ROYAL CARIBBEAN
When the order for two ships code-named Project Icon was first placed with Meyer Turku in 2016, the new vessels were reported to be smaller than the Oasis class, then the largest passenger ships ever built. The order for a third ship was placed in 2019, and delivery of all three was scheduled by 2025.
However, as everything was delayed by the pandemic, the first ship, now named Icon of the Seas, will enter service in early 2024, nearly two years late. In terms of size, she will have a length of 365m and be of approximately 250,800gt, eclipsing the almost 237,000 of the largest of the Oasis class, Wonder of the Seas.
Fuelled by LNG, Icon of the Seas will have a lower berth capacity for 5,610 passengers and a maximum 7,600 passengers. From January 2024 she will operate alternate Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries from Miami. Within her 18 passenger decks there will be eight distinct neighbourhoods, including Central Park, and a larger Royal Promenade with 15 restaurants and cafes.