MONARCH OF THE SEAS
April 14, 2006 | Los Angeles, California
Monarch of the Seas (Royal Caribbean International) departed Los Angeles Harbor on April 14, 2006, under overcast skies. The 1991-built Sovereign-class cruise ship was a familiar presence in Southern California during this period, operating short cruises from Los Angeles to destinations along the Baja California coast.
Monarch of the Seas departed Los Angeles Harbor on April 14, 2006, under an overcast Southern California sky. By this point in her Royal Caribbean career, the ship had become a familiar presence on the West Coast, operating short cruises from Los Angeles to Baja California. These photographs document the ship during that period, several years before she left Royal Caribbean and was renamed Monarch.
Built by Chantiers de l'Atlantique at Saint-Nazaire, France, Monarch of the Seas entered service for Royal Caribbean in 1991 as the second member of the Sovereign class. The class represented an important period of growth in the cruise industry, when passenger ships were becoming substantially larger and increasingly designed around the shipboard vacation experience. At nearly 74,000 gross tons and approximately 880 feet long, Monarch of the Seas was among the world's largest cruise ships when completed.
Information List
Name: Monarch of the Seas
Later Name: Monarch
Operator in 2006: Royal Caribbean International
Later Operator: Pullmantur Cruises
Ship Type: Cruise ship
Class: Sovereign Class
Builder: Chantiers de l'Atlantique, Saint-Nazaire, France
Yard Number: A30
Keel Laid: July 31, 1989
Launched: September 22, 1990
Delivered: October 15, 1991
Entered Service: 1991
Gross Tonnage: 73,937 GT
Length: Approximately 880 feet / 268.3 meters
Beam: Approximately 106 feet / 32.2 meters
Draft: Approximately 24.8 feet / 7.55 meters
Maximum Speed: Approximately 22 knots
Passenger Capacity: Approximately 2,744
IMO Number: 8819500
Registry in 2006: Bahamas
Location Shown: Los Angeles, California
Date Shown: April 14, 2006
Royal Caribbean Service: 1991–2013
Pullmantur Service: 2013–2020
Final Disposition: Withdrawn and sent for scrapping at Aliağa, Turkey, in 2020
History and Features
Construction and Entry Into Service:
Monarch of the Seas was built by Chantiers de l'Atlantique at Saint-Nazaire, France, for Royal Caribbean.
Her keel was laid on July 31, 1989.
The ship was launched on September 22, 1990, and delivered to Royal Caribbean on October 15, 1991.
She entered passenger service later in 1991.
At approximately 73,937 gross tons, Monarch of the Seas was among the world's largest cruise ships when completed.
Her introduction expanded Royal Caribbean's new generation of large purpose-built cruise ships.
Sovereign Class:
Monarch of the Seas was the second of Royal Caribbean's three Sovereign-class ships.
The class began with Sovereign of the Seas and was completed by Majesty of the Seas.
All three were constructed at Chantiers de l'Atlantique in Saint-Nazaire.
The ships represented a major increase in scale compared with earlier generations of purpose-built cruise ships.
Royal Caribbean has continued to recognize the Sovereign class as an important part of its shipbuilding relationship with Chantiers de l'Atlantique.
Design and Scale:
Monarch of the Seas measured approximately 268.3 meters, or 880 feet, in overall length.
Her gross tonnage was approximately 73,937 GT.
Propulsion was provided by four Pielstick-Alsthom diesel engines driving two controllable-pitch propellers.
The ship was designed for a maximum speed of approximately 22 knots.
Passenger capacity was approximately 2,744.
Her size placed her among the largest purpose-built cruise ships of the early 1990s.
Royal Caribbean Service:
Monarch of the Seas spent more than two decades operating for Royal Caribbean International.
During her career with Royal Caribbean, the ship operated itineraries in several cruising regions.
By the mid-2000s, she was based on the West Coast and operating short cruises from Los Angeles to Baja California.
Contemporary records from 2006 show the ship operating three- and four-night cruises from Los Angeles, including four-night Baja Mexico itineraries.
These shorter itineraries made Monarch of the Seas a regular presence in Los Angeles Harbor during the period represented by this gallery.
Los Angeles – April 14, 2006:
Monarch of the Seas was photographed departing Los Angeles Harbor on April 14, 2006.
The overcast conditions created a subdued setting as the ship moved through the harbor toward the Pacific.
During this period, Los Angeles served as the ship's base for short cruises to Mexico.
The photographs preserve Monarch of the Seas during the middle of her Royal Caribbean career and approximately seven years before her transfer to Pullmantur.
Her departure also documents an era when Sovereign-class ships were still prominent members of the Royal Caribbean fleet.
2003 Refurbishment:
Royal Caribbean carried out a major refurbishment of Monarch of the Seas in 2003.
The work updated passenger spaces and added features intended to keep the ship competitive with newer members of the rapidly expanding Royal Caribbean fleet.
Among the additions was a rock-climbing wall, an amenity that had become strongly associated with Royal Caribbean.
The refurbishment extended the ship's usefulness as Royal Caribbean introduced substantially larger Voyager-class and Freedom-class vessels.
Transfer to Pullmantur:
Royal Caribbean ended the ship's service under the Monarch of the Seas name in 2013.
She transferred to Pullmantur Cruises and was renamed Monarch.
The transfer began a second phase of her career after more than twenty years with Royal Caribbean.
Under Pullmantur, Monarch continued operating cruises until 2020.
Her sister ship Sovereign also later operated for Pullmantur.
Final Years:
The collapse of Pullmantur's cruise operations in 2020 brought Monarch's career to an abrupt end.
After nearly three decades of passenger service, the ship was withdrawn.
She was sent to the ship-breaking facilities at Aliağa, Turkey, in July 2020.
Her former sister Sovereign was also sent to Aliağa during the same period.
Royal Caribbean in Los Angeles:
Southern California has periodically served as an important homeport region for Royal Caribbean.
During the mid-2000s, Monarch of the Seas provided short-cruise options from Los Angeles to Baja California.
These itineraries placed the ship in Los Angeles Harbor on a frequent basis.
Royal Caribbean has continued to return to Southern California with later generations of ships, connecting the company's current West Coast operations with an earlier period represented by Monarch of the Seas.
Legacy:
Monarch of the Seas belonged to a generation of ships that helped reshape expectations for the size and amenities of modern cruise vessels.
Although later Royal Caribbean ships grew dramatically larger, the Sovereign class represented an important step in that development.
Her career spanned nearly three decades and two operators, beginning with Royal Caribbean in 1991 and concluding with Pullmantur in 2020.
The April 14, 2006 photographs in Los Angeles preserve the ship during her Royal Caribbean years and her period of regular West Coast service.
