Song of Norway

Song of Norway holds a foundational place in cruise history as the first ship purpose-built for Royal Caribbean Cruise Line, the Norwegian consortium formed in 1968 by Anders Wilhelmsen, I.M. Skaugen, and Gotaas-Larsen to pioneer year-round warm-water cruising from Miami. She was constructed by Oy Wartsila Ab at its Helsinki shipyard in Finland and delivered in 1970, a comparatively modest vessel of roughly 18,000 tons that nonetheless established the design language of the fledgling brand.

Her most distinctive feature was the Viking Crown Lounge, a cantilevered cocktail lounge wrapped around the funnel high above the top deck, offering panoramic views that became an instant signature of Royal Caribbean and would be replicated on every ship the line built for decades. The concept proved so popular that Song of Norway helped cement the funnel-lounge as an unmistakable Royal Caribbean trademark.

As demand outpaced capacity, Song of Norway was returned to Finland and lengthened in 1978, with a new midsection inserted to raise her tonnage to about 23,000 GT and add cabins and public rooms, an early example of the 'stretch' refits that became common in the industry. She spent her Royal Caribbean years running Caribbean itineraries out of Miami, carrying an operating call sign of 3FLU9.

Royal Caribbean sold her in 1996 as newer and vastly larger tonnage arrived. Over her long second life she passed through a succession of owners and names, sailing as Sundream, Dream Princess, and Formosa Queen, among others, serving various European and Asian markets. After more than four decades afloat she was finally retired and broken up in China in 2014, closing the career of the ship that started Royal Caribbean's fleet.