restart process, the cruise line is beginning to focus more on what's to come instead of what has happened over the past two years.

With the cruise industry back in operations, and Royal Caribbean ready to bring all of its ships into service by early 2022, some of the projects and plans that were paused during the shutdown are moving forward again.

Overlooking so many of these plans is Jay Schneider, Royal Caribbean Group's Chief Product Innovation Officer (CXO).

To get a better sense of what's coming next year, Mr. Schneider sat down with us to preview the big things Royal Caribbean has planned over the next two years.

Hideaway Beach

A new expansion to Perfect Day at CocoCay will bring an adults-only area to the private island.

"One of the things we've heard from a segment of our guests, not all of our guests, is that they want a adult only experience," Schneider said of the decision to go in this direction.

Mr. Schneider also confirmed the new area will be complimentary to guests, "we haven't announced that yet, but I will tell you that it's going to be complimentary."

"There's no reason, if you think of the experience that we're trying to offer, to offer it for pay.

The Hideaway Beach expansion is just one idea Royal Caribbean has for the future of the island. According to Schneider, the cruise line has "a much larger ambition" for the private destination.

As to when it might open, it is not yet certain but late 2022 is the general timeline Mr. Schneider thinks is likely.

Wonder of the Seas

The fifth Oasis Class cruise ship will debut in March 2022 when Wonder of the Seas begins sailings from Florida.

There is a lot to look forward to in this new ship, including a new approach to the Aquatheater. Schneider believes an idea like this is less about designing for one market, but rather an idea that makes sense globally.

"We acclimatized the the Aqua Theater.... it's the next step in the evolution of the Oasis class. But it's cold in January and February in the Caribbean, and sometimes the Aquatheater is cold."

"The acclimatized solarium is again gorgeous architecture and gives us that versatility to make it truly a global ship. Some of the things that people would have looked at and said that feels more like a China centric ship actually really help us out globally."

In terms of exciting new features, Mr. Schneider thinks the evolution of the open pool deck is going to be a great upgrade for this ship.

"I think the open deck on wonder is going to go even yet to the next level, and I say that for a couple of reasons. Number one. It's an Oasis class ship. It's going to have Lime and Coconut. It's going to have all of the ideas and experiences and pool space and shading that you'd expect as a guest that you saw in Oasis, but even bigger."

"It'll have the introduction of our eighth neighborhood, which is our sweet neighborhood. It'll have the largest jumbotron ever built on a ship."

Icon of the Seas

Royal Caribbean has divulged very few details thus far regarding its next class of cruise ship, the Icon Class, and Mr. Schneider did not have much to share other than it sounds like an exciting step forward.

The new ship is coming out in 2023, and he indicated guests should expect to hear a lot about Icon of the Seas once we move into 2022.

"You're going to hear about Icon in a pretty big way in 2022... I guarantee you you'll be impressed by what you see. It's the next evolution for the brand."

"It's been a decade since we've announced a new class. And so you can imagine we're spending a lot of energy making sure that it's going to be an amazing announcement."

Royal Beach Club

The first Royal Beach Club is set to open in Nassau, Bahamas, and it sounds like Royal Caribbean thinks this will be a major new option for guests.

"We've done repetitive environmental assessments. So we we feel that this will be a destination on the forefront of sustainable development, frankly, around the world for any land based destination.

"Our hope is in 2023 that we will be welcoming our first guests onto the Royal Beach Club at Paradise Island."

This new project is not intended to be for all guests on a ship to do. Rather, it will supplement the Nassau offerings.

"Wwe're not trying to supplant kind of your experience in Nassau. We want to create an incremental opportunity for you as a guest in Nassau. We want you to go into Bay St., we want you to go to Atlantis. We want you to go do the things you've never done before. We also we wanted to create a world class beach club experience for you as a guests."

Listen to our interview with Jay Schneider

There is a lot more to what Mr. Schneider had to say about what's coming to Royal Caribbean over the next two years, including updates on Perfect Day at Lelepa, why we don't know more about Icon yet, and plenty other nuggets of details.

Listen to episode 431 of our interview with Jay Schneider in its entirety below.

Be sure to subscribe to the RoyalCaribbeanBlog Podcast at Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, TuneIn, and Stitcher.

