Royal Caribbean Orders Up to Three Mega Cruise Ships from Meyer Turku

Royal Caribbean Group on Tuesday announced an agreement with Finnish shipbuilder Meyer Turku for the construction of up to three new Icon Class vessels—the world's largest cruise ships. The deal includes one firm order for scheduled delivery in 2027 plus options for two additional vessels.

The U.S.-based cruise giant has been steadily growing its capacity amid continued strong demand across the cruise sector, with a newbuild pipeline that now includes seven new ships on order and two shipyard options.

These latest orders are the fourth, fifth and sixth ships in Royal Caribbean's Icon Class. The first ship in the series, the 248,663 GT Icon of the Seas, was launched from Meyer Turku in January 2024. The next ships in the lineup, Star of the Seas and a yet-to-be-named third Icon Class ship will launch from the Finnish shipyard in 2025 and 2026 respectively.

“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,” said Jason Liberty, president and CEO, Royal Caribbean Group. “Since its debut, Icon has changed the game in vacation experiences and exceeded our expectations in both guest satisfaction and financial performance.”  

Michael Bayley, president and CEO, Royal Caribbean International, said, “Icon of the Seas is unlike anything the world has seen before, and we’re just getting started.”

This year, Royal Caribbean Group welcomed four new ships, including Royal Caribbean International’s Icon of the Seas and Utopia of the Seas, Silversea’s Silver Ray and TUI Cruises’ Mein Schiff 7. This order comes on the heels of the company’s announcement for a seventh Oasis Class ship, to be built by French shipbuilder Chantiers de l’Atlantique and set to debut for Royal Caribbean International in 2028.

The new Icon class orders expand upon Royal Caribbean Group’s longstanding relationship with Meyer Turku, with 21 ships built by Meyer Turku for the company over 28 years.

"This order is an important milestone for the future of shipbuilding in the maritime network in Finland,” said Tim Meyer, CEO of Meyer Turku. “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. This is yet another recognition of the professionalism of our personnel and of our leadership in the maritime industry's innovation and green transition. The options underline the strong outlook of our order book.”

“This is great news for Finland. Royal Caribbean Group’s long-term partnership will continue to have a positive impact on our employment and economy,” said Petteri Orpo, Prime Minister of Finland. “Their commitment and investment in Finland speaks volumes about the strength of our maritime cluster and our world class shipyards.”