Royal Caribbean has announced a new version of the world's largest cruise ship before the first has even entered service
Royal Caribbean has announced its next Icon class ship, the Star of the Seas.
The class' first vessel, the Icon of the Seas, will debut in late January 2024.
The Icon of the Seas is the cruise line's most successful product to date and it hasn't even entered service yet.
Amid all of the buzz and attention for Royal Caribbean's Icon of the Seas entering service in January 2024, the cruise giant has unveiled the behemoth vessel's new sister ship, the Star of the Seas. And if it captures the same attention as its predecessor, the new floating resort could be just that: a star.
Royal Caribbean and Meyer Turku shipyard began construction on the Star of the Seas in February 2023 just four months after the cruise line unveiled details of the Icon of the Seas. Specifics about the Star aren't public yet — this new vessel won't set sail until the summer of 2025. But as the sister ship to what will soon be the world's largest cruise vessel, we could expect the Star to be another mammoth cruise liner.
For reference, the Icon of the Seas will have a gross tonnage of 250,800, stand at 1,198 feet long, and have 20 decks. With over 40 dining and drinking venues, a waterpark, and seven pools, the ship will be a giant floating resort. And when it sails, it will accommodate the population of a small town: 9,950 people (2,350 crew and 7,600 guests).
At this size, the vessel surpasses any previous Oasis class ship once built to be the world's largest, setting a strong precident for the upcoming Icon Class.
It's these eye-popping details that have already captured the attention of cruise travelers. While the Icon of the Seas has yet to set sail, it's already been a boon for Royal Caribbean. The company saw the largest booking day in its history when reservations for the Icon opened in October 2022, leading Michael Bayley, the cruise line's CEO, to call it "the best-selling product in the history of our business."
So if the Star of the Seas is anything like the Icon, we could expect the ship to be another hit.
This announcement has been a long time coming for the cruise line. In 2016, the cruise giant announced it tapped Meyer Turku shipyard for two Icon Class vessels. Three years later, a third — still unnamed — Icon class project was announced.
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