Empress Returns to Royal Caribbean Fleet in 2016

It’s official: Empress of the Seas is coming back to the Royal Caribbean fleet!

You might remember the diminutive but beautiful little Empress of the Seas as Nordic Empress, the name she held between her introduction in 1990 and 2004, when she received her “of the seas” addition.
In 2008, Empress of the Seas sailed her last voyage for Royal Caribbean before being transferred to their Spanish subsidiary, Pullmantur, for European cruises catering to the Spanish-speaking market.
Typically when a ship gets transferred out of the fleet, it’s a bit of a one-way street; the ship rarely comes back to sail for the parent company again. And indeed, that was the story with Empress of the Seas; renamed Empress, she would quietly sail for Pulmantur for the next seven years.
Now, Empress is about to return to the Royal Caribbean fleet after an extensive refurbishment in the Spring of 2016. It sounds like she’ll also get her old name back, too, returning to sail under the moniker, Empress of the Seas. The announcement was made last week by Royal Caribbean Chief Financial Officer, Jason Liberty.

Empress of the Seas, shown in a cut-away brochure drawing for Royal Caribbean. Author’s collection.

To me, this is the most exciting news I’ve heard out of Royal Caribbean in years. I’ve always wanted to sail on this pretty little ship which is why I’ll be first in line when itineraries and pricing are announced. But more than that, the return of Empress of the Seas is significant for numerous other reasons.
For the last decade, Royal Caribbean has built their reputation on the idea that size is king. The mammoth Oasis of the Seas and

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