What exactly is the difference between a big or small Royal Caribbean cruise ship, and what do you get or give up with either?

Photo by Volnei M.

Royal Caribbean's fleet of 25 cruise ships means there are all sorts of sizes you can choose from, and each has its own set of advantages and drawbacks.  Certainly there are plenty of differences, but the major differences are key to understanding which ship is best for you.

Often new cruisers want to know which Royal Caribbean ship is the worst, or which ships to avoid, and the answer is all the ships are good, but the real question is what do you want in a ship.

Here are some important considerations when comparing big Royal Caribbean ships to smaller ones.

Small is still big, relatively speaking

When we talk about "big" or "small" cruise ships, in Royal Caribbean's fleet, they are all big ships in the grand scheme of things.

Royal Caribbean has a reputation among the mainstream cruise lines for offering innovative and large ships, and many of the smallest ships in the fleet would still be pretty darn large if they suddenly became part of another cruise line.

The smallest Royal Caribbean cruise ships can still accommodate over 2,000 passengers, so remember that just because you sail on a smaller Royal Caribbean ship, does not mean you will be on a yacht or expedition vessel.

If you truly want small ships, you would have to consider one of Royal Caribbean's sister brands, such as Celebrity Cruises or Silver Sea.

Public space

The bigger the ship, the more public space the ship can provide passengers.

Public space is areas of the ship where you can congregate and enjoy, such as a pool deck or promenade deck.

Larger ships have wide open spaces, including shopping districts, open air venues, and even a park.

That isn't to say a smaller ship has no public space.  Because larger ships have more deck space, Royal Caribbean can offer more areas for passengers.

Cost

It is always difficult to make generalizations about the price of a cruise, but overall, larger ships tend to cost more than smaller ships.

Because bigger ships tend to be newer than smaller ships, bigger ships come with a higher price tag.  Essentially, you are paying a premium to sail on the latest and greatest, so bargain hunters will find the best deals on smaller and/or older cruise ships.

That is not to say there are not deals to be had on even the newest ships in the fleet, just that if you were to compare prices over a wide swath of possible sailings, you would find a price advantage for smaller ships.

Dining choices

If variety of places you can eat, especially specialty restaurants, matters to you, then bigger ships are what you want.

Because big ships have more space to include more offerings, you will almost always find more restaurants on bigger ships than smaller ships.

There is generally the same basic complimentary venues, such as a main dining room, buffet, and grab-and-go spot.  So you will never go hungry or be at a loss of where to eat.

Kind of like a big city will have more restaurants than a small city, the same is true for big vs small ships. Bigger ships will have more complimentary dining venues, as well as more specialty restaurants.

For anyone that prefers specialty restaurant choices, a big ship will always offer more variety.

Ports you can visit

Not every cruise port in the world can accommodate big ships, so if you want to visit more exotic locations, you will need to sail on a small ship.

In the Caribbean, there is very little difference in port choices since most Caribbean ports can accommodate even the largest ships in the world.

But as you look to sail elsewhere in the world, you will find other ports of call that cannot handle a big ship.

This is especially true of any port that does not have a pier, and requires ships to tender.

In fact, Oasis Class ships are incapable of tendering, so that precludes them from being able to visit places like Belize or Grand Cayman.

Larger staterooms

Some families prefer to stay in one room, and cabins that can handle bigger groups tend to be found with more regularity on bigger ships.

Suites tend to be the predominant choice for larger rooms that can accommodate more than 4 people.

While small ships have suites, big ships have many more suite options.  

Views of the ocean

It may not seem like a big deal, but being able to see the ocean while you are inside a cruise ship can be important to some guests.

Bigger ships tend to be more inward facing, whereas small ships feature many more windows and ocean viewing opportunities.

Part of the reason for this difference is based in the evolution of cruise ships over the last few decades, where cruise ships started becoming destinations in and of itself.

Not everyone minds missing out on the scenery going by, but on sailings where the landscape around you matters more (i.e. Alaska or Northern Europe), being able to see outside from bars, lounges, and other public spaces becomes more important.

Motion in the ocean

Another generalization that may not be true for everyone is bigger ships are going to offer passengers potentially a smoother ride than small ships.

Modern cruise ships are equipped with stablizers, but simple physics tells us a larger ship is going to need more ocean current to be "rocked" than a smaller ship.

