SONG OF NORWAY
March 1990 | Seven-day Caribbean cruise from San Juan, Puerto Rico
My first cruise was a seven-day Caribbean voyage aboard Royal Caribbean Cruise Line’s Song of Norway in March 1990, sailing roundtrip from San Juan, Puerto Rico. Only a few photographs remain, but the memories are vivid: skeet shooting at sea and standing in front of the ship during our visit to St. Maarten. That voyage began a lasting fascination with cruising and life aboard passenger ships.
Song of Norway helped establish Royal Caribbean Cruise Line at the beginning of the modern Caribbean cruise industry. Entering service in November 1970, she was the company’s first ship, built specifically for vacation cruising rather than converted from an older passenger liner. Her Finnish construction, Norwegian shipping heritage, open-air decks, and elevated Viking Crown Lounge helped give the new company a recognizable identity. As demand grew, Royal Caribbean returned her to her builders for a major lengthening in 1978, increasing accommodations and public space without replacing the vessel. By our March 1990 voyage, she was approaching twenty years in service and represented the generation of smaller, purpose-built cruise ships from which Royal Caribbean’s much larger fleet developed.
Information List
Name During Our Voyage: Song of Norway
Operator in March 1990: Royal Caribbean Cruise Line
Ship Type: Purpose-built cruise ship
Shipyard: Wärtsilä, Helsinki, Finland
Yard Number: 392
Launched: December 2, 1969
Delivered: October 5, 1970
Maiden Cruise: November 7, 1970, departing Miami
Sister Ships: Nordic Prince and Sun Viking
Length After the 1978 Extension: Approximately 638 feet / 194.3 meters
Beam: Approximately 79 feet / 24 meters
Gross Tonnage During This Period: Approximately 23,000 GRT
Passenger Capacity After Lengthening: Approximately 1,000, depending on occupancy arrangement
Propulsion: Four Sulzer-Wärtsilä diesel engines driving twin propellers
Speed: Approximately 21 knots
Country of Registry During Our Voyage: Norway
Port of Registry: Oslo
IMO Number: 7005190
Major Lengthening: 1978, at Wärtsilä in Helsinki
Later Names: Sundream, Dream Princess, Dream, Clipper Pearl, Clipper Pacific, Festival, Ocean Pearl, and Formosa Queen
Final Disposition: Sent for dismantling in China in 2013
History and Features
Construction and Entry Into Service:
Song of Norway was built at Wärtsilä’s Helsinki shipyard as the first vessel for Royal Caribbean Cruise Line.
She was launched on December 2, 1969, delivered in October 1970, and began her maiden cruise from Miami on November 7, 1970.
Her introduction was followed by Nordic Prince in 1971 and Sun Viking in 1972, forming Royal Caribbean’s original three-ship fleet.
These ships were designed around Caribbean vacation travel, with outdoor deck space and dimensions suited to visiting smaller island ports.
Design and Features:
The Viking Crown Lounge projected from the ship’s funnel, providing an elevated viewing position and a memorable feature in her silhouette.
The lounge became closely associated with Royal Caribbean and influenced the appearance of later ships in the fleet.
Open-air decks and passenger spaces emphasized the experience of a warm-weather holiday at sea.
Her diesel machinery and twin-propeller arrangement reflected the practical requirements of operating frequent cruises between Caribbean ports.
The 1978 Lengthening:
In 1978, Song of Norway returned to Wärtsilä in Helsinki for an extensive enlargement.
The ship was divided and a new midsection approximately 85 feet, or 26 meters, long was inserted.
Her overall length increased to approximately 194.3 meters, and her tonnage rose from about 18,400 to approximately 23,000 gross register tons.
The extension added accommodations and public space, increasing passenger capacity to roughly 1,000.
Royal Caribbean subsequently carried out a similar extension aboard Nordic Prince in 1980.
Service:
Song of Norway helped establish Royal Caribbean’s Caribbean cruise business, initially operating voyages from Miami.
Her career also included departures from San Juan, including our seven-day roundtrip cruise in March 1990.
As larger vessels joined the company, she remained a connection to Royal Caribbean’s early years and its original approach to vacation cruising.
Her extended service demonstrated how enlargement and refurbishment could keep an established ship commercially useful as the industry grew.
Our Caribbean Cruise – March 1990:
This was my first cruise, a seven-day voyage sailing roundtrip from San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Our visit to St. Maarten provided the opportunity for a photograph standing in front of Song of Norway.
Another lasting memory is skeet shooting from the deck while the ship was at sea, an activity that reflects how different some onboard experiences were at the time.
Although only a few photographs survive from the trip, the voyage became an important starting point in my interest in cruising and passenger ships.
Later Career:
In 1997, the ship passed to Airtours’ Sun Cruises and was renamed Sundream.
Her original Viking Crown Lounge was removed during the transition, changing one of the most recognizable features of her Royal Caribbean appearance.
Further changes of ownership and employment brought several additional names, including Dream Princess, Clipper Pacific, and Ocean Pearl.
She was eventually renamed Formosa Queen and reached China for dismantling in 2013, more than forty years after entering service.
Legacy:
Song of Norway occupies a foundational place in Royal Caribbean’s history as the company’s first ship.
Her purpose-built design and Viking Crown Lounge helped establish an identity that developed across later generations of the fleet.
Her 1978 extension illustrated the potential to increase a cruise ship’s capacity through major reconstruction.
For me, her significance is also personal: she was the ship aboard which I first experienced a Caribbean cruise and discovered an enthusiasm for sea travel that continues today.
