Icon-class cruise ship

The Icon class (formally Project Icon) is a class of cruise ships ordered by Royal Caribbean International to be built by Meyer Turku in Turku, Finland. As of 2024 this class is the largest cruise ship class ever constructed. Royal Caribbean plans to have at least four Icon-class ships, which will include Icon of the Seas (entered service in 2024), Star of the Seas (entering service in 2025), Legend of the Seas (entering service in 2026) and an unnamed fourth ship (planned to enter service in 2027). It also has an option for two additional ships.

Icon of the Seas in PortMiami
Class overview
Builders	Meyer Turku, Turku, Finland
Operators	Royal Caribbean International
Preceded by	Quantum class Oasis class
Planned	6
Building	2
Completed	1
Active	1
General characteristics
Type	Cruise ship
Tonnage	248,663–250,800 GT
Length	364.75 metres (1,196.7 ft)[1]
Beam	48.47 m (159.0 ft)[1]
Height	75.6 m (248 ft)
Draught	9.25 metres (30.3 ft)[1]
Decks	20
Installed power	3 × Wärtsilä 14V46DF, 16,030 kW (21,790 hp) each[1][2] 3 × Wärtsilä 12V46DF, 13,740 kW (18,680 hp) each[1][2]
Propulsion	Diesel-electric; 3 × 20 MW (27,000 hp) ABB Azipod, all azimuthing 5 × 4.8 MW (6,400 hp) Wärtsilä WTT-45 CP bow thrusters
Speed	22 knots (41 km/h; 25 mph)
Capacity	5,610 passengers (double occupancy) 7,600 passengers (maximum capacity)[3]
Crew	2,350[3]

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] Parts of the ship are built at Meyer Werft, Papenburg^[13] and also at Gdańsk shipyard Marine Projects Ltd.^[14][15]

Icon of the Seas arrived in her home port of PortMiami on 10 January 2024 for the first time after leaving Europe in December, with the inaugural passenger sailing occurring on 27 January 2024.^[16]

Steel-cutting for the third Icon-class ship began in January 2024.^[17]

In August 2024 an order for a fourth ship to be delivered in 2027 was announced and options for two additional ships.^[18]

Design

The ships will be powered by liquefied natural gas, with a gross tonnage of about 250,800 GT.^[19] 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.^[20]

The Icon class is the first Royal Caribbean ship to feature a parabolic bow design, which is intended to aid stability and provide smoother motion.^[21]

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.^[22] Later, in May 2022, Royal Caribbean confirmed that Icon of the Seas would be bigger than the Oasis class.^[23]

Ships

Name	Status	Entering service	Gross tonnage	Length	Notes	Image
Icon of the Seas	In service	27 January 2024[24]	248,663[1]	364.75 metres (1,196.7 ft)[1]	Shipyard number NB-1400[19]
Star of the Seas[25]	Floated out[26]	31 August 2025[27]	250,800[28]		Shipyard number NB-1401[28]
Legend of the Seas[29]	Under construction[30]	Q2 2026[24]	250,800[31]		Shipyard number NB-1402[32]
TBA	Ordered	2027[18]	250,800[33]