Royal Caribbean marked a significant shipbuilding milestone on September 14, 2026, when workers at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland placed the first steel block for the cruise line's fifth Icon Class vessel. Known as a keel-laying ceremony, this step establishes the structural backbone of the ship along the bottom and center of its hull — everything else gets built up from here over the next two years.
Following a long-standing maritime tradition, newly minted coins were placed beneath the steel block during the ceremony, a custom meant to bless the ship with good fortune throughout construction and into active service. The yet-to-be-named ship is slated to launch in 2028, arriving one year after Hero of the Seas, the fourth Icon Class vessel, which is expected to debut in 2027. Specific features and experiences aboard Icon 5 haven't been announced yet, though Royal Caribbean says details will follow in the coming months.
Three Icon Class ships are already sailing as of September 2026 — Icon of the Seas (2024), Star of the Seas (2025), and Legend of the Seas (2026). While all the ships share a common structural framework, each has introduced new wrinkles on the concept. Hero of the Seas, for instance, will bring a redesigned adults-only Hideaway area, two new waterslides, and the line's first treehouse-themed suite.
Meyer Turku CEO Casimir Lindholm noted that building a series of ships gives the shipyard the opportunity to refine and improve with each vessel, calling the ongoing work a reflection of the long-term partnership between the Finnish yard and Royal Caribbean. The source article also reported a separate but related milestone: Celebrity Cruises' first river ship, Celebrity Compass, recently touched water for the first time at a Rotterdam shipyard and has since moved to another facility in the Netherlands for final outfitting ahead of an expected August 2027 debut.
This report originally appeared on Royal Caribbean Blog.
