Former Royal Caribbean Cruise Ship Bound for the Scrapyard

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Royal Caribbeanโ€™s fourth ever cruise ship – who paved the way for the modern vessels of today like Icon of the Seas and the upcoming Star of the Seas – is officially on her way to be scrapped. 

First introduced as Song of America, the now ex-Royal Caribbean cruise ship has an impressive 40+ years of cruising under her belt with a variety of different cruise lines. 

At the end of 2023, when the 1,664-guest ship was sailing under Celestyal Cruises as Celestyal Olympia, it was announced that she would be decommissioned and retired – confirming that she’d eventually be scrapped at the time.

Her exit coincided with Celestyal Cruisesโ€™ acquisition of AIDAaura – which was the oldest ship in the Carnival-owned AIDA Cruises fleet, but still younger than the former Song of America as a 2003-launched vessel. 

Celestyal Cruises sold the ex-RCCL ship to a flag of convenience company in January 2024, who named her Bella Fortuna – which eventually was shortened to just Fortu.

But now, her date with the scrapyard is officially here. On January 22, 2025, the current Fortu embarked on her final voyage from the United Arab Emirates in the Middle East – sailing toward the worldโ€™s largest shipbreaking yard in Alang, India. Her status is listed as โ€œto be broken up.โ€ 

Sheโ€™s also not the first former Royal Caribbean vessel to meet the same fate. Sun Viking, which was the third ship to join the fleet in 1972, was beached for scrapping in India in 2022 – concluding more than 50 years of service. 

Her older sisters, Song of Norway and Norway Princess, were scrapped in 2014 and 2015, respectively. 

A Cruise Industry Trailblazer 

As she was called at the time, Song of America sailed under Royal Caribbean from 1982 until 1999 – and is remembered as a financial success and a pioneer for the cruise line. 

At 37,700 gross-tons, she was once considered one of the largest cruise ships in the world. She was part of the second generation of cruise ships that built upon the vessels of the 1960s – all of which were around 40,000-gross tons and could accommodate at least 1,000 guests. 

For Royal Caribbean, the addition of Song of America led the company to continue to order bigger, better, and more innovative cruise ships – with the fleet welcoming its 29th ship with the debut of Star of the Seas this summer.

Her popularity is largely what helped the Miami-based cruise line grow to become the industryโ€™s second-largest cruise company – only ranking behind Carnival.

Celestyal Olympia
Celestyal Olympia (Photo Credit: Drew Rawcliffe)

Song of America was also the first ship to introduce the famed Viking Crown Lounge – which is a popular bar and dance floor that can still be found onboard nearly every RCCL ship. 

Read Also: Cruise Hive Discussion Boards: Old RCCL Ships

But by the late 1900s, modern innovation had surpassed what the cruising pioneer could offer. In late 1998, the ship was sold to Sun Cruises – though she would be chartered back to Royal Caribbean for several months – and renamed Sunbird. 

In 2005, she was sold to Thomson Cruises as Thomson Destiny when Sun Cruises was dissolved.

She sailed under the Thomson Cruises brand until 2012 – at which time she transitioned to Louis Cruises for a two year-stint as Louis Olympia. Notably, during this time she served as a floating hotel during the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. 

Her final decade as a cruise ship was spent as Celestyal Olympia from 2014 to 2024.

While the historic shipโ€™s impending fate at the scrapyard may sound dismal, she may still go on to a new life at sea – but in a different form.

During the scrapping process, much of the materials that make up the cruise ship will be recycled for use on future vessels – such as melting down metals to be remade into new hull plates.

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Catie Kovelman
Catie Kovelman
Catie is an award-winning journalist and researcher. By day, she helps market new movies and TV shows as a senior research manager. But by night, she loves writing cruise news. In addition to Cruise Hive, Catie has contributed to a variety of newspapers, magazines, and other online publications, such as The Plaid Horse, Unwritten, YourTango, Fangirl Nation Magazine, Chapman Magazine, the Orange County Register, and Voice of OC.

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