Soverign of the Seas

[Queenzena]

My husband proposed to me on the Sovereign of the Seas on Formal night in November, 1991. I still have the stuffed panda bear that he bought on the ship, that we named "Eigel" after Captain Eigel Ericksen. Oh yes, and now we have a 15 year old son, who just cruised with us last week to Bermuda on Celebrity's Summit!

[Denese96]

What a wonderful ship. I celebrated my honeymoon on her in July 1989. In March 2008 after she was refurbished, I celebrated my 50Th birthday. She will be missed.

[appgirl]

We had a girls trip on SOS in November 2006. It was great. it was only recently that I noticed it doesn't sail from Port Canaveral anymore.

[cruising22]

We sailed on this in 1990, my Dh's first cruises and my second we fell in love with cruising and have been doing it ever since. I loved to SOS and thinkwe should have more ships like her.

[bigque]

One of my favorite pictures I took from my 1st cruise that hooked me on cruising. Sovereign of the Seas docked in CocoCay - October 2008!

[lakeguy]

The SOS [June 91] was our first cruise ship and has been our point of comparison for the next 27 and counting cruises. It was or silver wedding anniversary and I couldnt get out of going. I was sure that we would get seasick, nothing to do etc. but we came home hooked on cruising and have been ever since. Great memories. Lou & Nancy

[podsnel]

She was my first cruise, too! :D

[zdcatc12]

My first cruise was aboard the Sovereign. I was able to sail on her both before and after her refurbishment that was detailed on the TV show Dry Dock: A Cruise Ship Reborn. It was really interesting to see all of the changes in person that I had watched on the show.

 

Has anyone else seen that show? I'm still trying to get a copy of it; no one seems to have it.

 

Watched all of the series except the last one. It only recorded part and hasn't been on since. My TiVo is set to autorecord it though, if it ever does come back on!!

[ryansmom]

Sovereign was our first cruise in 2003 out of Port Canaveral. Ports were Nasauu and Coco Bay or Cay.

 

Ours too! Same year, same stops.

[ShayRue]

Great memories. We took our daughter on SOS for her first cruise in 1998. Had a great time. It was her birthday and she turned 8 years old on the boat. She's now 20 years old and in the US Air Force. Where did the time and my little girl go?:(

[ryansmom]

I have a question...

 

We finished watching the Dry Dock show.

 

I noticed the aft of the ship said (registery) Nassau.

 

I looked back to our cruise pictures, and it said Oslo.

 

I noticed in the show, when they zoomed on the SOS Nassau, it looked like the Nassau was painted over another name...and it wasn't Oslo. Looked like it began with a "M" and maybe ended with an "A"... :confused:

 

Anyone know of anything else that would have been painted on the back of that ship?

[EMBFlyer]

I have a question...

 

We finished watching the Dry Dock show.

 

I noticed the aft of the ship said (registery) Nassau.

 

I looked back to our cruise pictures, and it said Oslo.

 

I noticed in the show, when they zoomed on the SOS Nassau, it looked like the Nassau was painted over another name...and it wasn't Oslo. Looked like it began with a "M" and maybe ended with an "A"... :confused:

 

Anyone know of anything else that would have been painted on the back of that ship?

 

The Sovereign was originally registered in Oslo (as were all the RCCL ships, I believe...hence the Norwegian Officers). Sometime later, RCCL started to transfer theirs ships to Flags of Convenience. I know for some time, the ships were registered out of Liberia. The city would have been Monrovia (I think when I sailed on the Legend of the Seas in 1995, she was registered out of Monrovia). After that, I assume the Bahamas and Panama became cheaper, thus the Nassau registration.

[ryansmom]

Thank you... Monrovia it had to be...totally fits!

 

Good to know...

 

[George C]

Loved that ship, got engaged on it in 1990, was on it several times.

[12times]

I was on the SOS for my first cruise in july 0f 1989.my mother,who has since passed,took me and I thought for sure I would get sick or drown. loved that ship,loved to cruise and I am taking my 16th cruise this March.

