Radiance of the Seas Marks 25 Years in Royal Caribbean Service
Delivered by Meyer Werft in Papenburg in March 2001, Radiance of the Seas crossed the Atlantic without guests before its Fort Lauderdale christening.
Royal Caribbean International’s Radiance of the Seas has completed 25 years in service, after entering revenue operation on April 7, 2001. The first ship in the line’s Radiance class is now sailing year-round from Tampa, following a 2025-26 winter season from Fort Lauderdale.
The anniversary comes as Royal Caribbean keeps the 2,142-passenger vessel in short-cruise Western Caribbean service from Florida’s Gulf Coast, with longer itineraries scheduled to begin later in the year. Radiance of the Seas was delivered by Meyer Werft in Papenburg, Germany, in late March 2001 before crossing the Atlantic without guests for its christening in Fort Lauderdale.
Philanthropist Margot L. Pritzker served as godmother at the naming ceremony. The ship’s first season included Alaska, Hawaii and Pacific Northwest sailings before it returned to Florida for Caribbean and Central America cruises during its maiden winter.
Since then, Radiance of the Seas has been deployed across multiple operating regions, including Europe, South America and Australia. Its current Tampa program features four- and five-night cruises with calls at Cozumel and Costa Maya in Mexico, along with sea days.
Beginning in November, the ship is scheduled to shift into seven-night itineraries from Tampa, adding calls such as Belize City, Roatan and Grand Cayman. A December sailing is also scheduled to include Royal Caribbean’s Perfect Day at CocoCay in the Bahamas.
Built as the prototype for a class that later included Brilliance of the Seas, Jewel of the Seas and Serenade of the Seas, Radiance of the Seas measures about 293 meters in length with a beam of about 39 meters. The ship is registered in the Bahamas and has a listed top speed of about 25 knots.
The vessel has undergone several refurbishment and maintenance periods during its career, including a drydock earlier this year. That stay lasted more than two weeks. It included maintenance work and technical updates.
Royal Caribbean’s published deployment keeps Radiance of the Seas sailing from Tampa through late April 2028.
