Class overview
BuildersMeyer Turku, Turku, Finland
OperatorsRoyal Caribbean International
Preceded by
Planned3
Building3
Completed1
Active1
General characteristics
TypeCruise ship
Tonnage250,800 GT[1]
Length364.8m[2]
Installed powerLiquified natural gas, fuel cells
PropulsionLiquefied natural gas
Capacity5,600 passengers[3]

The Icon class (formally Project Icon) is a class of cruise ships ordered by Royal Caribbean International and to be built by Meyer Turku in Turku, Finland. This class will become the largest cruise ship class ever constructed. Royal Caribbean plans to have 3 Icon-class ships by 2026.

History

On 10 October 2016, Royal Caribbean and Meyer Turku announced an order to build two ships under the project name "Icon".[4] Icon of the Seas was delivered on 27 November 2023, and the second ship, Star of the Seas, is expected to be delivered in 2025.[4][5] The ships will be classified by DNV.[6]

Royal Caribbean applied to register a trademark for "Icon of the Seas" in 2016, which was at the time suggested as an indication of the name of the first ship.[7]

On 2 July 2019, Royal Caribbean announced an order for a third ship in the "Icon" class. The third ship is planned to be delivered in 2026, one year after Star of the Seas.[8][9]

Steel-cutting for Icon of the Seas began on 14 June 2021,[10] and the keel was laid on 5 April 2022.[11]

Steel-cutting for the second Icon-class ship, Star of the Seas began on 15 February 2023.[12]

Icon of the Seas arrived in her home port of Miami on January 10th 2024 for the first time after leaving Europe in December with the inaugural passenger sailing scheduled for January 27th. [13]

Steel-cutting for the third Icon-class ship began in January 2024.[14]

Design

The ships will be powered by liquefied natural gas, with a gross tonnage of about 250,800 GT.[5] Ships will contain other alternative energy features, like the use of fuel cells to produce electricity and fresh water.[4] They will have a capacity of 5,600 berths.[3]

The "Icon" class is the first Royal Caribbean ship to feature a parabolic bow design, this is intended to aid stability and provide smoother motion.[15]

In 2020, the director of projects and facilities at Nassau Cruise Port said that the specifications for the Icon class indicate it would be larger than the Oasis class.[16] Later, in May 2022, Royal Caribbean confirmed that Icon of the Seas would be bigger than the Oasis class.[17]

A Swiss journalist summarized the design in July 2023 as: "It looks like an over-sized children's toy, but is in reality a small town with a theme park vibe."[18]

Ships

Name Status Entering service Gross tonnage Length Notes Image
Icon of the Seas In service 27 January 2024[19] 250,800[20] 364.8m (1,196 ft)[2][20] Shipyard number NB-1400[1]
Star of the Seas[21] Under construction 17 August 2025[19] 250,800[5] Shipyard number NB-1401[22]
TBA Under construction Q2 2026[19] 250,800[5]

References

  1. 1 2 "First Cruise Ship in the Icon Class". MEYER WERFT. Archived from the original on 19 January 2023. Retrieved 24 September 2021.
  2. 1 2 "Making an Icon". Royal Caribbean. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
  3. 1 2 "Form 10-Q Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd". sec.report. 5 August 2021. Archived from the original on 5 August 2021. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
  4. 1 2 3 "Powered By LNG and Fuel Cells, Royal Caribbean International's New Ships Will Ride the Wave of the Future". Royal Caribbean Press Center (Press release). Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. 10 October 2016. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Meyer Turku wins two new large cruise ship orders from Royal Caribbean". Meyer Turku Oy (Press release). 11 October 2016. Archived from the original on 14 October 2016. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
  6. ↑ "DNV GL sorgt bei Turku-Schiffen für Klasse" [DNV GL provides class on Turku ships] (in German). 8 May 2018. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
  7. ↑ Matt Hochberg. "Royal Caribbean files trademark for Icon of the Seas ship name". Royal Caribbean Blog. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
  8. ↑ "Royal Caribbean Inks Deal for Third Icon Class Ship for 2025 Delivery". Cruise Industry News. 2 July 2019. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
  9. ↑ "Royal Caribbean Fleet Expansion Cruises to Clean-energy Future". Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Press Center (Press release). Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
  10. ↑ "Meyer Turku cuts steel for Royal Caribbean's newly named Icon of the Seas". seatrade-cruise.com. 16 June 2021. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  11. ↑ "Meyer Turku lays the keel for Royal Caribbean's Icon of the Seas". seatrade-cruise.com. 5 April 2022. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  12. ↑ "THE NEXT ICONIC ADVENTURE BEGINS WITH ROYAL CARIBBEAN'S SECOND ICON CLASS SHIP". www.royalcaribbeanpresscenter.com. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  13. ↑ "Icon of the Seas, the world's largest cruise ship, arrives at PortMiami". www.nbcmiami.com.
  14. ↑ "First steel cut for Royal Caribbean's third Icon Class cruise ship | Royal Caribbean Blog". www.royalcaribbeanblog.com. 12 January 2024. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
  15. ↑ "Icon of the Seas looks like it will have a new bow design for Royal Caribbean | Royal Caribbean Blog". www.royalcaribbeanblog.com. 6 September 2022. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  16. ↑ "Nassau port advances as Bahamas expects an edge in cruise recovery". seatrade-cruise.com. 20 November 2020. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
  17. ↑ Huxley, Lucy (10 May 2022). "Royal Caribbean's Icon of the Seas to be 'bigger than Oasis-class'". Travel Weekly.
  18. ↑ "Maritimer Wahnsinn aus den USA: Zehn absurde Fakten zum grössten Kreuzfahrtschiff der Welt". www.nzz.ch. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
  19. 1 2 3 "Royal Caribbean Report fiscal year 2020". 31 December 2020. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
  20. 1 2 "Icon of the Seas". www.royalcaribbeanpresscenter.com. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
  21. ↑ "Royal Caribbean announces new Icon Class ship will be called Star of the Seas". 5 October 2023.
  22. ↑ "Second Cruise Ship in the Icon Class | MEYER TURKU". MEYER WERFT. Retrieved 24 September 2021.


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