That is not to say if you sail on a small ship you will feel like a boat in a bathtub with an angry toddler nearby, but many repeat cruisers will swear by bigger ships offering a more stable ride.

Onboard activities

In addition to public space, big ships have more room to offer the fun activities you probably read and heard about on a cruise.

You will absolutely find more water slides, pools, simulators, and things to do on a big ship compared to a small ship.

Royal Caribbean's smallest cruise ships lack water slides at all, and the Radiance Class have a single kiddy water slide that is only suitable for young children.

Whether or not these whiz-bang activities matters to you is an entirely different question, but families tend to gravitate towards ships that have more to do, and bigger ships have plenty of them.

Entertainment

Whether you love Broadway musicals or production shows, the big ships have them.

Did you know Royal Caribbean has full-length Broadway musicals you can see onboard for absolutely no additional cost? It's true, but only on their large ships.

Small ships have production shows too, but they are not nearly as ornate as big ships, and the shows on small ships almost certainly have not been updated in many years. Once again, that is not inherently a bad thing, but for some people this matters.

Casino

For the gamblers, all ships have a casino, but the big ships have a bigger casino space.

More space in the casino means more games, including slots and tables.  This becomes more important in the evenings when lots of passengers head to the casino to gamble, and tables fill up quickly for the lowest stakes games.

Even the smallest Royal Caribbean ships offer the same kind of games, so you are not compromising when it comes to picking a ship and losing out on your favorite game.

Intimacy

No, not that kind of intimacy.

Small ships make it easier to get around the ship and meet the crew members and other guests, which means you get to know everyone else onboard just a little bit better.

The people sailing with you are a major component of the vacation, and being able to meet up with friends and family onboard, or find your favorite waiter, is easier on a small ship.

Not only that, getting from point A to point B is easier on a small ship and requires less walking.

While there are not going to be any Royal Caribbean cruise ships operating outside of Singapore, you might be wondering where the rest of the cruise ships are located.

Royal Caribbean's cruise ships are in a state of warm layup around the world in strategically located areas to be near resupply ports.

This allows the ships to easily get into port to offload waste, bring on new supplies, and sometimes exchange out the skeleton crew working onboard.

During this period of no cruises, the ships primarily stay in place, but a few have changed locations from time to time.

This information was gathered, and accurate, as of April 27, 2021.

CocoCay

• Symphony of the Seas
• Oasis of the Seas
• Independence of the Seas
• Allure of the Seas
• Explorer of the Seas
• Freedom of the Seas
• Mariner of the Seas
• Navigator of the Seas
• Liberty of the Seas

St. Maarten

• Enchantment of the Seas
• Brilliance of the Seas
• Rhapsody of the Seas
• Vision of the Seas
• Grandeur of the Seas
• Adventure of the Seas

Barbados

• Serenade of the Seas

Southampton, England

• Jewel of the Seas

Gibraltar

• Anthem of the Seas

Cadiz, Spain

• Harmony of the Seas (in dry dock)

Limassol, Cyprus

• Odyssey of the Seas

Singapore

• Quantum of the Seas
• Radiance of the Seas
• Ovation of the Seas
• Voyager of the Seas
• Spectrum of the Seas

What are cruise ships doing while there aren't any cruises?

Quantum of the Seas is the only Royal Caribbean cruise ship operating right now, but the rest of the fleet is being manned by a skeleton crew while they wait to restart sailings.

This is referred to as "warm lay up", and it means the ship is operational and ready to quickly resume cruises again once they are given the go-ahead to do so.

By keeping the ships in warm lay up instead of cold lay up, they can more quickly get back into service when the time is right.  The downside to warm lay up is it costs Royal Caribbean more money to keep the ships operating in this state.

Read more: What does it mean when a cruise ship goes into cold lay-up?

During the cruise industry shutdown, most ships remain in place unless there is a compelling need to move, such as a dry dock.

If you track cruise ships on the internet, you might see one ship occasionally come into port to receive new supplies and unload waste. In the United States, PortMiami has been the most commonly used destination for ships nearby to resupply.

When will Royal Caribbean ships sail again?

Currently, only Quantum of the Seas is the only ship sailing, but more ships are preparing to restart operations.

