On 21 December 2018, Empress of the Seas rescued two fishermen who were without food, fuel or water after having set sail in the Caribbean sea twenty days earlier. Crew members operating the radar system for the Empress of the Seas had noticed an anomaly that turned out to be the small fishing boat. Royal Caribbean lowered one of its lifeboats to rescue the fishermen. In 2019, the ship was scheduled to take longer and more extended cruises to Cuba. Besides Havana, she was scheduled to visit Cienfuegos and Santiago de Cuba. These routes have since been suspended, the ship instead substituting other ports in the Caribbean and Bahama Islands for the Cuban ports. On 15 March 2020 the ship docked in Miami for the final time under Royal Caribbean carrying fare paying passengers. Sale to Cordelia Cruises In August 2020, in response to rumors that Empress of the Seas was anchored in Greece to be sold for scrap, Royal Caribbean said that the ship was still part of the fleet and is only staying in Greece for a few months. In December 2020, Royal Caribbean sold Empress of the Seas to Indian cruise line Cordelia Cruises. In popular culture In the novel World War Z, by Max Brooks, the Nordic Empress is found to be heavily infested by zombies and drifting near Dakar, Senegal by the Chinese Type 094 submarine Admiral Zheng He. Gallery References External links Empress of the Seas at Royalcaribbean.com High-resolution cutaway of Empress of the Seas Cordelia Cruise Mumbai To Goa'' 1989 ships Ships built by Chantiers de l'Atlantique Ships of Royal Caribbean International