Icon of the Seas Construction Highlights and Feats

June 2023 – The highly anticipated vacation, Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas, is one step closer to its debut in January 2024. The all-new ship successfully sailed the open ocean for the first time after completing its first, crucial sea trials in Turku, Finland, where it is under construction at the Meyer Turku shipyard. During the key milestone, more than 450 specialists ran four days of preliminary tests on the first Icon Class ship’s technical areas, like the main engines, bow and propellers, and even noise and vibration levels – all in preparation for the second sea trials that will push Icon to its limits later this year.  

Escucha palabras de Jaime Castillo, vicepresidente de servicios portuarios de Royal Caribbean International

Hear from Jay Schneider, Chief Product Innovation Officer, Royal Caribbean International

July 2024 - Royal Caribbean International and GRAMMY-winning singer and songwriter Meghan Trainor threw the party of the summer for the new Utopia of the Seas in Port Canaveral (Orlando), Florida. The ultimate short getaway officially debuts on Friday, July 19, when Utopia begins 3-night weekend and 4-night weekday vacations to Royal Caribbean’s award-winning private destination, Perfect Day at CocoCay and Nassau in The Bahamas.

July 2024 – Royal Caribbean International’s Utopia of the Seas arrived in Port Canaveral (Orlando), Florida, for the first time on Thursday, July 11. The ultimate short getaway is set to bring weekend energy to every day of the week when it makes its official debut on Friday, July 19, with 3-night weekend and 4-night weekday getaways to Royal Caribbean’s award-winning private island, Perfect Day at CocoCay, and Nassau in The Bahamas.

June 2024 – After more than two years of construction, Utopia of the Seas has officially joined the Royal Caribbean family. From the first cut of steel in April 2022 and the installation of the signature AquaTheater in July 2023 to the moment the keys were handed over in June 2024, the ultimate short getaway is five weekends away from its July debut in Port Canaveral (Orlando), Florida. Watch the highlights of Utopia’s construction in Saint-Nazaire, France, to see how it’s all come together. 

June 2024 – Royal Caribbean’s new Utopia of the Seas, the ultimate short getaway, introduces the boldest Ultimate Abyss yet. A behind-the-scenes look at the installation of the longest dry slide at sea – now 43 feet longer at 259 feet – shows how the experts in Saint-Nazaire, France, lifted and assembled multiple pieces and new features like zoom booster rollers and transparent racing windows. The piece de resistance? The signature anglerfish and its 38 teeth. Thrill seekers can cheers to weekend energy – and adventure – any day of the week when Utopia debuts with 3-night weekend and 4-night weekday getaways from Port Canaveral (Orlando), Florida, in July.  

May 2024 – After more than seven years of dreaming and the work of thousands around the world, Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas is a reality. The series finale of Making an Icon, "Preparing for an Iconic Debut,” looks back and goes behind the scenes of the final days and milestones leading up to the January 2024 debut of the first-of-its-kind combination of the best of every vacation. From the mic-drop moment Icon crossed under the Great Belt Bridge in Denmark to the installation of 33,550 real plants and the arrival of thousands of crew members in Spain, plus more finishing touches like stress testing, show rehearsals and crew training on the transatlantic, and then a historic arrival in Miami – this iconic adventure was one for the ages.