Five ships will restart sailings this summer from outside the United States in June and July 2021.

• Adventure of the Seas from Nassau, Bahamas in June 2021
• Vision of the Seas from Bermuda in June 2021
• Odyssey of the Seas from Haifa, Israel in June 2021
• Anthem of the Seas from Southampton, England in July 2021
• Jewel of the Seas from sail Limassol, Cyprus in July 2021

The rest of the fleet is shutdown through the end of June 2021, although more cancellations are likely.

Royal Caribbean is working with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to receive permission to start cruises again.

During Royal Caribbean Group's fourth quarter 2020 earnings call with investors, Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley reported Royal Caribbean has been in "regular communication" with the CDC and expects to get technical instructions on what each ship needs to do in order to prepare itself for test cruises.

Test cruises will be the opportunity for cruise lines to demonstrate they can operate in a safe manner through a variety of new protocols.

The reality is no one really know when exactly cruises will start, and that means Royal Caribbean's ships will remain idle around the world until the company is ready to start operations up.

When they do start cruising again, do not expect all 26 ships to resume sailings immediately. Royal Caribbean has said repeatedly it expects to start with a few ships that can sail to its private destinations first, and then expand operations from there.

Royal Caribbean Group CFO Jason Liberty noted the company could add a second ship outside of the U.S. soon, "We are already operating Quantum of the Seas in Singapore, and our second ship in the water could also be outside of the US."

The best expectation is for a handful of ships beginning at first, with a phased approach to bringing the entire fleet back.

Cruise ships come in many sizes, so how do you know which size is right for you? And is there such thing as "too big"?

You can go on cruise ships with as few as a few dozen people, and as many people as 6,000. Ship size reflects a cruise line's plans for the number of activities offered onboard, types of staterooms to offer, and the economics of the market the ship is intended for.

With Royal Caribbean, you will find a great deal of variation between ship sizes that caters to different tastes and offerings.

If you are trying to figure out whether or not a big ship or a small ship is right for you, here are the important considerations.

What makes a ship big or small?

If you stand next to almost any cruise ship, they all look big, so what makes one truly a big ship or a small ship?

The answer is relative, as cruise ship designs and sizes have changed over the years.  Measuring cruise ship size is less an exercise in arithmetic, and more a consideration of how it stacks up to other vessels.

For the sake of argument, here is a breakdown of Royal Caribbean cruise ship classes to get a sense of how they stack up.

Small ships

• Vision Class
• Radiance Class

Medium ships

• Voyager Class

Big ships

• Freedom Class
• Quantum Class
• Oasis Class

Read more: Best Royal Caribbean ships and cruise guide

The bigger the ship, the more to do onboard

Generally speaking, the larger the ship, the more space the cruise line has to add things to do while you are onboard.

Space is always at a premium on a cruise ship, so if a ship is bigger, it has more room to offer more activities.

Royal Caribbean has always separated itself from other cruise lines by offering incredible new activities onboard, such as rock climbing walls, a zip line, Central Park, Flowrider surf simulator and much more.  In order to have these kind of activities, you need a bigger ship.

If you sail on some of the smaller ships in the fleet, you will not have nearly as many whiz-bang amenities on your ship. For some guests, this matters more than for others.

Read more: 15 really cool things to do that you can only find on Royal Caribbean cruise ships

Dining

These days, the amount of choices you have of where to dine on your cruise ship matters a lot more than a decade ago or longer.

Every ship has a main dining room, Windjammer buffet, and at least a few specialty restaurants.

Just like activities, big ships offer more specialty restaurant choices. 

It may not seem like diversity of restaurants matters that much, but some cruisers prefer to have more choice in where they dine. Others love the main dining room and that works too.

Of course, specialty dining costs extra and while it is nice to mix up your dinner setting, it will mean a higher vacation cost to do so. Investing in a specialty restaurant package is a good workaround to mitigate the extra costs.

Read more: Royal Caribbean specialty dining packages guide

The latest and greatest go on big ships

When you watch a television commercial for a Royal Caribbean cruise ship, almost everything you see in that advertisement is on a new and big ship.

Nothing captivates the attention of the public like a big new ship, and the bigger the ship is, the more attention it gets.

New cruisers often are enamored with the appeal of experiencing all the amazing things cruise ships have to offer, and the absolute best of it goes to new ships.

