Royal Caribbean orders Icon 6 and 7 from Meyer Turku

Royal Caribbean Group confirms Icon 6 and 7 orders

Royal Caribbean Group has confirmed an order with Meyer Turku for a sixth and seventh Icon Class ship, scheduled for delivery in 2029 and 2030 respectively. The move extends the cruise giant’s pipeline of next‑generation mega‑ships and cements the Icon Class as the backbone of its future growth strategy in the 2030s.

The newbuilds sit within Royal Caribbean Group’s long‑term framework agreement with Meyer Turku, which secures shipbuilding capacity at the Finnish yard through 2036 and includes the previously announced Icon 5 order for 2028. The order for Icon 7 remains subject to customary conditions, including financing, but underlines the Group’s confidence in sustained demand for its largest and most innovative ships.

You can follow fleet developments and Icon Class updates on the official site: Royal Caribbean Group.

Long‑term partnership with Meyer Turku through 2036

The latest Icon orders are part of a wide‑ranging agreement that locks in shipbuilding slots with Meyer Turku until 2036, ensuring Royal Caribbean Group has priority access to one of the world’s most advanced cruise shipyards for the next decade. Meyer Turku has been instrumental in developing the award‑winning Icon Class, helping bring to life some of the industry’s most complex, experience‑driven ships.

Royal Caribbean Group Chairman and CEO Jason Liberty said the Icon Class “reflects our bold creativity and engineering excellence that continues to define what a vacation can be,” noting that the long‑standing partnership with Meyer Turku, the Finnish government and the wider maritime cluster is “reimagining the industry for decades to come while also delivering meaningful economic impact for Finland.”

Meyer Turku CEO Casimir Lindholm described the order for ships six and seven as “a significant recognition of Meyer Turku and the Finnish maritime industry’s talent and expertise,” calling it an important step in developing the shipbuilding sector “over the next decade and beyond.”

Icon Class: backbone of Royal Caribbean’s future fleet

The announcement builds on momentum already established by the first four Icon Class ships, which are reshaping the large‑ship segment with their neighbourhood concept, high‑density experiences and cutting‑edge technology.

To date, Meyer Turku has delivered:

• Icon of the Seas – entered service in January 2024
• Star of the Seas – set to join the fleet in August 2025

They will be followed by:

• Legend of the Seas (Icon 3) – debuting July 2026 in the Western Mediterranean, featuring eight neighbourhoods, 28 dining options, new nightlife concepts and a mix of headline thrills and relaxing spaces
• Hero of the Seas (Icon 4) – scheduled for 2027

With Icon 5 already on order for 2028, the confirmation of Icon 6 (2029) and Icon 7 (2030) effectively maps out a continuous Icon rollout from 2024 to 2030, positioning the class at the heart of Royal Caribbean Group’s plan to “continually disrupt the travel sector through purposeful design, world class technologies, and immersive vacation experiences.”

Economic impact and Finland’s role in mega‑ship building

The collaboration between Royal Caribbean Group and Meyer Turku spans more than three decades, during which the yard has built 25 ships for the company. Each Icon Class newbuild ranks among the largest industrial projects in Finland, underpinned by a supply chain that extends across the country.

Meyer Turku and its supplier network collectively employ around 13,000 workers, contributing over €1 billion per year to Finland’s economy. Icon 6 and 7 will help sustain that employment and investment through the end of the decade, reinforcing Turku’s status as a global centre of excellence for large‑scale cruise ship construction.

Part of a broader, multi‑platform growth strategy

Royal Caribbean Group frames the Icon Class as central to its wider strategy of broadening how guests experience vacations across oceans, rivers and land. Alongside investments in new ships, the company is also expanding its portfolio of land‑based destinations from three to eight by 2028, building a pipeline of private islands and beach clubs that pair closely with Icon‑size capacity.

Further newbuilds beyond Icon 7 remain subject to Royal Caribbean Group’s execution of additional construction agreements, each with customary conditions such as financing approval. However, with confirmed Icon deliveries through 2030 and shipyard capacity secured to 2036, the Group has laid out one of the clearest long‑term growth roadmaps in the cruise sector.

For official releases, fleet facts and investor updates, visit royalcaribbeangroup.com.