Empress of the Seas

Empress of the Seas is a cruise ship and the sole vessel of her class. The ship was ordered for Admiral Cruises, where it was originally intended to be named Future Seas and join the company's Azure Seas and Emerald Seas. Before construction was completed, Royal Caribbean merged with Admiral Cruises in 1987 and discontinued the Admiral brand. The vessel was consequently incorporated into the Royal Caribbean fleet and received several recognizable Royal Caribbean features, including the Viking Crown and Windjammer Cafe. The ship entered service in 1990 as Nordic Empress. She was developed particularly for the short-cruise market and was among the first mainstream cruise ships designed specifically around three- and four-night itineraries. Her early program included short cruises to the Bahamas and later combined Caribbean departures from San Juan, Puerto Rico. Following the sale of Song of America in 1999, Nordic Empress also assumed Royal Caribbean's New York-to-Bermuda service. Royal Caribbean briefly planned South American cruises for the vessel in 2000, but replaced her on those itineraries with Splendour of the Seas and retained Nordic Empress in the Caribbean. In June 2001, the ship suffered a serious engine-room fire while approximately 140 miles north of Bermuda. An investigation attributed the incident to a loose bolt in a fuel-line flange assembly that had been improperly repaired. The failure allowed fuel to escape and ignite on hot engine surfaces. Sprinklers, emergency procedures, fire hoses, watertight doors, and halon systems were used to contain the incident. The ship returned to Bermuda under reduced power and remained out of service for about two weeks for repairs. Reported fire-related expenses and lost revenue exceeded $8.8 million. The incident later received additional public attention because actress Tina Fey described being aboard in her autobiography. Royal Caribbean announced in 2007 that the ship would move to its subsidiary Pullmantur Cruises. Her final Royal Caribbean voyage under the original arrangement ended in March 2008, after which she entered Pullmantur service as Empress. In 2012, the ship received a revised Pullmantur logo and hull color scheme. Royal Caribbean later brought the vessel back into its own fleet. Following a dry-dock refurbishment, she was reintroduced as Empress of the Seas in 2016, with a program centered on four- and five-night cruises from Miami. The return was delayed twice in 2016, ultimately to allow additional rebuilding of the ship's galleys. The vessel continued to operate Caribbean and Bahamian itineraries, including planned calls at Havana, Cienfuegos, and Santiago de Cuba in 2019. Those Cuban routes were subsequently suspended and replaced with other regional ports. In December 2018, the ship rescued two fishermen whose small boat had been at sea for approximately twenty days without adequate food, fuel, or water. Radar operators detected the boat, and crew members used a lifeboat to bring the fishermen aboard. Empress of the Seas made her final Miami call with paying passengers on 15 March 2020, during the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. After speculation that the vessel might be sold for scrap, Royal Caribbean stated in 2020 that she remained in the fleet while temporarily staying in Greece. In December 2020, Royal Caribbean sold the ship to Cordelia Cruises, an Indian cruise operator. The ship is also referenced in Max Brooks's novel World War Z, in which the earlier Nordic Empress appears in a fictional zombie-infestation narrative.

The vessel was commissioned for Admiral Cruises as Future Seas, but the 1987 merger between Admiral and Royal Caribbean changed both her ownership context and intended identity. Admiral Cruises was dissolved as a brand, and the unfinished ship joined Royal Caribbean's fleet. Royal Caribbean incorporated selected fleet design features, including the Viking Crown and Windjammer Cafe, and named the completed vessel Nordic Empress. Entering service in 1990, Nordic Empress was conceived for the then-developing short-cruise segment. Rather than focusing primarily on week-long voyages, she was designed to support three- and four-night cruises, initially serving the Bahamas and later operating from San Juan in the Caribbean. In 1999, the sale of Song of America led Nordic Empress to take over the New York-to-Bermuda route. A proposed South American deployment in 2000 was abandoned in favor of keeping the ship in Caribbean service. The most serious event in the ship's early career occurred in June 2001. A failed and improperly repaired fuel-line flange assembly caused fuel to leak into the engine area, where it ignited against hot machinery. The resulting fire was controlled through a combination of sprinkler activation, emergency alarms, fire hoses, watertight isolation, and halon release. Nordic Empress returned to Bermuda under reduced power and underwent repairs. The incident was later associated with more than $8.8 million in expenses and lost revenue. It was also mentioned in Tina Fey's autobiography because Fey and her husband were passengers during the incident. Royal Caribbean announced a transfer to Pullmantur Cruises in 2007. The ship completed her final voyage in the original Royal Caribbean arrangement in March 2008 and then operated as Empress for Pullmantur. The subsidiary introduced a new logo and hull color scheme in 2012. In 2016, the ship was refurbished and returned to Royal Caribbean as Empress of the Seas. Her planned return from Miami was delayed first to April and then to May so that the galleys could be fully rebuilt. During this later Royal Caribbean period, the ship served Caribbean and Bahamas routes and was scheduled for expanded Cuban itineraries in 2019. The Cuba program was later suspended, with replacement calls in the Caribbean and Bahamas. In December 2018, the vessel conducted a notable rescue of two fishermen after radar operators identified their distressed boat. The ship's final Miami arrival with paying passengers took place on 15 March 2020. In December of that year, Royal Caribbean sold Empress of the Seas to Cordelia Cruises, an Indian cruise line. The ship's former name, Nordic Empress, also appears in World War Z by Max Brooks as part of a fictional maritime episode.

