Royal Caribbean Group

Royal Caribbean Group is the parent company of the brands Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Silversea. The group also holds a 50 percent stake in TUI Cruises GmbH, its joint venture with TUI AG. TUI Cruises operates the Mein Schiff and Hapag-Lloyd Cruises brands. The corporate brand, individual cruise lines and joint venture therefore refer to different levels of the organization. The guide to cruise brands and corporate groups explains these terms.

From a Caribbean cruise line to a portfolio of brands

The story began in 1969, when entrepreneur Ed Stephan founded a Caribbean cruise line with Norwegian shipping partners Skaugen, Wilhelmsen and Gotaas Larsen. They named it Royal Caribbean to highlight the service standards they aimed to achieve. The first ship, the Song of Norway, set sail on its maiden voyage from Miami on November 7, 1970. Two more ships joined the fleet over the next two years.

According to the company’s history, the first three ships benefited from the technical expertise of Norway’s shipbuilding industry. They were designed for speed and fuel efficiency, while their shallow draft was intended to allow them to call at small island piers. Their design also prioritized fast and efficient evacuation. The early ships helped establish open decks and the rounded, cantilevered Viking Crown lounges as distinctive features of onboard design at the time. Celebrity Cruises joined the group in 1997, followed by Silversea in 2018.

The group, its brands and its ships

The three directly operated cruise lines have distinct profiles. Royal Caribbean International was the original brand. Celebrity Cruises and Silversea joined the portfolio as separate offerings, with Silversea specializing in luxury and expedition voyages. The group’s structure also includes a joint venture with TUI AG: since 2009, TUI Cruises has offered cruises under the Mein Schiff brand for the German-speaking market; Hapag-Lloyd Cruises joined the portfolio in 2020.

In 2020, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. changed its name to Royal Caribbean Group. The corporate name change and the expansion of the joint venture were two separate steps: the first refers to the parent company, while the second concerns the brands operated by the joint venture.