The Nordic Empress was used as a reference for the placement of the public rooms of the new pair of ships that started the 'vision'-class of ships for Royal Caribbean. Because of the use of a lot of glass (that is why it was called 'vision') the passengers had great views all around these public rooms. This is especially visible in the two deck high area behind the nested lifeboats for the central lobby and the main restaurant. The Viking Crown Lounge, that was placed around the funnel at the Sovereign-class of ships, is moved down to upper-deck level, just in front of the funnel above the nine-deck high atrium. Because it is placed here, sunlight can enter the ship down through the atrium, called the Centrum at all Royal Caribbean ships. Also, the Viking Crown Lounge now was more easy to reach from the rest of the ship. The cabins aboard Legend of the Seas, the first ship of the pair, are also much bigger then on the previous ships, where the cabins have been kept small in purpose just to let the people come outside and get to the ships bars and shops. Just one year later, her sistership Splendour Of The Seas was delivered. She floated out in october 1994 and was named in Southampton on the 29th of march 1996. Her first cruise started from this English port to Barcelona two days later. In her first year, she was employed in the Mediterranean and Royal Caribbean Cruise Line changed its name a little and became Royal Caribbean International from 1997 onwards. By this namechange, the company stated clearly that they were continue to grow in the coming years and as we know now, they did.
Below, a dramatic bowshot of the ship, taken when it was still possible to take pictures at the quay itself. You just could go through the warehouse that acted as a cruiseterminal and no one would ask you anything, if you would not try and board the ship itself. This was the 16th of august of 1998.
In her early years, Splendour Of The Seas had Oslo as her homeport and she sailed some northern-European cruises in 1998 to Norway, the Baltic, England and Holland. Later on, she was replaced by bigger ships in this growing market and she went to the Mediterranean and the Caribbean. In 2005, her homeport was changed from Oslo to Nassau, as most of the ships of Royal Caribbean that now lost Oslo as a homeport in general.
