MIAMI, Jan. 15, 1996 -- Royal Caribbean Cruise Line's new 1,804-passenger SPLENDOUR OF THE SEAS, currently under construction in France, debuts in Europe on March 31 with a unique Solarium, an indoor/outdoor pool area connected to a state-of-the-art Spa and covered by a retractable glass roof.

An elegant pool area during the day, the Solarium transforms into a sophisticated entertainment area at night, offering fun in the sun and romance under the stars.

Perched upon the 69,130-ton SPLENDOUR OF THE SEAS' ninth deck, the multi-purpose Solarium serves as a buffet area, pool, sunning deck, dance floor, fitness center and beauty salon. Designed with a contemporary Greek flavor by Lars Iwdal of Sweden, the Solarium has a stone floor, green plants, statues, artwork and Greek bath-style pool, whirlpools and columns.

While some cruise ships today have a retractable glass roof that folds upon itself like an accordion when not over the pool, SPLENDOUR OF THE SEAS has a Crystal Canopy, a sliding glass dome that moves as a single unit without folding. As a result, the Crystal Canopy is made of much more glass and less steel than the retractable glass roof, allowing substantially more light to pass through. In addition, the Crystal Canopy can be closed at night and during inclement weather, turning the Solarium into an indoor room on deck which can be heated or cooled as needed.

At night, the Solarium lights up -- literally. All of the pools -- from the bubbling fountains to the whirlpools to the main pool -- are illuminated, and the Crystal Canopy sparkles with special lighting effects, creating a whimsical glass-walled lounge with a Mediterranean ambience. The temperature also heats up with a band playing under the stars for moonlight dancing.

When passengers aboard SPLENDOUR OF THE SEAS get the munchies and the King & I Dining Room and Windjammer Cafe are closed, the Solarium has the Solarium Cafe, which serves light snacks such as fruit and freshly-baked cookies, along with a juice bar and frozen yogurt stand.

Just next door is the Spa, with the ShipShape Fitness Center, aerobics studio, massage and steam rooms and the Beauty Salon. After filling up on the breakfast buffet, the lunch buffet, the afternoon snacks and everything in between, vacationers can proceed to the Fitness Center to work some of it off -- or simply to work out while watching the ocean stretch out behind the ship. With six stationary bicycles, four stair machines, four treadmills, two incline benches, free weights, ten equipment stations, daily aerobics classes, fitness instructors, a top-quality running track and changing rooms, SPLENDOUR OF THE SEAS rivals gyms at the finest land-locked resorts.

After a hard workout, passengers can head straight for a luxurious massage in one of five private rooms. Or maybe they would rather be soothed by the Finnish sauna or steam baths. Of course, they also could pamper themselves at SPLENDOUR OF THE SEAS' Beauty Salon, which has seven unisex hair-cutting stations and two beauty rooms.

The 69,130-ton SPLENDOUR OF THE SEAS sails a summer season of 12-night cruises to the British Isles, Mediterranean, Norwegian Fjords, Scandinavia and Russia and a winter season of 7-night cruises roundtrip from San Juan to the southern Caribbean.

Royal Caribbean is one of the world's largest cruise lines and operates nine modern ships with a total capacity of 15,020 passengers. SPLENDOUR OF THE SEAS is the first of five new ships Royal Caribbean is introducing between 1996 and 1998 with a total additional capacity of 9,700 passengers. Royal Caribbean's award-winning fleet offers more than 54 different itineraries and 134 destinations in the Caribbean, Bahamas, Alaska, Mexico, Bermuda, Panama Canal, Europe, Scandinavia, Russia, Hawaii and the Far East.