Royal Caribbean’s Icon class is growing as the company marks the start of construction on its fifth vessel in the series.
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The cruise line celebrated the first step in building its fifth Icon-class ship with a keel-laying ceremony Monday at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland. Set to debut in 2028, this floating behemoth will match its sisters — including Port Canaveral-based Star of the Seas — to tie for the title of world’s largest cruise ship.
During the ceremony, the first major building block of steel was placed in the dry dock at the shipyard where the vessel will take shape over the next two years. To mark the occasion, Royal Caribbean and Meyer Turku placed a layer of freshly-minted coins beneath the steel block before it was lifted into position, a shipbuilding tradition meant to seal good fortune for the ship’s journey ahead.
“The start of construction for the fifth Icon-class ship reflects the strength of the long-term partnership between Royal Caribbean and Meyer Turku,” said Casimir Lindholm, CEO of Meyer Turku, in a news release. “Building a series of ships allows us to continuously learn, improve and innovate, and each new vessel benefits from the expertise gained throughout the program. Together with our partner network, we are proud to demonstrate the world-class shipbuilding capabilities developed in Turku and to help shape the future of cruise shipbuilding.”
Earlier this month, the shipyard floated out Hero of the Seas, giving the company’s fourth Icon-class ship its first taste of water before its Miami debut in August 2027. Hero is visible in the background of photos showing the keel of the fifth Icon-class vessel.
This past spring, Royal Caribbean ordered the sixth and seventh Icon-class ships set to be delivered in 2029 and 2030, respectively.
“The Icon class reflects our bold creativity and engineering excellence that continues to define what a vacation can be,” said Jason Liberty, chairman and CEO of Royal Caribbean Group, in a previous news release.
Each ship serves as a floating city at sea at just under 250,000 gross tons with capacity for more than 5,600 guests and 2,500 crew. The Icon class has made waves in the cruise industry with each existing ship boasting six water slides, seven pools, eight distinct neighborhoods and dozens of places to eat and drink on board. When bookings opened for Icon of the Seas in October 2022, Royal Caribbean saw its single largest booking day in the company’s history.
Legend of the Seas, the third Icon-class ship, will begin sailing out of Fort Lauderdale this November following its summer debut in the Mediterranean.
In August 2027, Icon of the Seas will move to Galveston to make room for Hero of the Seas in Miami. Meanwhile, Legend of the Seas will sail winters from Fort Lauderdale and spend summers in the Mediterranean following its Florida debut this November. Star of the Seas will continue sailing weeklong itineraries out of Port Canaveral for the foreseeable future.
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