Royal Caribbean Expands Icon Class with New Ship Order

Royal Caribbean on Tuesday announced another major ship order with Meyer Werft, this time for an expansion of its Icon Class of ships, which debuted this past January with Icon of the Seas, the largest cruise ship in the world.

The deal includes not just a confirmed fourth Icon Class ship, which will be delivered in 2027, but options to build a fifth and sixth Icon Class ship. It’s a massive order for Royal Caribbean, which will add more than 45,000 or so passengers to its overall capacity if it picks up the options for the fifth and sixth ships.

“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, Royal Caribbean Group.

The next Icon class ship, Star of the Seas, is expected to enter service towards the end of summer 2025. Both Star, and Icon, feature a ton of firsts for Royal Caribbean, including the brand’s first AquaDome, the largest waterpark at sea, the first family-specific neighborhood, the first swim-up pool bar, and the first Crown’s Edge hybrid ropes course.

When Icon launched, travel advisors speaking to TMR said that the cruise ship, in particular, would be a winner for their first-time cruise clients who think they’d feel confined on a cruise ship.