Photo: Kefalonia2015, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Legend of the Seas inaugurated Royal Caribbean's Vision class, a series of ships designed in the mid-1990s to flood their interiors with natural light through expansive use of glass. Built by Chantiers de l'Atlantique at Saint-Nazaire, France, she entered service in 1995 at about 69,472 GT, introducing acres of floor-to-ceiling windows, a glass-walled solarium pool area, and multi-deck atriums that made the Vision ships feel dramatically brighter and airier than their predecessors.
Legend of the Seas was notably fast for a cruise ship of her generation, capable of high service speeds that suited the long-distance and exotic itineraries she was designed to operate. She featured Royal Caribbean signatures including the Viking Crown Lounge and, in a first for the line, an eighteen-hole miniature golf course on deck, reflecting a growing emphasis on onboard recreation. Cindy Pritzker served as her godmother.
Across her Royal Caribbean career, Legend of the Seas ranged widely, undertaking Hawaii, Panama Canal, Asian, and Australian deployments in addition to Caribbean and Mediterranean seasons, making the most of her speed and glass-forward design to serve as something of a globe-trotting ambassador for the fleet.
In 2017 Legend of the Seas was transferred to TUI's Marella Cruises, the British operator, and renamed Marella Discovery 2. Registered in Nassau, Bahamas, she continues in service under that brand, sailing seasonal Mediterranean, Caribbean, and Canary Islands itineraries for the UK market, a graceful survivor of Royal Caribbean's light-filled Vision generation.
Specifications
| Status | Transferred |
|---|---|
| Entered service | 1995 |
| Retired | 2017 |
| Cruise line | Royal Caribbean International |
| Class | Vision class |
| Gross tonnage | 69,130 GT |
| Guests (double occupancy) | 1,804 |
| Guests (maximum) | 2,198 |
| Crew | 735 |
| Length | 264 m (866 ft) |
| Beam | 32 m (105 ft) moulded |
| Draught | 7.7 m (25 ft) |
| Decks | 11 |
| Staterooms | 915 |
| Shipyard | Chantiers de l'Atlantique (Saint-Nazaire, France) |
| Build cost | ≈ US$280 million |
| Christened by | Cindy Pritzker |
| Flag | Bahamas |
| Port of registry | Nassau, Bahamas |
| IMO number | 9070620 |
| Region | Mediterranean, Caribbean & Canary Islands (seasonal) |
About the Vision class
Mid-1990s ships emphasizing glass, light, and sweeping ocean views.
Ownership & loyalty
Part of Royal Caribbean Group (NYSE: RCL).
Sister brands: Celebrity Cruises, Silversea Cruises, TUI Cruises, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises.
Loyalty status match - members keep an equivalent tier across the group's brands:
- Crown & Anchor Society (Royal Caribbean International) ↔ Captain's Club (Celebrity Cruises)
One-for-one tier status match across Royal Caribbean Group brands: Gold <-> Classic, Platinum/Emerald <-> Select, Diamond <-> Elite, Diamond Plus <-> Elite Plus, Pinnacle Club <-> Zenith. - Crown & Anchor Society (Royal Caribbean International) ↔ Venetian Society (Silversea Cruises)
One-for-one status match with Silversea Venetian Society: Gold <-> 1 day, Platinum/Emerald <-> 100 days, Diamond <-> 250 days, Diamond Plus <-> 350 days, Pinnacle Club <-> 500 days.
References
Descriptions on Cruise Ship Wiki are original write-ups paraphrased from public sources; facts are compiled from the references below and cross-checked. How we source our information.
- Photograph by Kefalonia2015 (CC BY-SA 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons - Primary ship photograph