Finnish shipyard bags €1,5bn order for fourth Icon Class cruise ship

ROYAL CARIBBEAN GROUP SIGNS AGREEMENT WITH MEYER TURKU FOR THE NEXT SHIP IN ITS REVOLUTIONARY ICON CLASS; ADDS OPTIONS FOR ADDITIONAL ICON CLASS SHIPS

 Royal Caribbean Group announced today that it has signed an agreement with Finnish shipbuilder Meyer Turku to order a fourth Icon Class ship for delivery to Royal Caribbean International in 2027. The agreement also includes options to build a fifth and sixth Icon Class ship. 

“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.”  

“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.” 

The first ship in the Icon Class launched in January 2024 as a first-of-its-kind vacation and introduced an all-encompassing lineup of experiences that combines the best of every vacation – from the beach retreat to the resort escape and the theme park adventure. The next ship in the lineup will continue to deliver revolutionary experiences as it joins Icon, Star of the Seas (launching in 2025) and the yet-to-be-named third Icon Class ship (launching in 2026). With this announcement, Royal Caribbean Group continues to drive its moderate capacity growth to help guests turn a vacation of a lifetime into a lifetime of vacations. 

“This order is an important milestone for the future of shipbuilding in the maritime network in Finland,” added 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.” 

Known for its history of delivering best-in-class ships, this also expands upon Royal Caribbean Group’s longstanding relationship with Meyer Turku. With this order, Meyer Turku will have built 21 ships for Royal Caribbean Group over 28 years.  

“Icon of the Seas is unlike anything the world has seen before, and we’re just getting started. We are leading the vacation industry in developing new experiences for our guests to create lifelong memories, and we continue dreaming and evolving to deliver more ways to chill and thrill.” 

– Michael Bayley, CEO, Royal Caribbean International

The anticipation for Royal Caribbean Group’s newbuild pipeline continues to grow, with seven new ships on order, and two shipyard options. This year alone, the company welcomed four new industry-leading 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 also comes on the heels of the company’s announcement for a seventh Oasis Class ship, set to debut for Royal Caribbean International in 2028.