• 2020

  Sold to Cordelia Cruises

  [1]Empress of the Seasen.wikipedia.org

  Royal Caribbean sold the vessel to Cordelia Cruises in December 2020.

• 2018

  Rescues two fishermen

  [1]Empress of the Seasen.wikipedia.org

  The ship rescued two fishermen found in a small boat without adequate food, fuel, or water.

• 2016

  Returns as Empress of the Seas

  [1]Empress of the Seasen.wikipedia.org

  After a dry-dock refit, the ship returned to Royal Caribbean under the name Empress of the Seas.

• 2012

  Receives Pullmantur visual identity

  [1]Empress of the Seasen.wikipedia.org

  Empress received a new Pullmantur logo and hull color scheme.

• 2008

  Transferred to Pullmantur Cruises

  [1]Empress of the Seasen.wikipedia.org

  The ship left its original Royal Caribbean deployment and began operating for Pullmantur as Empress.

• 2001

  Engine-room fire

  [1]Empress of the Seasen.wikipedia.org

  A fuel-line failure caused a major fire near Bermuda. The vessel returned under reduced power and was repaired before resuming service.

• 1999

  Assumes New York-to-Bermuda service

  [1]Empress of the Seasen.wikipedia.org

  Following the sale of Song of America, Nordic Empress took over Royal Caribbean's New York-to-Bermuda route.

• 1990

  Enters Royal Caribbean service as Nordic Empress

  [1]Empress of the Seasen.wikipedia.org

  Nordic Empress entered service as a Royal Caribbean cruise ship designed especially for short cruises.

• 1989

  Ship launched

  [1]Empress of the Seasen.wikipedia.org

  The vessel was launched during construction under the development associated with the future Nordic Empress.

• 1987

  Admiral Cruises is absorbed into Royal Caribbean

  [1]Empress of the Seasen.wikipedia.org

  The ship was still under construction when Royal Caribbean merged with Admiral Cruises, ending the planned Admiral-branded deployment and moving the vessel into the Royal Caribbean fleet.

A compact mainstream cruise vessel historically positioned around short, accessible regional voyages, particularly three- to five-night Caribbean and Bahamas itineraries.

• Cruise ship · 1989

  Empress of the Seas

  The ship's principal offering is cruise capacity rather than a conventional consumer product line. She was designed for short mainstream voyages and has operated Bahamas, Caribbean, Bermuda, and planned Cuban itineraries under several commercial operators. Her identity changed from Nordic Empress to Empress and then to Empress of the Seas as ownership and fleet affiliations changed.

• 2001

  Engine-room fire caused by fuel-line repair failure

  A loose bolt in an improperly repaired fuel-line flange assembly allowed fuel to leak and ignite in the engine room. The fire was contained using the ship's emergency systems, but the vessel required repairs and incurred reported expenses and lost revenue exceeding $8.8 million.

  Source

Read more

• 2020

  Sale to Cordelia CruisesM&A

  Background

  After the ship's final Royal Caribbean passenger call in March 2020 and a period of uncertainty during the pandemic, ownership of the vessel changed.

  Action taken

  Royal Caribbean sold Empress of the Seas to Cordelia Cruises in December 2020.

  Aftermath

  The vessel left the Royal Caribbean fleet and became associated with an Indian cruise operator.

  Source

• 2016

  Reintroduction to Royal CaribbeanProduct launch

  Background

  Royal Caribbean sought to redeploy the refurbished vessel on short cruises from Miami.

  Action taken

  The ship underwent dry-dock work and was scheduled for four- and five-night voyages visiting destinations including the Bahamas, Key West, and Grand Cayman.

  Aftermath

  The return was delayed twice, eventually reaching service after additional galley reconstruction.

  Source

• 2008

  Transfer to Pullmantur CruisesStrategy

  Background

  Royal Caribbean announced that the ship would be moved to its subsidiary Pullmantur Cruises.

  Action taken

  The vessel completed its final voyage in the original Royal Caribbean service and began operating for Pullmantur as Empress.

  Aftermath

  The ship operated under Pullmantur until its later return to Royal Caribbean.

  Source

• 2004

  Rename Nordic Empress as Empress of the SeasGeneration change

  Background

  Royal Caribbean had increasingly standardized ship names around the “of the Seas” format.

  Action taken

  After an extensive rebuilding, completed on 8 May 2004, the ship was renamed Empress of the Seas.

  Aftermath

  The renamed vessel aligned more closely with the naming convention of the Royal Caribbean fleet.

  Source

• 2020

  Royal Caribbean sells Empress of the Seas to Cordelia Cruises[1]Empress of the Seasen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  Royal Caribbean sold the vessel to Indian cruise line Cordelia Cruises after the ship's final Royal Caribbean period.

• 2018

  Empress of the Seas rescues two fishermen[1]Empress of the Seasen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  The ship's radar team detected a small fishing boat whose occupants had been at sea for about twenty days without sufficient supplies. A lifeboat was lowered and both fishermen were rescued.

• 2016

  Empress of the Seas returns to Royal Caribbean[1]Empress of the Seasen.wikipedia.org

  Product launch · Product generation

  After refurbishment and a delayed reintroduction, the ship returned to Royal Caribbean service with short cruises departing from Miami.

• 2008

  Nordic Empress transfers to Pullmantur Cruises[1]Empress of the Seasen.wikipedia.org

  M&A · Other

  The ship left Royal Caribbean service and began operating for the company's subsidiary Pullmantur Cruises under the name Empress.

1. 1Empress of the Seasen.wikipedia.org