No, it’s not the Witness Protection Program, but the Royal Caribbean Monarch of the Seas will be changing homes and names.
The Monarch of the Seas, which sails out of Port Canaveral under the Royal Caribbean International brand for Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. will be transferred to sister brand Pullmantur, which sails out of Madrid, Spain. Its name most likely will just shorten up to MS Monarch, as did former Royal Caribbean vessels Empress of the Seas and Sovereign of the Seas.
The Monarch of the Seas is one of two ships Royal Caribbean bases at the Orlando-area port sailing 3- and 4-night jaunts to the Bahamas. The transfer won’t be until April 2013, which allows time for Royal Caribbean to potentially shift another vessel to the port.
“We are saddened by the loss of Monarch of the Seas from our fleet, but we’re glad that she will go to our sister-brand Pullmantur and forge a new path to deliver exciting vacations to Spanish travelers,” said spokesperson Harrison Liu. “Royal Caribbean values our partnership with Port Canaveral and future deployments after spring 2013 and potential replacement for the Short Bahamas product there will be announced in the next couple of months.”
Port Canaveral actually has nine vessels calling it home for the next few weeks before the Disney Magic leaves for New York as the new Disney Fantasy begins sailing. Also departing will be Norwegian Cruise Line as the Norwegian Sun makes its way to Europe at the end of April for the summer, but will then sail out of the Port of Miami.
“We are very proud of Monarch of the Seas for delivering great service and outstanding destinations to vacationers since her maiden voyage,” said Adam Goldstein, president and CEO of Royal Caribbean International. “She will go on creating wonderful travel memories through her final sailings for our brand through next March and then continue doing the same for Pullmantur’s guests.”
The addition of Monarch to the Pullmantur brand will increase its total guest capacity by nearly 25 percent. The brand offers all-inclusive cruise holidays. It currently sails four vessels and leads the Spanish and Portuguese markets for cruise holidays.
Pullmantur started sailing its own cruise ships in 2001 with another Port Canaveral-based ship, for those of you remember the Big Red Boat, which has since moved on to sail with Japan-based Peace Boat. The line also sailed for a time the former Love Boat — the Princess Cruises Pacific Princess, which recently was scrapped. Its current fleet includes the Sovereign, Empress, Horizon and Zenith.
“The transfer of Monarch of the Seas will reinforce Pullmantur in our Latin American growth strategy, and help us become one of the most widely recognized brands,” said Pullmantur’s President and CEO, Gonzalo Chico Barbier.
The 2,744-passenger, Sovereign-class ship debuted in 1991 and was refurbished in 1999 and 2003. It was among the world’s largest when introduced. The Monarch is the oldest of Royal Caribbean’s current fleet of 22 ships. Sister ship Majesty of the Seas was built in 1992 and will be the last of the Sovereign-class ships in the fleet. The line has two ships on order for delivery in 2013 and 2014. Its last new vessels were the groundbreaking Oasis of the Seas (2009) and Allure of the Seas (2010), the current titleholders for world’s largest cruise ship.
Copyright © 2012, Vacation Starter
Baltimore Sun.com
By Richard Tribou, Orlando Sentinel
March 20, 2012 9:51 AM
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