‘Monarch and Sovereign reach the end of their journey,’ the company said.
Both are at Aliaga, Turkey, for recycling.
Once the world’s largest cruise ship
Sovereign of the Seas entered service for Royal Caribbean in 1988 as the world’s largest cruise ship and sister Monarch of the Seas followed in 1991. Both were built at Chantiers de l’Atlantique.
Sovereign was transferred to Pullmantur in 2008, and Monarch in 2013.
Watch the arrival at the breakers
A gripping video of Monarch’s arrival at Aliaga, shot from the bridge with audible live commands, is posted here.
Adios to a pair of beloved ships
Pullmantur waxed poetic on its LinkedIn page: ‘A long time of sailing full of joy, emotions, conversations, stories … a journey full of life; a great place for family reunions, vacations that thousands of passengers dream of; cozy homes for the large family of crew members: without them, our passengers’ experience would never have been the same.
‘Monarch and Sovereign, you will always be part of our company’s history.’
The post added: ‘We continue to work to get back in operation as soon as possible. This is our greatest desire.’
Last month Cruises Investment Holding and Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. filed to reorganize their Pullmantur joint venture under the terms of Spanish insolvency laws, stating ‘headwinds caused by the pandemic are too strong for Pullmantur to overcome without a reorganization.’
