Construction for Royal Caribbean's Second Icon-Class Ship is Underway
(10:45 a.m. EDT) -- A little less than a year away from the debut of Icon of the Seas, Royal Caribbean has announced the construction of a second, as-of-yet unnamed Icon-class ship.
On Feb. 14, the cruise line celebrated the steel-cutting ceremony for the new vessel in Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland, where sister ship Icon of the Seas is also being built. The steel cutting ceremony marks the official start of construction of a new ship, akin to a groundbreaking ceremony when construction begins on a new building.
As is customary, the ceremony featured the Royal Caribbean and Meyer Turku teams dedicated to building the second Icon-class ship, which is set to debut in 2025. Royal Caribbean has also confirmed that there will be a third ship in the Icon class, although no timeline details are available yet.
Because the second Icon-class ship is in its earliest stages of construction, details about the vessel are scarce. But the ship is expected to share many of the features that will be present on Icon of the Seas, including new neighborhoods, numerous suite categories that include new layouts for families of three or more passengers, and eco-friendly propulsion systems.
Set to debut in January 2023, Icon of the Seas will be the 24th ship in Royal Caribbean's fleet and the first Icon-class vessel. At 250,800 GT, it will be the world's largest cruise ship by gross tonnage, surpassing Royal Caribbean's own Oasis class Wonder of the Seas. Icon of the Seas will also have capacity for 5,610 passengers at double occupancy and will boast a maximum capacity for 7,600 guests.