Tag: Royal Caribbean

Royal Caribbean’s 1st Ship In New Class: Icon of the Seas

Talking Cruise

While we’ve known the brand-new Icon class of ships was coming, what we didn’t know, was the name of the first ship, until now. Royal Caribbean International marked the start of construction on its first Icon Class ship, revealing the name, Icon of the Seas during the steel-cutting ceremony at Finnish shipyard Meyer Turku, where the revolutionary ship will be constructed. In attendance at the ceremony was Richard Fain, chairman and CEO, Royal Caribbean Group; Michael Bayley, president and CEO, Royal Caribbean International; and Tim Meyer, CEO of Meyer Turku.…

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Complete Guide to Royal Caribbean Fleet & Ship Classes

Talking Cruise

Update: June 17, 2025 Of the major cruise lines, few offer a more diverse lineup of ship classes than Royal Caribbean. In fact, for the most-part, Royal Caribbean ship classes are quite distinguishable from each other. In this post, we’re highlighting class specific features and giving you the insight to choose the best ship for your next Royal Caribbean cruise.   Royal Caribbean has been a leading innovator in the cruising industry for over five decades. From 1996 through 2021, Royal Caribbean introduced a new cruise ship every year in…

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Royal Caribbean’s Odyssey of the Seas Shifts to Israel

Talking Cruise

Royal Caribbean has changed the course of the debut for their latest cruise ship, Odyssey of the Seas. Starting in May 2021, the second Quantum Ultra Class ship will begin sailing from Israel with a combination of 3- to 7-night escapes visiting the Greek Isles and Cyprus. The itineraries, roundtrip from Haifa, Israel, will include visits to idyllic isles and destinations in the Mediterranean, including Rhodes, Santorini, Mykonos and Athens, Greece and Limassol, Cyprus. Also Watch:   Prior to the new announcement, Odyssey of the Seas was scheduled to sail…

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Royal Caribbean’s Empress and Majesty To Leave Fleet

Talking Cruise

Amid much speculation over the past several months, Royal Caribbean has officially announced that their two longest serving ships will leave the fleet. Empress of the Seas and Majesty of the Seas have been sold to an undisclosed party in Asia and will leave the fleet by the end of the month. Also Watch: Majesty of the Seas – Port Everglades Sailaway Empress was the first ship designed for 3- and 4-night cruises when she launched in 1990, with her initial sailings visiting The Bahamas from Miami. Empress also made…

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Royal Caribbean Floats Out Wonder of the Seas

Talking Cruise

Royal Caribbean’s fifth Oasis-class ship, Wonder of the Seas, has been transferred to the fitting out dock at Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France. This was also the first time the ship’s hull has touched water since construction began with the first block being placed in October 2019. Originally scheduled to arrive in 2021, Wonder of the Seas will take the title as world’s largest cruise ship, currently held by sister ship Symphony of the Seas. Being built to suit the Chinese cruise market, Wonder of the Seas will…

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