Legend of the Seas (Icon Class)

Star of the Seas, the second Icon-class cruise ship and sister ship to Legend of the Seas, under construction at Meyer Turku Shipyard in Finland.

Legend of the Seas is a planned Icon-class cruise ship and the third to join the Royal Caribbean fleet when it debuts in July 2026, joining its sister ships Icon of the Seas and Star of the Seas.[1][2][3] Legend of the Seas is under construction at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Turku, Finland.

After its summer 2026 season in the Western Mediterranean, Legend of the Seas will offer its primary sailing of the Western Caribbean operating out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States.

Design

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As designed, Legend of the Seas will measure 250,800 gross tonnage (GT), and have a capacity of approximately 5,610 passengers over its 2,805 cabins; however, it is estimated that Legend of the Seas could have a maximum capacity of up to 7,000 passengers.[3][4]

Like the other Icon-class ships, Legend of the Seas will be made up of various neighborhoods which include a plethora of activities, such as skywalks, surf simulators, waterparks, and pools.[1][5][6]

As a part of Royal Caribbean's journey towards a net-zero cruise ship by 2035, Legend of the Seas will be the company's fourth ship to be powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG), joining Utopia of the Seas, Icon of the Seas, and Star of the Seas.[1][6][7]

Construction and naming

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Legend of the Seas is under construction at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Turku, Finland.[1][8][4] Its construction began with the first steel cutting, which occurred in January 2024.[3] The ship's keel was then laid in October 2024, marking a major milestone in the ship's construction.[3] As of March 2025, the ship is yet to be floated out and will still need to undergo its sea trials before it can begin accepting passengers.[3]

Legend of the Seas will be the second cruise ship in the Royal Caribbean fleet to have carried the name. The original Legend of the Seas (now Marella Discovery 2) was a Vision-class cruise ship launched on September 5, 1994 which served in Royal Caribbean's fleet until 2017, when it was sold to Marella Cruises.[3][9] Royal Caribbean's Chief Marketing Officer Kara Wallace explained the company's reasoning behind bringing back the name.[3]

The Icon Class as a name really sets a really high bar... so we needed a third name that really fit with that... Legend is, not only fitting of the class, but an homage to everything that came before it.[3]

Planned deployment

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Legend of the Seas is set to debut in the Western Mediterranean in the Summer 2026 season, and in doing so, will be the first Icon-class cruise ship to offer sailings of Europe.[3][5] The ship will offer 3 to 7-night cruises of the Western Mediterranean, primarily cruising out of Barcelona, Spain, and Rome, Italy.[3][5]

When the Summer season concludes, the vessel is planned to relocate to Florida, where it will offer 3 to 8-night cruises of the Western and Southern Caribbean out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida.[3][5] For its relocation, Legend of the Seas will offer a 13-night long, transatlantic cruise.[5]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "When Icons Become Legends: Royal Caribbean Unveils Name and Lineup of the Third Icon Class Vacation" (Press release). Royal Caribbean International. Retrieved 2025-03-28.
  2. ^ "Royal Caribbean Reveals Name and Itineraries for Next Icon Class Ship". Cruise Industry News. Retrieved 2025-03-28.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Fielding, Jenni (2025-02-18). "Royal Caribbean Brings Back a Historic Name for Its Third Icon-Class Ship, Legend of the Seas". Cruise Mummy. Retrieved 2025-04-08.
  4. ^ a b "Third Cruise Ship in the Icon Class". Meyer Turku. Retrieved 2025-04-11.
  5. ^ a b c d e "Legend of the Seas: Where Icons become Legends". Royal Caribbean. Retrieved 2025-04-09.
  6. ^ a b Leppert, Jason (2025-03-05). "Ship Preview: Royal Caribbean's Legend of the Seas". www.travelagewest.com. Retrieved 2025-04-08.
  7. ^ Fielding, Jenni (2024-12-17). "The First 19 LNG-Powered Cruise Ships - Meet The Pioneers!". Cruise Mummy. Retrieved 2025-04-08.
  8. ^ "Royal Caribbean's Icon 3, Legend of the Seas, to debut in Europe". Seatrade Cruise News. Retrieved 2025-04-11.
  9. ^ "DNV Vessel Register". vesselregister.dnv.com. Retrieved 2025-03-28.
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