Icon of the Seas hasn’t even debuted yet and her next sister is already on the way.
Royal Caribbean has marked the first construction milestone for its second Icon-class ship as the first piece of steel has been cut for the upcoming vessel.
The Royal Caribbean and Meyer Turku teams that are building and designing the ship were in attendance at a traditional steel-cutting ceremony yesterday at the shipyard in Turku, Finland. The steel cutting begins a series of key moments in the ship’s design and construction that spans months and involves thousands of innovators across design, naval engineer, architecture, and more.
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The not-yet-named second ship, along with a third Icon-class vessel, will join Icon of the Seas in introducing a new era of vacations that Royal Caribbean is touting as the “world’s best family vacation.” The first look at Icon of the Seas took place in October 2022, and the feedback was so positive that it resulted in Royal Caribbean’s single biggest booking day in its 53-year history.
Icon of the Seas will be the largest cruise ship in the world when it debuts in January 2024. It will be 250,800 gross tons and hold 5,610 guests at double occupancy. Like with the Oasis-class ships, Icon‘s public areas will be divided up into eight neighborhoods — five that are brand new, and three that are already existing on other RCI ships.
The new neighborhoods are Thrill Island, which houses waterslides and a skywalk/ropes course; Chill Island, which will feature four pools and a swim-up bar; Surfside, which is a neighborhood created for young families; The Hideaway, which has been designed like a Beach Club and includes a suspended infinity pool; and the AquaDome, which features restaurants, bars, and an enclosed AquaTheater for high-dive shows.
The three returning neighborhoods will be the Royal Promenade, Central Park, and Royal Caribbean’s largest Suite Neighborhood.
