After more than 30 years in service with Royal Caribbean Empress of the Seas and Majesty of the Seas will be leaving the fleet. The news was announced today by the President & CEO of Royal Caribbean Michael Bayley, who said the ships have been sold and will depart the fleet later this month. According to Royal Caribbean Empress and Majesty have been sold to an undisclosed buyer based in Asia-Pacific and they will not be sent to the scrapyard.

Michael Bayley underlined the impact and significance of these two ships on the company.

“No doubt, they will be dearly missed – they may be small, but their lasting impact is mighty.

Decisions like these are difficult, but they are part of our necessary evolution to continue introducing new ships and bring you, our guests, the most innovative ships in the industry. Today marks a new chapter in our history, and we are excited about what the future holds.

Rest assured, there is no need to worry about our extraordinary crew members. They are still part of the Royal Caribbean family and will be reassigned to other ships once we are back to sailing again.

As I’ve said before, we miss sailing with every one of you. But calmer seas are ahead, and we can’t wait for that day. Thank you for being a loyal member of our family. Please continue to take care of yourself and your loved ones. 

In the meantime, if you have any memories of sailing on Empress and Majesty that you’d like to share, I’d love to hear about the amazing experiences you had while sailing with these two ships!”