9. Sovereign of the Seas
Royal Caribbean International’s Sovereign of the Seas, launched on 4 April 1987, marked the cruise industry’s first step toward ships designed to function as complete, self-contained floating resorts. When she first set to sea, the 73,192 GRT Sovereign of the Seas was the largest passenger vessel built in nearly half a century (since Queen Elizabeth (1940)) and the largest purpose-built cruise ship in history. Still sailing for Pullmantur Cruises, the vessel—now simply named Sovereign—is currently considered little more than a mid-size cruise ship.