Part of the reason is the ships have the space for it, and part of it is being newer, engineers incorporated these concepts in the design. It is much easier to offer Flowriders, water slides, and expansive entertainment venues when you build it into the design of the ship.

Read more: What is the worst Royal Caribbean ship?

Where the ship goes matters

No matter which ship you sail on, you will be going somewhere to visit different cities, islands, or scenic landscapes. There is no denying that smaller ships can fit into far more ports than big ships.

Cruise ships have been around for decades, and many cruise ports were designed for cruise ships of a different era. Basically, cruise ship size has outpaced cruise port accommodations.

Certainly many ports have upgraded their facilities to be able to handle bigger ships (especially in the Caribbean), but if you have your heart set on seeing some of the most beautiful and breathtaking places on a cruise ship, a smaller ship will get you there.

A great example is Alaska, where Radiance Class ships can visit more glaciers and far flung ports than the big ships can. Cruisers who have been to Alaska will always recommend a small ship to see Alaska "the right way".

The same argument for small ships can be made for many ports in Europe, including the Eastern Mediterranean, Baltics, and Scandinavia.

Read more: How to choose the right Alaska cruise itinerary

Price

It always seems to come down to cost, right?

Generally speaking, a smaller Royal Caribbean cruise ship will probably cost you less than a bigger one because smaller ships tend to be older.

Royal Caribbean puts a premium price tag on its newest ships, and since its newest ships are big ships, you will find lower prices with the smaller vessels.

While prices will vary from sailing to sailing, some of the best values can be found with smaller cruise ships. This means being able to afford a bigger cabin on a Radiance or Voyager class ship than a similar sailing on an Oasis Class ship.

However, do not book a cruise purely on price.  One big mistake a lot of first time cruisers do is chase the lowest price and ignore what the ship does and does not offer, leaving disappointment when they get onboard and realize there are no water slides or sushi restaurant.

Read more: How to get cheap cruise deals

If you're already a Royal Caribbean fan, we don't need to tell you why the line is great.

But if you're searching for information before booking your first cruise under the crown and anchor, here are 10 areas in which Royal Caribbean offers unique experiences you won't find with other lines.

1. Cabins

Of note are the line's Oasis-class inward-facing Boardwalk and Central Park balconies, as well as AquaTheater Suites, which offer views of the venue of the same name and the vessel's wake. Since their debut in 2009, Royal Caribbean is still the only line to offer these types of accommodations. 

Royal Caribbean was also the first mainstream cruise line to introduce cabins that rise two decks. Known as Loft Suites, they fall under the Royal Suite Class -- some of the line's most lavish (and expensive) rooms -- found on most Oasis- and Quantum-class vessels. 

In 2018, the line debuted the Ultimate Family Suite on Symphony of the Seas. Also spanning two floors, it sleeps up to eight passengers in two rooms -- one for parents and one for kids. The latter includes a slide down to the first-floor living area, which is stocked with tons of games.

Read more: What are the different types of cabins on a cruise ship?

2. Outdoor Thrills

Freedom of the Seas greeted the world in 2006, boasting a free onboard FlowRider surf simulator, which is now a standard part of all ships that followed. (Some even have two.) 

As subsequent vessels were constructed, the line also outfitted some of them with for-fee RipCord by iFly simulated skydiving and the gratis Ultimate Abyss, a dry tube slide that spirals down 10 decks. 

On a couple of its older vessels, the line also went back and added complimentary Sky Pad bungee trampolines that incorporate bungee-assisted trampolining and virtual-reality game play. 

Read more: Top 14 best free things to do on a Royal Caribbean cruise

3. Entertainment

As mentioned above, the Oasis Class of ships made Royal Caribbean's AquaTheater famous. Featuring high-diving acts and aerial acrobatics that will draw gasps from the crowd, shows at this outdoor venue feature the ship's wake as a backdrop.

The line was also the first to add Broadway and West End shows to its list of onboard productions when "Hairspray" took the stage onboard Oasis of the Seas in 2009. 

Since then, the line expanded its Broadway titles and has changed some out over the years. Despite other lines' now featuring similar shows, Royal is the only one to present "CATS," "Saturday Night Fever" "Grease" "We Will Rock You" and Mamma Mia!" at sea.

