Cordelia Empress

Queen of the Seas was launched in 1990 for Admiral Cruises (as the "Nordic Empress"). It was previously operated by Royal Caribbean International (RCI) as the "Empress of the Seas" from 2004 to 2008. MS Nordic Empress is the last RCI liner to be named without the "Ocean" suffix. The ship was ordered by Admiral Cruises under the name "Future Seas". In 1988, Admiral Cruises was acquired by Royal Caribbean. After the merger, in 1989 the ship (still under construction) was transferred to Royal Caribbean as the "Nordic Empress". The ship was dedicated and christened in 1990 (by Godmother Gloria Estefan) and began mini cruises (3- and 4-night itineraries) from PortMiami. During the dry dock in 1993, the casino was expanded and the "Picture Gallery and Shop" and "Video Arcade" were added. In 1997, the home port was changed to San Juan Puerto Rico.New engines were installed during a dry dock in 1998. 7-day round trip sailings began in 2002 from the port of Tampa, Florida. In 2004, the Nordic Empress was renamed the Queen of the Seas and homeported in New York City (Cape Freeport, New Jersey) to and from Bermuda. From 2006 to 2007, round trip sailings were operated from Norfolk, Virginia. In 2008, the ship was transferred to Pullmantur Cruises and received the Spanish brand's iconic hull colors in 2012. Pullmantur Empress joined RCI in March 2016 after an extensive dry dock refit in Freeport, Bahamas. As the first mass-market cruise ship (designed for short cruises departing from Florida), the Empress began sailing from Miami to the Bahamas, Mexico, and Grand Cayman. Some 5-day Western Caribbean itineraries include Cozumel, Mexico only (overnight).In 2015 it was decided to transfer the MS Empress (often called "Pullmantur Empress") to the RCI fleet and to start operations in the spring of 2016. The ship's maiden season was planned to sail from Miami to Caribbean ports. However, due to an extended dry docking period, the ship's maiden voyage (March 30) and 4 subsequent voyages were cancelled. The ship officially entered service with RCI on April 25, with a 5-day Western Caribbean cruise ("Main Voyage") to Mexico (visiting Costa Maya and Cozumel).