There are big cruise ships… and then there is Icon of the Seas.
Royal Caribbean has made headlines for years with its large cruise ships. Its Oasis class set the mark for size when it first started sailing in 2009. Today, there are six of those ships following the introduction of Utopia of the Seas this year.
But while the Oasis class took the mark of largest cruise ships in the world for more than a decade, they were recently eclipsed by a new class of vessel: Icon.
The debut of Icon of the Seas ushered in a new largest cruise ship, coming in at roughly 250,000 gross tons and the ability to hold nearly 10,000 passengers and crew at once.
But this isn’t just a flash in the pan. Already Royal Caribbean has Star of the Seas and a third (unnamed) Icon-class ship on order.
Now, the cruise line is possibly doubling the fleet of Icon ships. In an announcement, Royal Caribbean says they are ordering a fourth Icon ship that will launch in 2027. In addition, the agreement with shipbuilder Meyer Turku includes an option for a fifth and sixth Icon-class ships.
In other words, by the end of the decade there could be a half-dozen Icon-class ships sailing the world.
“Building on the incredible momentum and market response to the launch of Icon of the Seas and the excitement for its sister ship, Star of the Seas, coming in 2025, we’re thrilled to join with Meyer Turku once again to expand our roster of Icon Class ships and continue our future growth plans,” said Jason Liberty, president and CEO of Royal Caribbean Group.
Having six Icon ships would match the size of the current Oasis-class fleet, which was first introduced 15 years ago.
By all indications, Icon of the Seas has proven popular with passengers. While there definitely have been grumbles online about cruise ships everywhere getting too large, Royal Caribbean says that Icon of the Seas has proven extremely popular. Meanwhile, rates to sail aboard the ship are consistently higher than similar trips on other vessels in the fleet.
“Since its debut, Icon has changed the game in vacation experiences and exceeded our expectations in both guest satisfaction and financial performance,” Liberty said.
With the possibility of expanding the lineup of Icon-class ships to a total of six, the cruise line certainly seems to be banking that passengers believe bigger is better.