Read more: 8 things I MUST do on every Royal Caribbean cruise

4. Muster Drills

During the 2020 global cruise shutdown, Royal Caribbean developed Muster 2.0, a system that allows passengers to avoid crowding into small spaces for traditional in-person muster drills. 

Instead, cruisers are able to review all of the relevant safety information and life jacket demonstrations via cell phone app or in-cabin TV before reporting individually to designated locations to verify that they have complied. 

Read more: Top 10 questions about Royal Caribbean's new Muster 2.0

5. Bars

The Rising Tide Bar first appeared as a curiosity during Oasis of the Seas' debut and has found a home on other vessels since. It moves up and down as a "floating" platform from the Royal Promenade, stopping at a few of the decks above. 

In need of something new for the 2014 launch of Quantum of the Seas, the line dreamed up the Bionic Bar, at which passengers order drinks via tablets.

They are then mixed by one of two robotic arms -- no human interaction required. 

Read more: Dining at Bars on a Royal Caribbean cruise

6. Views

North Star, a giant 15-person pod attached to a 135-foot mechanical arm, came as something new on Quantum of the Seas, the first Quantum-class ship.

Found on other vessels in the class, it allows passengers to enjoy the sweeping vistas that surround their ship, for a fee.

For more high-flying fun, Royal Caribbean's Perfect Day at CocoCay private island experience includes an added-charge hot air balloon-style helium balloon ride that takes riders 450 feet into the air for the highest view in the Bahamas. 

Read more: 5 secrets to Royal Caribbean's North Star

7. Private Islands

Speaking of private islands, Royal Caribbean operates two: Labadee in Haiti and Perfect Day at CocoCay in the Bahamas. 

While they both offer travelers a fun and relaxing time ashore, Perfect Day at CocoCay is the result of CocoCay's $250 million 2019 makeover, which outfitted the island with the tallest water slide in North America, the Caribbean's largest wave and freshwater pools, a zipline, several bars and more. 

Read more: Top 10 Perfect Day at CocoCay secrets and tricks

8. Neighborhoods

When Oasis-class ships were developed, they were the largest afloat -- so large, in fact, that Royal Caribbean divided them up into seven neighborhoods to organize the plethora of things to see, do and eat. 

Perhaps the most notable are the Boardwalk and Central Park. The former comprises a carousel, a sports bar and arcade, the AquaTheater, the Ultimate Abyss, an overhead zipline and several snack venues, such as Johnny Rockets and a candy and ice cream shop.

The latter -- featuring a wine bar, a stop for the Rising Tide Bar, the onboard steakhouse and upscale restaurant 150 Central Park -- is also home to thousands of live plants, cared for by a resident gardener.  

Read more: 5 things to love about Central Park on Royal Caribbean's Oasis Class cruise ships

9. Indoor Fun

Cruisers will find SeaPlex, introduced on Quantum-class vessels, serving in different capacities during each sailing.

One minute it might be a bumper car arena, while other times it's used for roller skating, basketball, soccer or circus school. Trapeze classes, anyone? (Fees may apply.)

The line has also had free ice skating available on select ships since it launched its Voyager Class the mid-1990s. Some vessels (including newer ones) still have skating rinks in Studio B, where passengers can participate or take in ice shows, complete with performing crew members and choreographed drones.

Read more: 5 ways Royal Caribbean's Odyssey of the Seas will be different from other Quantum Class ships

10. Kids Clubs and Activities

Royal Caribbean excels with its complimentary Adventure Ocean children's programming.

Kids are divided into age-appropriate groups where they can participate in everything from science experiments and video game competitions to dance parties and acting classes with Adventure Ocean Theater. 

For kid-centric activities outside of the kids club, look no further than the line's Cupcake Cupboard on select ships. In addition to offering tasty treats for purchase, it also runs a selection of extra-fee cupcake decorating classes for kiddos (and adults).

Read more: Six things to know about Royal Caribbean's Adventure Ocean

It's no secret that 2020 was a rough year for the cruise industry. Amid months of no-sail orders, hundreds of thousands of voyage cancellations and billions of dollars borrowed to keep cruise lines afloat, a handful of lines have had to purge their oldest vessels in order to cut costs. 

