Royal Caribbean is able to do one thing it is by no means accomplished earlier than: deliver again a retired cruise ship identify to honor its subsequent new vessel.
The cruise line confirmed a not-so-well-kept secret that it’s going to identify its third Icon Class cruise ship, Legend of the Seas.
The identify was beforehand used for one of many cruise line’s Imaginative and prescient Class ships, launched in 1995.
That ship would have been dwarfed by the brand new Legend of the Seas, as the unique was solely 70,000 gross tons and had a capability of about 2,000 passengers. The brand new cruise ship will have the ability to deal with about 7,000 passengers when at full capability and is 250,800 gross tons in measurement.
In 2017, Royal Caribbean bought Legend of the Seas to a cruise line now often known as Marella Cruises, the place it was renamed Marella Discovery.
Being the third Icon Class ship, Legend of the Seas goes to follow-up on the super success of the world’s largest cruise ship Icon of the Seas and Star of the Seas. The Icon Class has been nothing wanting unimaginable for Royal Caribbean.
These ships have been successful with passengers and critics alike, because it’s set a brand new customary for what a megaship can supply.
Not solely did Royal Caribbean share the ship’s identify, however we even have particulars on when she’ll start providing cruises.
Debuting in Europe first
Royal Caribbean will start sailings on Legend of the Seas within the Mediterranean first, after which transition to Florida.
Starting in July 2026, Legend of the Seas will supply 7-night Western Mediterranean cruises from Barcelona, Spain.
Legend will go to ports of name in France, Italy and Spain, that embrace historic significance and delightful landscapes.
After the summer season cruising season concludes, Legend will transfer to her new homeport in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Starting in November 2026, Legend of the Seas will supply 6-night Western Caribbean and 8-night Southern Caribbean cruises from Port Everglades.
Sailings will embrace visits to Good Day at CocoCay in The Bahamas. Legend will even go to Oranjestad, Aruba, Falmouth, Jamaica, and Willemstad, Curacao.
You can begin reserving sailings later this week. Royal Caribbean says Crown & Anchor Society loyalty members could have particular entry to e-book forward of the official opening on Thursday, Feb. 20.
“A jaw dropping, showstopping, beautiful ship”
Naming this new cruise ship Legend of the Seas is important due to what the identify means actually, in addition to to the corporate.
“The Icon Class as a reputation actually units a very excessive bar…so we would have liked a 3rd identify that basically match with that,” Kara Wallace, Royal Caribbean’s chief advertising officer, informed Royal Caribbean Weblog in an unique interview.
“Legend is, not solely becoming of the category, however an homage to all the pieces that got here earlier than it.”
Introducing a 3rd Icon Class ship is one thing Royal Caribbean cannot wait to debut, due to all of the success Icon of the Seas has had to date.
“This ship actually has lived as much as all the hype after which some.” Wallace stated.
Bringing Legend to Europe first is one thing Royal Caribbean is doing to match what its clients have been clamoring for, “our company throughout Europe have been asking for for an Icon Class ship to to be primarily based there, and this was the best time to deliver it,” Wallace defined.
“The ship will come straight from supply into Europe, and it is taking now what’s going to be a legendary ship and bringing it to legendary locations.”
What will likely be completely different on Legend of the Seas?
Royal Caribbean did not share many particulars about what will likely be completely different about Legend, however Ms. Wallace advised it will not be a carbon copy of Icon or Star both.
“We’ll tweak issues as we be taught and as we go alongside to make them each contemporary, attention-grabbing, but in addition ship on the experiences that our company are asking for and can proceed to do this on this ship alike,” Wallace stated. “Issues like leisure and reveals, theming on some venues will continuously be tailored for market, and we’ll reveal them within the coming months.”
A change that has been leaked already is that the Supper Membership could have a Hollywood theme to it.
Icon of the Seas had a New York theme, and Star of the Seas’ model could have a Chicagoland theme.
One factor you will not see is Legend being barely greater than Icon or Star of the Seas.
Royal Caribbean’s Senior Vice President and Chief Product Innovation Officer Jay Schneider has beforehand stated every Icon Class ship is not going to be a bit bit greater than the earlier one.
“Star is not going to be a foot greater. It will likely be 1198ft lengthy. The third ship within the icon class will even be 1198ft lengthy,” he stated throughout an interview held on Icon of the Seas.
Legend of the Seas is being constructed now
Whereas the ship’s identify and homeport are information, the ship has been below development for months.
The primary piece of metal was reduce in January 2024 for Legend of the Seas. When the metal reducing ceremony is held, it marks the official begin of development.
Then in October 2024, the keel was laid and the ship is being assembled as we converse.
Different milestones embrace floating out, and supply.
Constructing on Icon’s record-breaking success for Royal Caribbean
Ever since Icon of the Seas began wowing passengers, the brand new ship has exceeded even the corporate’s highest expectations.
In keeping with Ms. Wallace, the ship has set a brand new benchmark for visitor satisfaction—not simply throughout the cruise business, however throughout all of hospitality.
“It’s delivering on the highest ranges of visitor satisfaction that we’ve ever seen throughout our manufacturers, throughout the business, and throughout all of hospitality,” Wallace stated. “And that’s actually by far and broad margin.”
Royal Caribbean re-imagined what a cruise ship could possibly be when it designed Icon of the Seas, calling the ship a “white paper” design as a result of all the pieces was conceived with none pre-existing concepts. Wallace highlighted how the ship’s vibrant design and revolutionary options created pleasure from the second it launched.
“I feel it was extremely anticipated when it got here to market,” she stated. “Final 12 months, the demand for it was off the charts, creating pleasure by way of its colours, its vibrancy, its vitality.”
One of the talked-about options is Surfside, a neighborhood designed particularly for households, providing an area the place they’ll “keep and play all day.” The AquaDome, a shocking architectural area with breathtaking exterior views and immersive leisure, has additionally left an enduring impression.
In the meantime, the ship’s water park, Thrill Island, brings an unprecedented degree of pleasure to the cruise expertise.
“It wasn’t one slide, two slides—it’s a number of slides,” Wallace stated. “The slide experiences are nice, and that theming and expertise runs all through a complete neighborhood.”
Icon’s connection to the water was additionally considered one of its main objectives that the ship delivered on, providing expansive sea views all through the ship.
“I feel the stream of the ship, of Icon Class, when it comes to bringing the ocean to the ship and the expansive views edge to edge, is one thing that we haven’t skilled on a category of ships like this but,” she famous. “And positively what that did for the promenade expertise and the inclusion of The Pearl—considered one of my favourite issues to do is watch TikTok or Instagram movies when folks first board Icon and so they simply see the magnitude of the ship. That first impression with The Pearl—there’s nothing prefer it.”
Wallace additionally emphasised that social media has performed a significant function in Icon of the Seas’ success, as company eagerly share their experiences on-line.
“We’re seeing that within the recognition—not simply in how individuals are experiencing the ship, however how they’re additionally reliving and posting their experiences throughout social media,” she stated. “It’s actually a jaw-dropping, showstopping, beautiful ship once you see it in individual.”
A key consider Icon of the Seas’ success is its concentrate on households of every kind. From younger children to teenagers, multi-generational teams to prolonged households, the ship provides an unmatched number of lodging and leisure to go well with each kind of traveler.
“We’re a household model,” Wallace stated. “After we take into consideration households, it’s each single kind of household. It’s households with younger children, it’s households with youngsters, it’s prolonged households, multi-generational households. And when you concentrate on Icon, it actually does have one thing for all of these several types of households.”
Source link
