Sovereign class

The "Sovereign" class is Royal Caribbean International's 3rd generation of cruise ships.The three ships of the class were built in Saint-Nazaire, France at the Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyards. They were the first modern megaships to be built. They were the first series of cruise ships to include a multi story atrium with glass elevators. They also had a single deck devoted entirely of cabins with private balconies instead of oceanview cabins. Launched in 1988, their first ship, the "Sovereign of the Seas" was the world's largest ship when launched, preceding the SS|Norway. It held the record until 1990 when the SS "Norway" succeeded her after being refurbished with the addition of 2 more decks. In 1991, Royal Caribbean International launched a slightly modified sister ship, the "Monarch of the Seas". In 1992, they launched their third and final sister ship, the "Majesty of the Seas". These ships were the among the largest modern cruise ships ever to sail during the late 80's and early 90's. During that time, other major cruise lines followed suit in building their ships to include many of the same features and dimensions as the "Sovereign Class" had. Carnival Cruise Lines launched the Fantasy class in 1990, which was almost as large as the "Sovereign Class" and also featured a multi story atrium with glass elevators. Princess Cruises launched the "Crown Princess" and the "Regal Princess" launched in 1990 and in 1991 was also almost as large as the "Sovereign Class". They also featured an atrium and other features such as a two decks devoted to having cabins with private balconies instead of oceanview cabins. Since then, newer and larger ships have succeeded the "Sovereign Class" size. Comparing to today's size of the largest cruise ships afloat, they are less than 1/2 the size of the MS|Independence of the Seas|3=2, which is about 160,000 gross tons. In 2008, Royal Caribbean will retire the "Sovereign of the Seas", and transfer her to Pullmantur Cruises.

hips

* was the largest ship in the world at the time of its completion in 1988.
*, delivered in 1991
*, inaugurated April 26, 1992