Vision-class cruise ship

{{Short description|Cruise ships, built 1995–1998}}

{{more citations needed|date=July 2013}}

{{Infobox ship begin }} {{Infobox ship image | Ship image = File:Enchantment of the Seas, San Juan.JPG | Ship caption = Enchantment of the Seas docked in San Juan, Puerto Rico on March 12, 2013 }} {{Infobox ship class overview |Builders=* Kvaerner Masa Yards Chantiers de l'Atlantique |Operators=* Royal Caribbean International (1995-present) Marella Cruises (2017-present) |Class before= {{sclass|Sovereign|cruise ship|4}} |Class after= {{sclass|Voyager|cruise ship|4}} |Subclasses= 3 |Built range= 1993[https://vesselregister.dnv.com/vesselregister/details/18204 DNV: Marella Discovery], retrieved on 11 May 2024–1998 |In service range=1995–present |Total ships building= |Total ships planned= 6 |Total ships completed= 6 |Total ships cancelled= |Total ships active= 6 |Total ships laid up= |Total ships lost= |Total ships retired= |Total ships preserved= }} {{Infobox ship characteristics | Hide header = | Header caption = | Ship type = Cruise ship | Ship tonnage = {{GT|70,000–80,700}} | Ship displacement = | Ship length = {{convert|867

990|ft|m|abbr=on}} | Ship beam = {{convert|106|ft|m|abbr=on}} | Ship height = | Ship draught = | Ship draft = | Ship depth = | Ship decks = 11 | Ship deck clearance = | Ship ramps = | Ship ice class = | Ship sail plan = | Ship power = | Ship propulsion = | Ship speed = {{convert|22|kn|lk=in}} | Ship capacity = 2,076–2,446 passengers | Ship crew = 1,200 average | Ship notes = }}

The Vision class is a group of six cruise ships built by Royal Caribbean International, and operated by themselves and Marella Cruises. Although called a class by Royal Caribbean, the Vision-class ships were built as three pairs of sister ships, each pair differing from the others in size and design. Unlike other Royal Caribbean classes, the Vision class is not named for the first ship built; {{ship||Vision of the Seas}} was the last ship in the class to be built.{{cite news|url=https://chrisframe.com.au/post/767654258658131968/royal-caribbean-makes-a-big-commitment-to-202627|title=Royal Caribbean makes a big commitment to 2026/27|date=20 Nov 2024|work=Chris Frame Official (Maritime Historian) |access-date=20 Nov 2024}} Royal Caribbean had been promoting "Project Vision" for some time before ordering the first two ships in the class in 1992,{{cite news|url=https://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/14962-building-boom-coming.html|title=Building Boom Coming?|date=18 August 1992|work=Cruise Industry News|access-date=8 March 2019}} but Vision of the Seas was not ordered until 1994.{{cite news|url=https://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/14788-new-royal-caribbean-ships-ordered.html|title=New Royal Caribbean Ships Ordered|date=17 October 1994|access-date=8 March 2019|work=Cruise Industry News}}

Vision-class ships were designed to have more glass windows than any other ships at the time they debuted, and therefore greater views of the oceans from interior spaces. Ships in the Vision class were also the fastest built in 25 years thanks to their diesel-electric propulsion systems (the first in the Royal Caribbean fleet), which allowed the larger engines to be placed closer to the middle of the ships for better weight balance.{{cite news|last=Kraft|first=Randy|title=New Ship is of Legendary Proportions|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=1mkfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=E9UEAAAAIBAJ&dq=legend%20of%20the%20seas&pg=1420%2C5657774|access-date=8 April 2013|newspaper=LA Times/Washington Post News Service|date=30 July 1995}}

Two of the ships were built at Kvaerner Masa-Yards, Helsinki New Shipyard, Finland, while the others were built at Chantiers de l'Atlantique, St. Nazaire, France.