Royal Caribbean Orders Two More World’s Largest Cruise Ships in Finland
Royal Caribbean International confirmed that it has extended the order for its Icon class with the sixth and seventh ships of the class at Meyer Turku. It said it was exercising the existing option, although number seven will be subject to customary conditions, including financing.
The order comes as the third ship of the class has just begun sea trials. Named Legend of the Seas, she departed the Turku, Finland, shipyard of Meyer Turku on April 19. The ship is scheduled to spend 10 days at sea with 2,000 engineers and specialists aboard. They will be testing systems, evaluating her movement in open water, and testing the LNG-fueled engines. They expect she will cover more than 2,400 nautical miles before returning to the shipyard for final outfitting and her entry into service in July.
At 248,663 gross tons, the Icon class are the largest cruise ships yet built. The Icon of the Seas was delivered in late 2023 and entered service in January 2024, followed by Star of the Seas in the summer of 2025. Work is already underway on the fourth ship, named Hero of the Seas, which is due to enter service in August 2027 from Miami.
The ships are part of Royal Caribbean’s strategy to compete with land-based resorts and amusement parks and offer a wide, multi-generational experience. At 1,196 feet (364 meters) in length, each of the ships has 2,800 passenger cabins, giving them double occupancy of 5,610 passengers and total occupancy of approximately 7,600 passengers with a crew of 2,350.
The ships offer a broad range of attractions, from waterslides to seven pools and 10 whirlpools. They feature 20 bars and lounges and 28 dining venues, including the introduction of a new supper club on Legend of the Seas. They have also announced additional modifications to the design for Hero of the Seas, including additional pools, a family raft slide, and a new three-story Ultimate Family Treehouse accommodation.
The company notes that the confirmed orders are part of a long-term framework agreement with Meyer Turku that reserves building capacity through 2036. Icon number five, which was previously ordered, will deliver in 2028, and now number six is scheduled for 2029, and number seven for 2030.
They note it is an expansion of the long-standing relationship between the two companies, which includes the construction of 25 cruise ships. The company’s first three cruise ships were built in the late 1960s and early 1970s by what was then the Wartsila Helsinki yard. Meyer Turku also built cruise ships for the group’s joint venture with TUI Group, Germany’s Mein Schiff. They note the long-standing relationship with the Finnish government and the strong maritime cluster developed over the years as a key contributor to the relationship.
These orders come as the industry already has an orderbook surpassing $86 billion and is likely to reach $100 billion, according to Seatrade Cruise Global’s forecast. Currently, there are 76 cruise ships over 1,000 gross tons on order, representing over 205,000 berths.
In addition to the next five Icons, Royal Caribbean already has one more Oasis class ship, number seven, on order at Chantiers de l’Atlantique. The company also announced the plans for the first two new ships of a smaller Discovery class to be built in France, with the first delivery in 2029 and a second in 2032.
Source: maritime-executive.com