Royal Caribbean is getting closer to making a formal announcement about its upcoming new ship class. While we don't have a lot to go on, President and CEO Michael Bayley let a few secrets slip about the Discovery Class.
Bayley is currently sailing aboard the 2025 President's Cruise on Utopia of the Seas. During the Common Ground chat, he teased a few details about what’s coming next for Royal Caribbean.
Rumors about the Discovery Class began circulating in July 2023 when Bayley said that they were considering and planning a smaller class of ships. Since then, speculation has only grown with more tidbits spilled by cruise line executives.
However, Bayley seemed to confirm that Royal Caribbean is full speed ahead for the Discovery Class.
"We've been working a lot on the Discovery Class...it takes a lot of work to design a ship...[but] we're getting really close," he said while on Utopia of the Seas.
"We can't make any announcements now, but I'm hopeful that in the coming months we will be able to make an announcement on that class."
In other words, the Discovery Class ships will be happening, but there are still a lot of things that need to happen before the cruise line can formally introduce the ships to the world.
In the meantime, here is the new information we’ve learned straight from Bayley about the ships.
Where will Discovery Class ships sail?
The Discovery Class was named because of where the ships will sail; they want guests to literally discover new and interesting ports of call.
"We want the ship[s] to be able to really focus on...the more exotic itineraries," Bayley remarked.
So, instead of sailing to The Bahamas or Caribbean (those markets are heavily dominated by Oasis and Icon ships, anyway!), guests can expect itineraries to destinations such as the Mediterranean, Northern Europe, Asia, Alaska, and the South Pacific.
Royal Caribbean's smallest ships are also its oldest — think Vision and Radiance Class vessels. Although they've been updated throughout the years, they no longer reflect the modern design and amenities that Royal Caribbean is known for today.
As such, Royal Caribbean's goal is for Discovery Class ships to gradually phase out these aging vessels.
"[Discovery ships] would...come in and start replacing the older hardware that currently operates in many of those itineraries," Bayley added.
How big will Discovery Class ships be?
Bayley didn't give any exact measurements, but he did reveal that Discovery Class ships will be small enough to sail through the Panama Canal.
To date, the largest vessel to sail through the Panama Canal was Norwegian Bliss. As such, we know that Discovery Class ships won't be larger than 168,000 gross registered tons (GRT) and 1,094 feet long.
"It'll go through the Panama Canal, which we think will be a real positive because it'll be able to go to Alaska in the summer, and it can get back into the Caribbean," Bayley said during the Common Ground chat.
Still, 168,000 GRT is considerably larger than Vision and Radiance Class ships, which measure anywhere from 73,817 to 90,090 GRT.
Discovery Class ships will likely be large enough to offer Royal Caribbean’s signature experiences, but still small and versatile enough to visit ports that are inaccessible to the Oasis and Icon vessels.
Read more: Royal Caribbean Ships by Size - Largest to Smallest
