by Lacey Pfalz
Last updated: 11:35 AM ET, Mon November 27, 2023
Royal Caribbean International welcomed its newest ship to the fleet at a celebration at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Turku, Finland on November 27, ahead of the Icon of the Seas’ official January, 2024 debut in Miami, Florida.
The delivery celebration was attended by Royal Caribbean Group President and CEO Jason Liberty, Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley and Meyer Turku CEO Tim Meyer, along with 1,200 crew and workers.
The Icon of the Seas offers twenty-eight different room categories, including a new three-level Ultimate Family Townhouse; forty dining and drinking outlets, five new neighborhoods, the largest waterpark at sea with six slides; the AquaDome, a new neighborhood featuring the largest glass and steel structure on any cruise ship in the world, and much more.
The ship is the first in Royal Caribbean’s fleet to have the capability to use liquefied natural gas (LNG) as a more sustainable alternative. It also features the first waste-to-energy plant at sea.
“It’s official! Today we welcomed Icon of the Seas to the Royal Caribbean family, reaching an incredible milestone in Royal Caribbean’s history," said Vicki Freed, Senior Vice President, Sales, Trade Support and Service at Royal Caribbean. "With more than six years in the making, Icon is a vacation experience unlike any other. Every kind of family and adventurer can experience their version of the ultimate family vacation when Icon debuts in January 2024.”
When the ship debuts in January, 2024, it will sail 7-night Eastern or Western Caribbean itineraries from Miami, visiting Royal Caribbean’s Perfect Day at CocoCay. Itineraries are available for booking.
“Welcoming Icon of the Seas to the Royal Caribbean family is a remarkable accomplishment years in the making for thousands of innovators, engineers, architects and designers,” said Michael Bayley, president and CEO, Royal Caribbean International. “Seven years ago, we had an ambitious idea to create the first vacation truly made for every type of family and adventurer; now, it’s in our hands, and in this final stretch, we’ll bring it all to life for the biggest debut in our history in January 2024.”
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