Royal Caribbean International will grow its Icon class to at least four ships, overnight agreeing to terms with Finland’s Meyer Turku shipyard for a fourth mega-ship to be delivered in 2027.
The unnamed vessel will join Icon of the Seas, which entered service in Jan with Star of the Seas, due to debut in Port Canaveral in Aug 2025, and a third Icon ship, also yet to be named and welcoming passengers onboard from 2026.
The new agreement includes options for two more Icon-class ships, potentially taking the fleet of LNG-powered behemoths as high as six.
Excluding Star of the Seas, this new firm order also takes Royal Caribbean’s pipeline of confirmed future ships to three, with another Oasis-class ship also in the works for delivery in 2028.
Royal Caribbean Group President and CEO, Jason Liberty, said the order for a fourth Icon reflects the line’s strong commitment in quality from Meyer Turku.
“Building on the incredible momentum and market response to the launch of Icon of the Seas and the excitement for its sister ship, Star of the Seas, coming in 2025, we’re thrilled to join with Meyer Turku once again to expand our roster of Icon Class ships and continue our future growth plans,” Liberty said.
“Since its debut, Icon has changed the game in vacation experiences and exceeded our expectations in both guest satisfaction and financial performance.”
Including this latest order, Meyer Turku has built 21 ships for Royal Caribbean over nearly three decades, with the latest deal still subject to customary conditions including financing.
Meyer Turku CEO, Tim Meyer, said Royal Caribbean’s latest order was another important milestone in the future of shipbuilding for Finland.
“With Icon of the Seas, our team, consisting of the shipyard and partners, have built an extraordinary ship in respect of naval architecture, energy efficiency and customer experience,” Meyer commented.
“This is yet another recognition of the professionalism of our personnel and of our leadership in the maritime industry’s innovation and green transition.”
