The next new Royal Caribbean ship class could be here in the next few years.
A new smaller ship class could be built within the next three to four years, according to Royal Caribbean International’s CEO and President, Michael Bayley. This new ship class with smaller ships has been dubbed “Project Discovery.”
In a collaborative interview posted on Instagram between Royal Caribbean International, Michael Bayley, and Devon Rodriguez, Bayley talks about the upcoming plans for the Discovery Class. The interview was filmed onboard Utopia of the Seas, which is Royal Caribbean’s newest ship that just debuted last month.
During the casual interview, artist Devon Rodriguez draws a portrait of Bayley while asking questions about the cruise line’s exciting upcoming plans. Rodriguez asks Bayley, “What opportunities are you most excited about for Royal Caribbean in the coming years?”
Bayley responds by reflecting on how far Royal Caribbean has come this year with its newly-built mega ships before discussing the future of the brand. First, Bayley discussed how Icon of the Seas, which was launched in January 2024, is the most successful new ship that Royal Caribbean has ever launched.
However, Bayley continues to discuss Royal Caribbean’s future plans for new ship classes, hinting at the new Discovery Class.
“We’re working now on another class of ship called Discovery Class. So, that’s going to be super exciting. That’ll come in about another 3 to 4 years from now,” states Bayley in the interview.
Little details have been revealed about Royal Caribbean’s “Project Discovery”, although the cruise line has been slowly discussing the new ship class more frequently. Rumors have been circling for years about Royal Caribbean’s upcoming plans to build new ships of smaller size. However, the cruise line has not confirmed many details about Project Discovery.
If Royal Caribbean continues its naming trend, the first vessel from Discovery Class could be named Discovery of the Seas. Similarly, the Icon Class was named before the flagship vessel, Icon of the Seas, was announced.
In fact, President and Chief Executive Officer for Royal Caribbean Group, Jason Liberty, commented on the cruise line’s aging fleet and the need for new, smaller ships. As the oldest and smallest ships in Royal Caribbean’s fleet continue to age, there is an increased need for replacement vessels in the coming years.
During the earnings call, Liberty stated, "We have ships that are reaching 30-35 years [old]. This is not just about what we want to build, it's also [about] replacing ships that will eventually reach their end of life.”
Building smaller ships will become necessary for Royal Caribbean, as the cruise line’s largest vessels are limited for itineraries due to port restrictions. Liberty also mentioned during the earnings call how smaller vessels allow passengers to visit unique destinations, which is a priority for Royal Caribbean.
Moreover, Bayley also commented on Project Discovery earlier this year on Facebook. One cruiser, Thomas Budzyn, commented to Bayley on a Facebook post. He asked Bayley about the prospect of Royal Caribbean building smaller ships that could reach more ports, noting that long-time Royal Caribbean guests find itineraries to Perfect Day at CocoCay to be repetitive.
Bayley responded, “The Royal team is working on a new class and I hope if all the needed hurdles are tackled, we can announce something this year.”
Earlier this year, Bayley also commented to the press about the conceptualization of a new ship class. “From a brand perspective, we recognize we've got two classes of ships, Radiance and Vision, that are doing phenomenal. They're beautiful ships, beautifully constructed.
“But... they're getting older. So we're obviously concepting thoughts and ideas on how we would ultimately replace those ships with a new class of ships,” concluded Bayley.
Although comments about the Discovery Class have been made throughout 2024, Bayley hinted at the new ship class last summer as well. While sailing on Allure of the Seas in 2023 for the President’s Cruise, Bayley was asked about Royal Caribbean’s plans for building smaller ships.
Bayley answered, “It is something that's certainly deeply in our consideration and our planning at the moment that we have a lot of conceptual work going on. I think when we're ready we can we can announce steps that will take to do just that.”
Royal Caribbean’s smallest ships in the Vision and Radiance Class were all built 20 to 30 years ago. The Vision Class has vessels around 73,000 gross tons, with the capacity to hold around 2,400 guests. Grandeur of the Seas is Royal Caribbean’s oldest ship at 28-years-old, being built in 1996.
The Radiance Class encompasses ships of slightly larger size, measuring around 90,000 gross tons. These ships can hold similar amount of passengers as the Vision Class, with around 2,400 passengers at maximum capacity.
