Tag Archives: Royal Caribbean Group

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

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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.

Royal Caribbean Wants to Own Texas Market

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Royal Caribbean Wants to Own Texas Market

Royal Caribbean Group has set its sights on the Texas cruise market.

“We’re expecting to own the Texas market as it relates to cruising into the Caribbean,” said Michael Bayley, president and CEO of Royal Caribbean International, speaking on the company’s first quarter earnings call April 30.

A new terminal that opened in 2022 in Galveston will now be supported by Perfect Day Mexico, Royal Caribbean’s destination development in the Gulf, which is expected to soft-open in the fourth quarter of 2027 before fully ramping through 2028.

The project had encountered a temporary pause due to environmental permitting issues, but Bayley confirmed on the call that those issues have been resolved and construction has resumed.

“All of that is now behind us,” he said.

When complete, Perfect Day Mexico will anchor what Royal Caribbean sees as a transformational combination of assets serving the Gulf and Texas markets: Perfect Day Mexico paired with Royal Beach Club Cozumel, expected to open in early 2028.

“The combination of the hardware, the brand and the destination, we believe, is going to be a massive accelerator for overall financial performance for the business,” Bayley said.

“(Texas) is a market which is much larger than Florida and its penetration rate is much lower than Florida,” Bayley said.

CEO Jason Liberty elaborated on the geographic reach the Galveston hub has.

“It’s also going to unlock, more potential in the West, really kind of west of the Mississippi,  as the cost to get to Houston and so forth is less than other parts of the country,” he said.

Tui transfers shipbuilding slots from Marella Cruises to sister line in push for more UK passengers

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Tui transfers shipbuilding slots from Marella Cruises to sister line in push for more UK passengers

Tui Cruises is a joint venture between Tui AG and Royal Caribbean Group (Credit: Tui Cruises)

The new-build slots were previously secured earlier this year for Marella Cruises for delivery in 2031 and 2033.

However, Tui AG said this “strategic decision” to move the slots across to Tui Cruises allows the brand to “build on the success of its Tui Cruises joint venture, which has a proven track record across various European markets and possesses the financial capacity for further expansion investments”.

It also stated that the decision was made to strengthen Tui Cruises’ long-term growth platform in Europe and the UK.

Tui Cruises is a joint venture between Tui AG and Royal Caribbean Group.

Marella Cruises’ down payment to Fincantieri will be reimbursed, and it will continue operations with its existing five-ship fleet.

A Tui spokesperson said: “We are pleased to order two further new-build vessels at the Fincantieri shipyard in Italy. This move strengthens Tui Cruises’ platform for long-term growth and enables us to gradually expand further into other markets, particularly in Northern Europe.

“We look forward to leveraging our solid financial position and proven market expertise to deliver outstanding experiences for our guests.”

The spokesperson added, “As the delivery of the new ships is scheduled for 2031 and 2033, there are currently no further details to share. Over the coming months, we will work on the next steps for this exciting project and will share updates as soon as they are available.”