Royal Caribbean International

In September 2014, Royal Caribbean announced that the third Quantum-class ship would be named Ovation of the Seas, and in February 2015 they announced that the third Oasis-class ship would be named Harmony of the Seas.

In March 2015, Royal Caribbean announced that they had agreed to sell Splendour of the Seas to TUI Cruises in the second quarter of 2016.

In June 2016, Royal Caribbean announced that they had agreed to sell Legend of the Seas to TUI Cruises in the second quarter of 2017.

The company lobbies in various jurisdictions in which it operates. In the United States of America, lobbying expenditure records are held by the Senate Office of Public Records. In South Australia, the company is represented by lobbying company Richardson Coutts Pty Ltd.

In 2017, Royal Caribbean agreed to use Port Everglades as a preferred berth for its Oasis class ships. The new agreement extended the past contract with Port Everglades until 2026, contingent upon a $100 million remodeling of Cruise Terminal 25, and approved by the Broward County Board of County Commissioners.

In December 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Royal Caribbean suspended sailings across its fleet. It also sold Empress of the Seas and Majesty of the Seas, with the former going to Cordelia Cruises. As of 12 January 2021, its first and only ship to resume sailing was Quantum of the Seas, which began sailing from Singapore in December 2020 under health and safety regulations formulated by the Singapore government.

On 29 June 2021, Royal Caribbean International's Ovation of the Seas became the first cruise ship to return to the Port of Seattle since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

Partnerships/capabilities

In August 2022, the company announced that it would partner with SpaceX to use its Starlink technology across all its ships, in an effort to improve historically weak internet connections. This comes on the heels of the Federal Communications Commission authorizing SpaceX to provide its services to boats, planes, and trucks.

Radiance class

All Radiance-class ships have a gross tonnage of 90,090 and environmentally friendlier gas turbine engines. The Radiance-class ships have over 3 acres (12,000 m2) of glass, glass exterior viewing elevators, over 700 balcony staterooms, two-level glass windowed dining rooms, alternative restaurants, a retractable glass roof over a pool, an outdoor pool, as well as the first self-leveling billiard tables at sea. The Radiance class ships were constructed at Meyer Werft, Papenburg, Germany. Unlike the preceding Voyager class, these ships are built to the Panamax form factor, allowing them to pass through the Panama Canal.

Freedom class

The Freedom-class ships are lengthened versions of the second-generation Voyager-class ship, and contain a 400-foot (120 m) Royal Promenade mall running much of the length of the ship, an ice skating rink, basketball court, several pools, a mini-golf course, and a rock wall. New features on the Freedom class include the FlowRider surfing simulator, the H2O Zone kids water play area, a boxing ring, and hot tubs cantilevered over the side of the ship. At 154,407 gross tons, the Freedom-class ships were the largest ships in the world from 2006, until the debut of the Oasis class in 2009.

Oasis class

The Oasis-class ships are among the largest passenger ships ever built, having surpassed the Freedom-class ships, and are surpassed only by the Icon-class ships. They can accommodate up to 5,400 passengers at double occupancy and they have a maximum capacity of 6,296 passengers. Furthermore, the ships have a gross tonnage of at least 225,282 tons, and cost the line around US$1.4 billion each.

The first two ships in the class, Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas, were delivered in 2009 and 2010 by STX Europe Turku Shipyard, Finland. The third and fourth ships in the class, Harmony of the Seas and Symphony of the Seas were built at Chantiers de l'Atlantique in Saint-Nazaire, France. They introduced the Ultimate Abyss dry slide feature. Royal Caribbean International, in conjunction with USA Today, sponsored a contest to name the first two vessels. In February 2019, Royal Caribbean announced the order of a 6th Oasis class vessel, later named Utopia of the Seas, from Chantiers de l'Atlantique for delivery in 2024 with a double occupancy of 5,714 and gross tonnage of 231,000.

Quantum class

The Quantum-class of ships debuted as the second largest class of cruise ships in the world. The Quantum-class ships were the first ships built for Royal Caribbean by Meyer Werft since the Radiance class and share many features with those ships, including indoor pools with retractable roofs, vast expanses of glass, outdoor seating in the "Windjammer" buffet, and self-leveling pool tables. Other distinctive features of the Quantum-class include the "North Star" observation capsule mounted on the end of a 41-meter-long (135 ft) crane arm, "RipCord by iFLY" a skydiving simulator, the three-deck-high Two70° lounge and performance venue at the aft of the ship featuring panoramic windows that convert into projection screens, and the multi-purpose SeaPlex facility which hosts activities such as basketball, roller skating, bumper cars, and a trapeze school. The Quantum class was the first class designed specifically for Dynamic Dining, and feature several separate complementary dining facilities instead of a single main dining room. Each venue will maintain the same menu and staff throughout the cruise. Unlike the earlier Voyager, Freedom, and Oasis class, Quantum-class ships do not feature a Viking Crown Lounge or ice skating rink, and the Royal Esplanade mall down the center of the ship is not featured in the traditional form of Royal Promenades.

Five ships, Quantum of the Seas, Anthem of the Seas, Ovation of the Seas, Spectrum of the Seas, and Odyssey of the Seas were built as of 2021.

Icon class

On 10 October 2016, Royal Caribbean and Meyer Turku announced an order to build two ships under the project name "Icon". Royal Caribbean plans to have at least seven Icon-class ships. Icon class ships are the largest cruise ships ever constructed and are powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG).

Future fleet

Royal Caribbean is also planning a new class of ships to follow the Icon-class. Those ships will be built at Meyer Turku until 2036.

Whakaari / White Island eruption

On 9 December 2019, a volcanic eruption occurred killing 21 people from Ovation of the Seas. It occurred on New Zealand's Whakaari / White Island while Ovation was docked in the nearby Port of Tauranga. Despite an increase in seismic activity in preceding weeks, 47 people (including 38 passengers and crew from the ship) were on the island when it erupted. As of December 10, 2019, 44 of the 47 were injured, missing, or killed. A Royal Caribbean spokesperson said the line was "devastated by today’s events", and the ship remained in port until 10 December to assist with recovery efforts. In April 2020, legal action was commenced in Australia on behalf of relatives and Ovation passengers against Royal Caribbean.

Death of Chloe Rae Margaret Wiegand

On 7 July 2019, 18-month-old Chloe Rae Margaret Wiegand was dropped to her death from an open window by her grandfather Salvatore Anello on Freedom of the Seas while docked in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He was later arrested on counts of homicide by authorities in Puerto Rico. The family attempted to file a civil suit against Royal Caribbean claiming that Anello did not know the window was open. Royal Caribbean later released several videos from surveillance cameras showing this incident. As of 25 February 2020, Anello took a plea deal with authorities. However, the civil lawsuit was still approved by a judge.

COVID-19 pandemic

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Miami Herald reported that, after cruises were cancelled worldwide and they had disembarked all passengers, Royal Caribbean Cruises had refused to repatriate many of their crew members due to the associated costs, with many crew members turning to desperate measures, such as hunger strikes, as a result.

As part of the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA), Royal Caribbean paused its global sailing operations through 30 April 2021.

On 16 June 2021, Royal Caribbean International announced that it was delaying the inaugural sailing of their newest cruise liner, Odyssey of the Seas after eight crew members tested positive for SARS-CoV-2–COVID-19. Six of the crew members were without showing signs of symptoms while the other two were experiencing mild symptoms of the disease. The delay was extended until 31 July 2021.