A founder of Royal Caribbean Cruises who helped shape the modern cruise industry has died. Arne Wilhelmsen was 90. The Miami-based company said in a statement that Wilhelmsen died Saturday in Palma, Spain.
No cause of death was given. As a member of the company’s board for three decades, Wilhelmsen saw the potential for the cruise industry to become one of the fastest growing segments of the vacation industry.
He helped shift the hub of the industry to warm weathered places like South Florida, instead of transportation centers like New York. He also believed in building bigger and more efficient ships.
