Royal Caribbean is one of the biggest cruise lines in the world. Their fleet of ships includes the largest on the planet and many of them boast activities and attractions that you won’t find anywhere else at sea.

But, how much do you know about Royal Caribbean and its vessels? Here are five fascinating facts to keep you in the loop.

Female Firsts

Back in 2007, Karin Stahre-Janson became the first female captain of a ‘mega’ cruise ship (over 120,000 tonnes) and she did it by piloting Royal Caribbean’s Monarch of the Seas. Since then, the Swede has been in command of both Serenade of the Seas and Majesty of the Seas and still works for the cruise line today.

Logo Looks

Royal Caribbean’s logo is easily recognised as a crown on top of an anchor – a nod towards the name of their loyalty programme. As well as being easy to spot on the side of a ship or on any of their branding, it’s also noticeable from the air. How do we know this? Because Royal Caribbean’s Miami-based headquarters is built to resemble the logo and can be clearly seen when flying overhead. The building itself is split into the three points of the crown whilst the entrance and front courtyard create the shape of the anchor.

Genesis Graffiti

Royal Caribbean’s ships are known for their quirky art installations, many of which seem to have little meaning behind them. However, the mannequin that can be seen cleaning graffiti off a wall on board Oasis of the Seas actually does have a story behind it. In the early stages or conceptualisation, the phrase ‘Project Genesis’ was used to describe the launch of a brand new class of ship that would eventually start with Oasis. Hence, the graffiti being scrubbed away reads ‘Genesis’.

Carousel Carvings  

A lot of work goes into the construction of a cruise ship and that’s why it can be anything up to two or three years between the ‘steel cutting’ ceremony and maiden voyage. However, it can often be the smaller and seemingly unimportant things that take the longest to be created. Take the wooden horses bringing joy to anyone who rides the carousel on board Royal Caribbean’s Oasis class ships - these alone take around six weeks to carve.

Name Nominations

Most of you will remember how the poll to help name a British Antarctic research vessel was hijacked by a campaign to get ‘Boaty McBoatface’ chosen as the winning entry. What you may not know is that Royal Caribbean was so impressed with the creativity shown by James Hand, who thought of the tongue-in-cheek moniker, that they want him to be involved with choosing the name of a future ship.

After inviting him to cruise for free on board newest ship Harmony of the Seas, the cruise line have said they will ask him to join the consultation panel to help pick a suitable title for any of the forthcoming ships. You may have missed this news as it was announced on April Fools’ Day, but RCCL have assured everyone that it’s true.

If you would like to learn more about or Royal Caribbean cruises, you can call our team today, or if you would rather submit an online enquiry, you can do so by contacting us through the website.