The third ship in Royal Caribbean’s ground-breaking Icon class celebrated a major construction milestone as the vessel’s keel was laid at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Turku, Finland.
The keel-laying, on October 7, 2024, marks the start of the ship’s hull assembly. The ship, which has not yet been named by the cruise line, is temporarily referred to as Icon 3, following the January 2024 debut of the first in the series, Icon of the Seas, and the scheduled introduction of the second, Star of the Seas, coming in August 2025.
Icon 3’s launch date is planned for sometime in 2026. During the ship’s keel-laying, a large steel block was lowered into the vessel by crane and set down on trestles, enabling the construction of the hull to begin.
Coins, said to bring good luck to the ship, had been positioned under the steel block by shipyard and cruise line officials in a maritime tradition said to have started in Roman times.
“Icon 3 is a very important vessel for both the shipyard and the partner network. During its construction process, we get to see what a combination of high-level know-how and sister ship experience can achieve today,” Tim Meyer, CEO of Meyer Turku, posted.
“Icon 3 will be an all-encompassing holiday experience to the tourism market, which is impatiently waiting for it,” added Meyer.
Work on the new Icon-class ship got under way with her steel-cutting ceremony on January 12, 2024.
The Icon-class ships are the biggest in the cruise industry, with Icon of the Seas, homeported in Miami, currently operating as the largest at 250,880-gross tons. She accommodates 5,600 guests at double occupancy, and sails alternating 7-day Eastern and Western Caribbean voyages.
The second in the series, Star of the Seas, will be slightly larger than Icon of the Seas when she enters service in August 2025. Also being built at the Meyer Turku shipyard, Star of the Seas celebrated her float-out from her construction bay on October 3, 2024.
The ship will be based in Port Canaveral, sailing Eastern and Western Caribbean cruises. Star of the Seas already has experienced construction delays. In February 2024, Royal Caribbean revealed that her debut would be postponed by about two weeks.
Coin Ceremony for Third Icon Class Ship
Star of the Seas’ original launch date of August 17, 2025 was pushed back to August 31, 2025. Booked guests and travel agents were notified of the cancellation of her first voyage.
Read Also: Icon of the Seas vs Titanic – A Giant Comparison
Icon 3 will not be the final ship in the Icon series. Royal Caribbean, in August 2024, announced it had reached an agreement with Meyer Turku for a fourth ship and options for a fifth and sixth in the series.
Icon 3 Expected to Feature Best of the Class
While details of Icon 3’s design have yet to be announced, it is almost guaranteed to feature the public spaces and amenities of Icon of the Seas.
Like Icon of the Seas, the 20-deck Icon-class ship will likely feature the Aqua Dome, the largest waterpark in the industry, with multiple thrill rides and water-based experiences for all ages.
Besides Aqua Dome, the ship has seven other neighborhoods: Chill Island, Thrill Island, The Hideaway, Surfside, Royal Promenade, Central Park, and The Suite Neighborhood. The zones are geared to family or adult activities, shopping and dining, and private, exclusive areas for guests booking suites.
Thrill Island, for example, will offer six waterslides, a surf simulator, the Crown’s Edge Ropes Course that swings out over the water, a rock climbing wall, and a sports court.
In addition to entertainment and activity areas, Icon-class ships are constructed with environmentally responsible power technologies, including liquefied natural gas (LNG) and fuel cells, which reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Appeared first on: Cruisehive.com
