With the widely-expected news that the Majesty of the Seas and Empress of the Seas are departing the Royal Caribbean International fleet for a new home in Asia, two company executives have shared their memories of the ships.

Michael Bayley, president and CEO, Royal Caribbean International: 

After more than 30 years with Royal Caribbean, our beloved Empress of the Seas and Majesty of the Seas will be leaving our fleet.

I know this is bittersweet for many of you who have made unforgettable memories on board throughout the years. As you can probably tell from the pictures (note: Bayley is pictured above on the Empress, top row left), their departure hits close to home for me as well, as I was part of the crew on Nordic Empress (as Empress was formally called) and Majesty of the Seas when we introduced her to the world.

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!

Vicki Freed, senior vice president of sales and trade support and service, Royal Caribbean International:

Through the years, Empress and Majesty have created incredible memories for so many of our guests and crew members. Many of your clients think fondly of these ships, and we know this will be a bittersweet goodbye. T

heir departure from the Royal Caribbean fleet is a major moment in our brand’s history and was a decision that was not made lightly.

However, as our fleet evolves, decisions like these pave the way for the introduction of new and reimagined innovative ships.

And if you’re wondering about crew members being impacted by this, rest assured they’ll be transferred to other ships in our fleet where unforgettable vacations will soon continue.