A new era of vacations is on its way, as Icon of the Seas has officially joined the Royal Caribbean fleet ahead of her highly anticipated debut in January 2024.
After 900 days, a celebration at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Turku, Finland marked the completion of the vessel’s construction and the start of adding the finishing touches to the ultimate family vacation at sea. Over 1200 crew members and workers attended the ceremony, alongside Royal Caribbean Group President and CEO, Jason Liberty, Royal Caribbean International President and CEO, Michael Bayley, and Meyer Turku CEO, Tim Meyer.
Following the celebration, Icon of the Seas now makes its way to Cadiz, Spain. Here, the ship will receive its last few finishing touches before heading to its year-round home in Miami.
“Today, we are celebrating more than a new ship; it’s also the celebration of the culmination of more than 50 years of innovation and dreaming at Royal Caribbean to create the ultimate vacation experience. Delivering Icon of the Seas represents all that can be accomplished with strong partnerships and a commitment to delivering memorable vacations responsibly, and we thank Meyer Turku and an incredible village of skilled partners for joining us on this journey. The memories millions of families and vacationers will make on Icon will be our greatest accomplishment yet.”
Jason Liberty, president and CEO, Royal Caribbean Group
The delivery of Icon of the Seas between Royal Caribbean and Meyer Turku also commemorated the series of never-before-seen feats accomplished during over two years of construction: from installation of the AquaDome, to engineering more water onboard than ever before across seven pools, six record-breaking waterslides, and more!
“Welcoming Icon of the Seas to the Royal Caribbean family is a remarkable accomplishment years in the making for thousands of innovators, engineers, architects and designers. Seven years ago, we had an ambitious idea to create the first vacation truly made for every type of family and adventurer; now, it’s in our hands, and in this final stretch, we’ll bring it all to life for the biggest debut in our history in January 2024.”
Michael Bayley, president and CEO, Royal Caribbean International
The ship’s all-encompassing line-up features a plethora of firsts and next-level favourites from Royal Caribbean, meaning everyone can make memories their way across eight different neighbourhoods. With adrenaline-pumping thrills, unrivalled chills, over 40 ways to dine and drink, cutting-edge entertainment across four stages, and 28 different accommodations, there’s plenty to explore onboard Icon of the Seas.
In addition to these ground-breaking onboard features, Icon is the cruise line’s first ship to be powered by Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), a more energy-efficient fuel source, making her Royal Caribbean’s most sustainable ship to date.
Families and adventurers of all kinds can escape on the world’s biggest vacation and island hop in the tropics at any time of the year. Every 7-night Eastern or Western Caribbean sailing from Miami features idyllic destinations across the region, plus an unmatched day of thrill and chill at Royal Caribbean’s award-winning private island- Perfect Day at CocoCay in The Bahamas.
