Icon of the Seas will be the first of Royal Caribbean’s Icon Class cruise ships when she launches, marking the first new type of vessel for the cruise line since 2014.
Royal Caribbean has not divulged many details about Icon of the Seas, but this page will be updated periodically when Royal Caribbean announces what the ship will offer to guests.
There is a lot of excitement about what’s planned for Icon of the Seas, with the promise from company executives it will be a “game changer” for the industry.
Here is a look at the most important things we know about Icon of the Seas.
Icon of the Seas facts
Icon of the Seas is the first Icon Class ship. Since it’s the first, we don’t know yet what the ship looks like or any substantial details.
The ship is under construction at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland. The new class of ship was announced in late 2016.
According to filings made by Royal Caribbean, Icon of the Seas will have a capacity of approximately 5,600 passengers.
She will be 200,000 gross tons in size.
This would make the Icon class ships larger than the Quantum Class ships, but slightly smaller than the Oasis Class ships.
Back in April 2021, Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley talked briefly about the new ship, “We have the brand new Icon class coming, which is going to be a real game changer.”
Royal Caribbean has not announced any onboard activities, entertainment or things to do yet.
When will Icon of the Seas be delivered?
Icon of the Seas is expected to be delivered in the third quarter of 2023.
She was originally scheduled to be delivered in second quarter of 2022, but the Covid-19 pandemic caused her construction plans to be delayed by a year.
Next-gen power
Debuting in fall 2023, Icon will be the cruise line’s first of three ships to be powered by LNG (liquefied natural gas).
LNG and the state-of-the-art ship’s additional environmentally friendly applications, such as shore power connection, will boost energy efficiencies and reduce carbon footprint. More details about Icon’s advanced environmental technologies will be revealed at a future date.
The LNG fuel tank on Icon of the Seas is 307 tons and 90 feet long.
Traditionally, cruise ships are powered by diesel. The advantage LNG has over diesel is it is more energy-efficient and will reduce fuel consumption and emissions.
Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley talked about the efficiency of Icon of the Seas, “Our new Icon class is coming with LNG-hybrid but, basically it’s LNG. It’s 35% more fuel energy efficient than regular fuel. And the ship itself, because of the design, is about 30% more efficient.”
In addition, Icon of the Seas will utilize a shore power connection that removes emissions while connected at port.
What is the sphere?
In January 2022, a large pearl-shaped object appeared in the shipyard that capture the attention of cruise fans who are curious to know what it might be.
Royal Caribbean has not announced what it will be, but it is going to be a feature on Icon of the Seas.
The object was placed about mid-ship, amidst the various blocks of Icon of the Seas during her construction progress.
It measures 46 feet tall and 50 feet in diameter, with 578 aluminum external panels.
Some guessed it could be a LNG fuel tank, but LNG tanks are substantially larger.
Other interesting facts:
- 9 miles of cables for power & lighting
- 1,323 feet of air conditioning ducts
- Steel mounting frames on the inside
- It required two tugboats to move it to the shipyard
- 5,600-metric-ton-crane lifted it into position
- It’s taken 45,000 working hours to construct the sphere
On the 2022 President’s Cruise, Michael Bayley accidently let it slip the name of the sphere is “The Pearl”.
When can we book Icon of the Seas?
Michael Bayley said they expect to start marketing Icon of the Seas in September 2022.
“We are launching Icon of the Seas starting this September. By launching, I mean, we are we are starting to communicate. We have a whole planning program of communication, social media, marketing, TV, radio, you name it.”
According to Mr. Bayley, there is a media event planned for September in New York onboard Oasis of the Seas. They picked Oasis to host the event because she was the first ship of the then-record breaking Oasis Class, just as Icon will be the first in the new Icon Class.
Icon of the Seas unconfirmed rumors
I love a juicy rumor, and there are at least a few good ones out there about what to expect with Icon of the Seas.
Caution, here by dragons and information about Icon of the Seas that isn’t confirmed, but worth mentioning.
Icon of the Seas will debut first in England
Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley said Icon of the Seas will sail from the UK when she first begins sailing with passengers.
“I promise you will bring Icon of the seas into Southampton. The UK will be the first country and market that we will bring this incredible ship into [when it launches] in ’23.”
Bayley also emphasized how important the UK market is for Royal Caribbean, which helped solidify the cruise line’s decision to debut Icon of the Seas to the country first.
Icon of the Seas will be homeported in Miami
Mr. Bayley also said in an interview that Icon of the Seas will offer cruises from Miami.
“We will take [Icon of the Seas] across the Atlantic to Miami, which is where it’s going to be homeported.”
