SHIP SHOWCASE Royal Caribbean shows off Icon of the Seas at Meyer Turku. Josie Klein reports from Finland


Royal champions Icon as ‘ultimate family vacation’


I


con of the Seas is 70% complete and on track to be delivered on October 26, Royal Caribbean International’s president and


chief executive has said. Michael Bayley praised the


progress that has been made on the 7,600-passenger ship, which is being built at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland, as he welcomed members of the media on board for the first time. Speaking at the shipyard, Bayley


said the 250,800-ton vessel – set to be the biggest cruise ship in the world both by capacity and weight – was more than two-thirds complete, and that “one million hours” of work had created a “mind-blowing” offering. “Everything about Icon is


We are constantly


innovating and creating excitement, and that is what you see with Icon


unbelievable,” he said. “We are positioning it as the ultimate family vacation, and when you step back and look at all the energy and time that has gone into creating this ship it is mind-blowing. As I walk around the ship I’m delighted.” Bayley added that the ship is an


“evolution” of Royal Caribbean’s fleet, as all knowledge, expertise and data collected through the creation of every previous vessel in the brand


Icon’s $75k-a-week suite ‘driving sales among loyal Royal customers’


The most expensive suite on Icon of the Seas is already almost completely sold for 2024. The vessel boasts one Ultimate Family Townhouse that can sleep up to eight people and costs from $75,000 a week. Bert Hernandez, senior vice-president, international, said the cabin was


92% sold for the coming year and was driving sales for the new ship, which will make its debut in January 2024. “Royal Caribbean has a huge number of loyal customers who will keep


coming back and are keen to try anything new,” he said. “The Ultimate Family


Townhouse is such a novelty product that those people who have sailed with us numerous times will be desperate to try it as it’s something completely different to what we have done before.”


travelweekly.co.uk Capacity


7,600 passengers, 2,350 crew Dimensions


365 metres long, 48 metres wide decks


18 guest decks, 20 in total Ultimate Family Townhouse


Inaugural sailing January 27, 2024


18 MAY 2023 11


had been accumulated and used to develop Icon of the Seas. “We use not only our experience,


knowledge and customer interaction, but a huge amount of data collected over years,” Bayley said. “We ask a lot of questions of our


data and try to understand what our guests love, like and don’t like from our experiences, and we are constantly improving those elements. “Our guests have expectations


of Royal Caribbean and we are respectful of that, so we are constantly innovating and creating excitement,


vibrancy and new concepts, and that is what you see with Icon.” Bayley continued: “When we


opened Icon for sale, we had the biggest booking days and weeks in our 50-year history for a new product. “It speaks for how the consumer


relates to Royal Caribbean as a brand as well as the product.” Harri Kulovaara, the group’s


executive vice-president of maritime and newbuilding, added: “The amount of innovation blows my mind, as well as how the ship has stuck true to the history of the brand.”


ICON IN NUMBERS


Icon of the Seas is due to set sail in January


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