Despite the expiration of the CDC's no-sail order and the fervent efforts of healthcare workers to administer vaccinations, cruising still remains on hold. The situation has become so dire that the trend of cruise lines' liquidating ships for a song has continued into 2021.

So, which ships did Royal Caribbean sell? We'll take a look here. 

For the purposes of this article, we'll be exploring ships that have been unloaded by Royal Caribbean Group, the parent company that owns Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, Silversea and, previously, Azamara Cruises. The group also is part owner of Spanish line Pullmantur.

Pullmantur Ships Sold in 2020

• Monarch
• Sovereign

On June 22, 2020, Pullmantur filed for reorganization (basically the European term for bankruptcy). 

Shortly after, two of the line's ships were sold for scrap. On July 22 and July 23, 2020, Monarch and Sovereign -- formerly Monarch of the Seas and Sovereign of the Seas -- respectively were beached at a breaker yard in Aliaga, Turkey, where workers quickly began the dismantling process.

Known widely for being the first of the cruise industry's megaships, Sovereign (then Sovereign of the Seas under Royal Caribbean) was the largest passenger vessel afloat when it debuted in 1988, and it was the first in the line's three-ship Sovereign Class. Monarch (of the Seas) was the second. 

Crew from the two ships were reassigned to Royal Caribbean, and since the initial reorganization was revealed, there are rumors that the line could return with a fleet of some of Celebrity Cruises' former ships.  

Royal Caribbean International Ships Sold in 2020

• Empress of the Seas
• Majesty of the Seas

Royal Caribbean announced in mid-December of 2020 that it sold two of its oldest ships -- Majesty of the Seas and Empress of the Seas -- to an undisclosed party in the Asia-Pacific region. 

It was later uncovered that the new owner of Empress of the Seas is India-based cruise line startup Cordelia Cruises. 

Since then, however, the sale of Majesty of the Seas has been shrouded in mystery. Royal Caribbean assured fans of the vessel -- the third and only unscrapped ship from the line's Sovereign Class -- that the buyer would make an announcement at a later date. 

In the meantime, there is speculation that it could have been acquired by Seajets, a Greek ferry company that scooped up at least six other cruise ships in 2020.

Empress of the Seas is noteworthy in that it wasn't a new-build for Royal Caribbean. Instead, it joined the fleet in 1988 after the line acquired Admiral Cruises, for which the ship sailed as Nordic Empress. As a result, it was the only ship in its class. It also pioneered the concept of short cruises.

If you'd like to revisit the vessels virtually for old time's sake, here are Royal Caribbean Blog's final looks at Majesty of the Seas and Empress of the Seas. 

Azamara Ships Sold in 2021

• Azamara Journey
• Azamara Pursuit
• Azamara Quest

On January 19, 2021, Royal Caribbean Group disclosed that it sold its Azamara Cruises brand to private equity firm Sycamore Partners for $201 million in cash. 

Royal Caribbean Group Chief Financial Officer Jason Liberty said the decision to sell Azamara was not driven by the global health crisis, despite the inherit financial benefit to the company for doing so.

As part of the sale, the firm acquired not only all of the brand's intellectual property but also all three of Azamara's ships -- Azamara Quest, Azamara Journey and Azamara Pursuit. 

In a bizarre turn of events, it also purchased Pacific Princess from Princess Cruises, which announced the sale of the ship to an undisclosed buyer on January 21, 2021 -- just two days after Azamara was sold. The vessel will join Azamara as the fleet's fourth ship.

Sycamore Partners retained Azamara's chief operating officer, Carol Cabezas, who will now serve as the brand's president. 

Additionally, the firm brought on former Holland America Line President Orlando Ashford, who parted ways with Holland America in May of 2020. He will take on the role of executive chairman of Azamara Cruises.

The line's top brass has vowed there are currently no sweeping changes planned for the line, so passengers can expect the experience to remain relatively unchanged when operations resume under the new ownership. 

Summary of Ships Sold by Royal Caribbean Group in 2020 and 2021

Royal Caribbean Group sold seven total ships in 2020 and 2021:

• Monarch (2020)
• Sovereign (2020)
• Empress of the Seas (2020)
• Majesty of the Seas (2020)
• Azamara Journey (2021)
• Azamara Pursuit (2021)
• Azamara Quest (2021)