Monarch of the Seas

Monarch of the Seas was the second of Royal Caribbean's three Sovereign-class megaships, the class that had reinvented the industry by proving guests would embrace ships large enough to become destinations in themselves. Built by Chantiers de l'Atlantique at Saint-Nazaire, France, she entered service in 1991 at about 73,937 GT, marginally larger than lead ship Sovereign of the Seas and among the biggest passenger vessels in the world at the time.

Like her sisters, Monarch was organized around the Centrum, the soaring multi-deck glass-topped atrium with glass elevators and sweeping staircases that had made the Sovereign class revolutionary, complemented by a large theater, casino, and the brand's signature Viking Crown Lounge. She carried roughly 2,700 guests and became a workhorse of Royal Caribbean's Caribbean and Mexican Riviera programs, sailing high-volume short and week-long itineraries for over two decades.

The ship was christened by the legendary Hollywood actress Lauren Bacall, lending old-Hollywood glamour to the naming of what was then one of Royal Caribbean's flagships. In December 1998 Monarch of the Seas made headlines when she struck a rock reef off Mexico near Cabo San Lucas and was intentionally grounded in shallow water to prevent her sinking, after which she was repaired and returned to service.

In 2013 Monarch of the Seas was transferred to Royal Caribbean's Spanish subsidiary Pullmantur Cruises, renamed simply Monarch and re-registered in Valletta, Malta, to serve Spanish and Latin American markets. Her career ended with Pullmantur's collapse during the COVID-19 pandemic; following the line's 2020 bankruptcy she was sent to the shipbreakers at Aliaga, Turkey, and broken up by early 2021.