Speaking during a visit to the Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland on Wednesday (10 May), where the soon-to-be world’s largest cruise ship is being constructed, Royal Caribbean Group chief executive Jason Liberty said the trade had played a key role.
In terms of forward bookings, Icon, which debuts in January 2024, has been the most successful ship ever launched by Royal and is already almost half sold for the year.
The three-deck high Ultimate Family Townhouse suite, a cornerstone of the new "Surfside" neighbourhood onboard the ship, alone is 65% sold for the year and is selling at $75,000 per week.
"You’re being able to cater to delivering these "wow" moments for all these different generations, I think it’s what’s drawing everybody in,” said Liberty. "For the travel agency community, for our loyalty members, seeing something like this come to life is creating a lot of demand."
Upon launching, Icon will be based in Miami, offering seven-day Caribbean itineraries all of which include a stop at the line’s private island, Perfect Day at Coco Cay.
Meanwhile, Royal Caribbean International chief executive Michael Bayley confirmed there would be two more Icon-class ships following the launch of Icon of the Seas at the start of next year.
Bayley also said there was likely to be a seventh Oasis-class ship following the launch of Utopia of the Seas in June 2024.
"Then of course we’ve got Icon II, Icon III and hopefully maybe even another Oasis class," he said. "And we have more ideas, and more designs and more creations and more thoughts we are working on."
Icon II launches in 2025, but Bayley gave no further details on Icon III, or the possible Oasis 7.
When Icon launches it will be the biggest cruise ship in the world in terms of length (365m), tonnage (250,000 GT) – 25,000 GT bigger compared to Oasis class – and passenger numbers, which at full occupancy is 7,600 passengers.
It will be Royal Caribbean’s first ship to run on Liquefied Natural Gas and uses fuel cell technology as well as new environmentally-friendly propulsion systems.
The ship will feature eight distinct areas known as "neighbourhoods", including one known as Surfside, dedicated entirely to families with young children.
It will also have the biggest waterslides at sea, "Category 6", the tallest drop slide at sea called the "Frightening Bolt"; a huge dome on the front of the ship called the AquaDome which will feature a 50ft waterfall by day and an the AquaTheater at night; and an extraordinary multi-sensory entranceway called The Pearl, the centrepiece of the Royal Promenade.
Icon will have 28 different cabin types, including 14 new to Royal, a triple-deck suite complex, and more than 40 restaurants and bars.
Adam Coulter is executive editor of Cruise Critic UK
