Keel Laid for Royal Caribbean’s Seventh Oasis Class Ship
Royal Caribbean announced that it has celebrated a construction milestone for the seventh Oasis-class vessel with a keel-laying ceremony at the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France.
The event marks the start of assembly of the company’s new ship and kicks off the next two years of construction ahead of its anticipated 2028 debut.
Royal Caribbean said in a press release that during the ceremony, teams from Royal Caribbean and Chantiers de l’Atlantique placed a layer of freshly minted coins beneath the first steel block in the drydock, known as the keel.
The long-standing maritime tradition celebrates the beginning of the ship’s journey by wishing good fortune to the ship, its crew and future vacationers.
More details about the seventh Oasis Class vacation will be announced in due course.
The MSC World America recently completed its first year of service after entering service for MSC Cruises on April 12, 2025.
As part of the company’s World-class series, the vessel was built at the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard in St. Nazaire, France.
Along with its sister ship, the MSC World Europa, the 5,400-passenger ship debuted as the largest ship in MSC’s fleet.
With a series of tweaks aimed at the U.S. market, the MSC World America was designed for year-round service in the Caribbean.
After crossing the Atlantic with no guests onboard, the vessel made its official debut in Florida, following a christening ceremony at MSC’s new cruise terminal in PortMiami.
As it enters its second year of service, the MSC World America will continue to offer weeklong cruises from its homeport of Miami.
In 2026, the vessel’s schedule includes itineraries to both the Western and Eastern Caribbean, visiting a range of destinations, such as Cozumel in Mexico and Roatán in Honduras.
MSC is now getting ready to add two additional World Class ships to its fleet in the near future, including the MSC World Asia.
While its name pays homage to Asia, the 208,500-ton vessel is set to offer year-round cruises in the Western Mediterranean starting in December 2026.
In late 2027, the company is welcoming the MSC World Atlantic, which will sail from Port Canaveral to the Caribbean and the Bahamas.
According to a statement from the company, the upgrade included new and additional restaurants, bars with enhanced service, new activity areas for families and a fresh look for the public areas.
In addition to redesigning guest cabins, new and additional suites were added, as well as exclusive areas such as the Sky Deck and the Rossini Lounge.
Furthermore, technical upgrades were made to reduce energy consumption and improve efficiency.
Approximately 5,100 pieces of furniture were donated to social organizations and 18 tons of aluminum from sun loungers and chairs were recycled, demonstrating circular economy in practice.
The company also refurbished approximately 45,000 m2 of carpets, 10,000 m2 of carpet underlay, 2,500 m2 of artificial turf and over 1,000 mattresses, giving them a new lease on life.
The crew and reception areas got a fully recyclable, allergy-friendly carpet made from Econyl yarn, produced from recycled carpets from the AIDAdiva and AIDAluna.
Thanks to a new reverse osmosis system, the AIDAbella can produce more fresh water from seawater using less energy, the company said.
The consistent use of LED lighting, further optimization of demand-based climate control, and modernized catering technology are meant to contribute to reducing energy and water consumption onboard.
Finally, a special biocide-free coating was added to reduce fouling on the hull, thus also reducing fuel consumption.
The ship’s first itinerary post-modernization is a seven-day roundtrip from Palma that includes stops in Civitavecchia (Rome), La Spezia, Marseille – with a special overnight stay – and Barcelona, before returning to Palma.
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