Royal Caribbean International (RCI)

Royal Caribbean International is a cruise line brand founded in Norway and based in Miami, Florida, United States. It is owned by Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Royal Caribbean International was founded as Royal Caribbean Cruise Line in 1968 by three Norwegian shipping companies: Anders Wilhelmsen & Company, I.M. Skaugen & Company, and Gotaas Larsen. In 1997 Royal Caribbean Cruise Line was merged with the recently purchased Celebrity Cruises.

The decision was made to keep the two cruise line brands separate following the merger, as a result Royal Caribbean Cruise Line was rebranded Royal Caribbean International (RCI) with Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd established as the new parent company of both Royal Caribbean International (RCI) and Celebrity Cruises.

The company controls around 22% percent of the worldwide cruise market. All ships under the Royal Caribbean International brand have names ending with “of the Seas“, a practice which began in 1991.