[mikats]

We sailed on the "Grand Finale" of the Sovereign in Oct 08. If you'd like a commemorative T-Shirt, one of our fellow Cruise Critics (Flying Pirate) designed a shirt and is available at Cafe Press. Just Google that and then enter Sovereign of the Seas and you'll see the shirts, mugs, etc.

Thanks for the info on the t-shirt. Just got mine yesterday and have it on today at work. I loved that ship!

[draughtbones]

I sailed on this beauty in 1989 (I believe it was pretty new then?) with my family, while a junior in high school. What an amazing time my brother and I had, hooking up with kids our age from other parts of the country - and the world. There were a couple of older ones that could buy liquor while in port - and then get it back on board (before this became a big deal - like it is today...) Each night (well almost until the end of the cruise - until mom and dad found out!) my brother and I would build human-like "dummies" in our stateroom beds, and we would meet the remainder of a 15 or 16-person group up in the panoramic VIKING CROWN LOUNGE - hours after it had closed to the public, as the "public" elevator continued make a stop at the entrance to the VIKING CROWN - which at 1:00am was quiet, empty, spacious ... you get the idea. Rolling, plush, over-stuffed lounge chairs, the perfect little make-out nooks, and nobody cared or checked in on us. I think that, at that point in our lives, this is one of the "off-label" features that cemented this cruise in our memories for all of time.

 

What is ironic is that, the other ship that I hold dear to my heart (HOME LINE'S S/S OCEANIC) - the ship that my grandparents fell in love with in the 1970's and 80's (my grandfather would not board an airplane, and they could bus from Rhode Island to NYC and cruise from there...) is now part of the PULLMANTUR (Barcelona) fleet - along with dear and mighty old SOVEREIGN. Small world indeed. And I really need to sail out of Barcelona now!

christopher

[simplelife]

Sovereign was our first cruise in 2003 out of Port Canaveral. Ports were Nasauu and Coco Bay or Cay.

We, too, sailed on this itinerary on Sovereign in 2003. This will always be a memorable cruise because it was a family cruise celebrating my parents' 50th wedding anniversary. At the time, we were disappointed because the ship had to miss Coco Cay due to weather conditions. We ended up spending more family time on board that day, playing games, sitting by the pool and talking, etc In retrospect, we were so grateful for this time, as my Dad died just a few weeks later. Sovereign will always be special to us.

[momofmeg]

Great memories. We took our daughter on SOS for her first cruise in 1998. Had a great time. It was her birthday and she turned 8 years old on the boat. She's now 20 years old and in the US Air Force. Where did the time and my little girl go?:(

 

We took our daughter on her first cruise (our second cruise, we had cruised Carnival Tropicale for our 15th anniversary the year before as a couple,without her) Thanksgiving 1999-she was 15. She is now 27.

 

An older couple that we ate dinner with, bought her a sea shell ankle bracelet as a gift. It was so sweet of them. the wife had taken 98 cruises. One of our daughter's cruise rituals is to take that and wear it every cruise. She never wears it otherwise. I think she even wore it on our Alaska cruise-LOL!

[bearing]

I sailed on this beauty in 1989 (I believe it was pretty new then?) with my family, while a junior in high school. What an amazing time my brother and I had, hooking up with kids our age from other parts of the country - and the world. There were a couple of older ones that could buy liquor while in port - and then get it back on board (before this became a big deal - like it is today...) Each night (well almost until the end of the cruise - until mom and dad found out!) my brother and I would build human-like "dummies" in our stateroom beds, and we would meet the remainder of a 15 or 16-person group up in the panoramic VIKING CROWN LOUNGE - hours after it had closed to the public, as the "public" elevator continued make a stop at the entrance to the VIKING CROWN - which at 1:00am was quiet, empty, spacious ... you get the idea. Rolling, plush, over-stuffed lounge chairs, the perfect little make-out nooks, and nobody cared or checked in on us. I think that, at that point in our lives, this is one of the "off-label" features that cemented this cruise in our memories for all of time.

