Legend of the Seas Delivered to Royal Caribbean Ahead of July Debut

Posted on 12 June, 2026 by Spacejunkie2

Legend of the Seas Delivered to Royal Caribbean Ahead of July Debut

Royal Caribbean has welcomed the Legend of the Seas, its third Icon-class ship, to its fleet.

Following nearly two years of construction at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Turku, Finland, and sea trials that started in April, the ship is ready to make its European debut in July 2026, the cruise line said in a statement.

More than 1,200 crew members and partners gathered for a ceremony led by Royal Caribbean Group Chairman and CEO Jason Liberty, Royal Caribbean President and CEO Michael Bayley, and Meyer Turku CEO Casimir Lindholm.

The event marked the transfer of ownership between Royal Caribbean and Meyer Turku.

“Today’s delivery of Legend of the Seas marks another important milestone in our ambition to continuously redefine the vacation experience. This new ship reflects the strength of the vacation ecosystem we are building – combining industry-leading ships, innovative technology, and exceptional experiences for our guests,” noted Liberty.

“It is an achievement only possible through the extraordinary partnership and expertise of Meyer Turku and the thousands of talented people whose creativity and commitment continue to help us design the future of vacations.”

The ship is scheduled to travel from Turku to Cadiz, Spain, soon, for finishing touches by Royal Caribbean.

After that, it will operate seven-night Western Mediterranean sailings from Barcelona, Spain, and Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy, this summer, as part of its inaugural season.

In November, the ship will arrive in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to deliver six-night Western Caribbean and eight-night Southern Caribbean cruises.

The delivery is part of the company’s long-term framework agreement with Meyer Turku, securing shipbuilding capacity through 2036.

Under it, the shipyard will build the Icon 5, to be delivered in 2028, as well as the sixth and seventh Icon Class ships, coming in 2029 and 2030, respectively.

“Legend of the Seas is the third Icon Class ship built at our shipyard, and constructing the series has enabled us to develop our production processes in a systematic way. We have built on the experience gained from the previous vessels and further improved efficiency with the customer and our extensive partner network,” added Lindholm.

“The ship is an exceptional project in terms of both scale and technical complexity, requiring strong expertise and seamless collaboration across the entire maritime cluster. At the same time, Legend of the Seas moves shipbuilding towards more energy-efficient and environmentally sustainable solutions.”

The Legend will be the company’s fourth ship powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG) as it continues on its journey toward introducing a net-zero cruise ship by 2035.

Photo Dairy Story – Working Sea-Craft.

Posted on 27 July, 2022 by Spacejunkie2

I love looking at all ships and seacrafts on the right is the WaveWalker 1 similar to the one used to repair the Dawlish train station and promenade, the left craft is the MPI Resolution a 6-legged jack-up vessel

WaveWalker 1 is a dynamic, innovative 8-legged, self-contained walking jack-up, capable of operating safely and effectively in rough seas, surf zones, on beaches, shallow transition zones and other intertidal locations it can even step over obstacles under the water
MPI Resolution is a wind turbine installation vessel deployed to install turbines at offshore wind farms. It was the first self-elevating Turbine Installation Vessel in the world. She can raise herself on her six legs between 3 metres and 46 metres above the sea.

Floating Docks really amaze me, how you can sink a vessel on purpose which weighs several tons itself sail a boat/ship onto it and then lift it all up out of the water so the boat/ship can be worked on safely.
The latest floating dock in the world can be found in South Korea’s Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME) has started construction of the fifth Royal Dock, the world’s largest floating dock. The dock will have a length of 432m, a width of 85.6m and a capacity of 130,000dwtBoth of the Photographs above were taken on a recent trip to Rotterdam where I couldn’t resist a trip on the river cruise to have a look at the docks, both images are taken on my ageing Canon 60D camera with the Canon 10-18mm lens.

#shipping #seacraft #Rotterdam #photography #photooftheday #photo #WaveRiders

Photo Dairy Story: Rotterdam Harbour Tour

Posted on 20 July, 2022 by Spacejunkie2

MSC Virtuosa.

The Photo header of the MSC Virtuosa is berthed outside the Rotterdam Cruise terminal with the bridge just on the Sturnside side (backside 🤣) and I took this image at the Harbour Cruise Tour ticketing counter. The Harbour tour cost £13pp but they only accept credit/debit card payments, so the dirty deed was done and tickets purchased.

With the bridge (Erasmusbrug), in the background, we sat on the open top deck which was a bit windy and chilly but the best for viewing and taking snapshots of the ships in the harbour.

When you move off check that bridge out behind you it’s an amazing piece of engineering and it’s within walking distance from the cruise terminal.

Before you enter the working part of the docks keep an eye on Rotterdam’s wonderful architecture all around from the old windmills to the original port buildings including the original Holland America Line head office, where the 1908 steamship the SS Rotterdam is now berthed as a hotel and restaurant.,

When you cruise the industrial area of the docks you will see Massive floating dry docks, containerships being offloaded and loaded, bulk carriers and specialised craft, such as the WaveWalker 2 which has been used to repair the train station and promenade in Dawlish Devon.

The wave walker on the right and the MPI Resolution on the left which has 6 massive 70-ton legs and are used for the installation of wind turbines at sea.

On the return to the tour, dock check out the HAL head office a bit closer which is worth a visit, cruise past any ships in the cruise terminal and take in the wonderful bridge again before disembarking the 75-minute harbour tour.

We enjoyed this harbour tour and it gave us a good close-up and views of the ships on the dock, below are a few more harbour images taken by myself and Dawn my ever-loving Wife, I hope you have enjoyed this tour description and the photograph included.