Utopia of the Seas Port Canaveral (Orlando) Arrival B-roll

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.

November 2023 – After more than seven years of dreaming, Royal Caribbean International’s highly anticipated Icon of the Seas has become a reality. The recently completed construction of the first-of-its-kind vacation took place over the course of 900 days in Turku, Finland, starting with the first cut of steel in June 2021. Thousands involved have since accomplished a series of milestones and never-before-seen feats, like the installation of the single largest glass and steel structure to be lifted onto a cruise ship and engineering more water on board than ever before across seven pools, six record-breaking waterslides and more. Watch the highlights of the two-plus years of Icon’s construction to see how it all came together.