 

What is ironic is that, the other ship that I hold dear to my heart (HOME LINE'S S/S OCEANIC) - the ship that my grandparents fell in love with in the 1970's and 80's (my grandfather would not board an airplane, and they could bus from Rhode Island to NYC and cruise from there...) is now part of the PULLMANTUR (Barcelona) fleet - along with dear and mighty old SOVEREIGN. Small world indeed. And I really need to sail out of Barcelona now!

christopher

 

Awesome post! I too was on the Soverign in 1989, I was 18yrs old and had the time of my life! Still one of my all time favorite cruises! And funny you mention the Oceanic, I was on her twice - 1976 & 1984, another great ship! I loved that retracting dome over the pool.

[bearing]

Here I am with my family on the Soverign in 1989. She was the biggest and most spectacular cruise ship in the world. I was 18yrs old and had the time of my life! Good times!! Still one of my al time favorite cruises ever. Check out my outfit, LOL, hey it was still the 80's!

[bearing]

There was nothing like the Soverign when she came out, simply awesome back in her day. I sailed on her in 1989. More recently I enjoyed the Dry Dock series on TV. It made me long for the Soverign again. Since she had since been moved out of the RCCL fleet, I decided to sail on one of her sisters, the Majesty, which I just enjoyed this past April 2011. It was amazing to be onboard what was once the pinnacle of cruise ships. She was still fantastic in her own way, but man has cruising come a long way. Even more recently, (just last month) I was on the Oasis, and I couldn't help but make a comparison to the Soverign in it's hay day. It's hard to really compare them - I do recall the Soverign being awesome, but as awesome as the Oasis... I'm not sure. Maybe it is just 22 years clouding my memory. I can say this - I don't know if I will ever have a better time on a cruise than I did on the Soverign, but then again that is likely to have more to do with my having been 18yrs old and living it up like a king on the most fantastic ship of it's day. :)

[bearing]

There was nothing like the Soverign when she came out, simply awesome back in her day. I sailed on her in 1989. More recently I enjoyed the Dry Dock series on TV. It made me long for the Soverign again. Since she had since been moved out of the RCCL fleet, I decided to sail on one of her sisters, the Majesty, which I just enjoyed this past April 2011. It was amazing to be onboard what was once the pinnacle of cruise ships. She was still fantastic in her own way, but man has cruising come a long way. Even more recently, (just last month) I was on the Oasis, and I couldn't help but make a comparison to the Soverign in it's hay day. It's hard to really compare them - I do recall the Soverign being awesome, but as awesome as the Oasis... I'm not sure. Maybe it is just 22 years clouding my memory. I can say this - I don't know if I will ever have a better time on a cruise than I did on the Soverign, but then again that is likely to have more to do with my having been 18yrs old and living it up like a king on the most fantastic ship of it's day. :)

 

So if I'm going to have a few drinks and get on Cruise Critic and start posting at 11:30pm I better take some time to check my math. I stated several times that I was 18 yrs old while on the Soverign in 1989, but I was actually 21. Being 21 and of legal drinking age just might have had something else to do with what a good time I had! :D

[RubyDog08]

Sailed her once in '93 in the Royal Suite. No balcony back then....wow, I'm showing my age. Anyway, fifteen years later, in '08, we were on Mariner and met back up with our Maitre d' from Sovereign. Talk about a small world....AND he remembered us! :)

[QCBO]

Yes, the Sovereign of the Seas was the first modern very large cruise ship (first ship with a large atrium, glass elevators, etc.) I cruised aboard the Sovereign in summer 1988 (when she was only about six months old) and again in 1995. The Sovereign was a very trendsetting ship. It is hard to believe that the ship is now 22 years old!

 

Chuck

Do you remember - by any chance -:) the itinerary you took with the Sovereign of the Seas in 1995? and the number of days?

Is it possible that it was a 5 or 7-day cruise starting in San Juan Puerto Rico and going to Labadee (Haiti) and Cocobay, and???? :confused:

I took a cruise with RCI in July 1995 going to thoses places, and am trying to count it for the RCI Club Crown & Anchor Society... since I am going with RCI for a cruise soon... Do you think I have any chance?

 

Unfortunately, in 1995, I kept very poor records of my trips...:mad:

I have a few photos though... but no date except July 1995.

 

Did you, yourself, have the chance to count those earlier cruises for the points in the RCI fidelity Club?

Thanks in advance for your kindness.