Photo: Wamba Wambez, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Nordic Prince was the second ship built for Royal Caribbean Cruise Line, following her near-sister Song of Norway into service in 1971 as the young Norwegian-backed company expanded its Miami-based Caribbean operation. Like the first ship, she was constructed by Oy Wartsila Ab at its Helsinki shipyard in Finland, a vessel of roughly 18,000 tons carrying the design hallmarks that defined the early Royal Caribbean fleet.
Chief among those hallmarks was the Viking Crown Lounge, the funnel-encircling observation lounge cantilevered high above the decks that had debuted on Song of Norway and would become the brand's enduring visual signature. Nordic Prince ran warm-water itineraries from Florida, part of the trio of Wartsila-built ships that gave Royal Caribbean its foothold in the modern cruise market.
As the line's popularity grew, Nordic Prince was sent back to Finland to be lengthened, with a new midsection inserted to increase her passenger capacity, mirroring the stretch treatment given to her fleetmates. This modernization extended her useful life through Royal Caribbean's transition into a much larger operator.
Nordic Prince earned the distinction of becoming the first ship Royal Caribbean retired from its fleet, sold in 1995 as the newer Sovereign- and Vision-class megaships rendered the original trio obsolete. In her second career she sailed under names including Carousel and Aquamarine for other operators before her long service finally ended; she was ultimately scrapped in 2015, more than four decades after her Finnish launch.
Specifications
| Status | Transferred |
|---|---|
| Entered service | 1971 |
| Retired | 1995 |
| Cruise line | Royal Caribbean International |
| Class | Song of Norway class |
| Gross tonnage | 23,200 GT |
| Guests (double occupancy) | 1,012 |
About the Song of Norway class
Royal Caribbean's original trio of purpose-built cruise ships, several later "stretched" with added midsections.
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.