Royal Caribbean founder who helped grow field dies at age 90

A founder of Royal Caribbean Cruises who helped shape the modern cruise industry has died

MIAMI — Arne Wilhelmsen, a founder of Royal Caribbean Cruises who helped shape the modern cruise industry, has died. He 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. Royal Caribbean now has 61 ships, including some of the largest cruise liners in the world.

“At a time when the rest of the world thought cruising was a niche use for old transatlantic…