Could Royal Caribbean be closer to revealing its next new cruise ship?
It appears Royal Caribbean is toying with test load sailings for an upcoming unnamed cruise ship.
The 7-night Eastern and Western Caribbean cruises on a ship that begins with "HE" were briefly available on the website. ScottishRobbie shared the find on the Royal Caribbean Blog discussion forum.
"Under the ship heading HE, these are available to book. Doesn't mention the name of the ship when you try to book," he explains.
(Credit: ScottishRobbie / Royal Caribbean Blog Discussion Forum)
"HE" is likely a placeholder for the fourth vessel in the groundbreaking Icon Class, which is expected in the second half of 2027.
Based on the test load dates, the sailings appear to begin in September 2027 and could offer 7-night itineraries to popular destinations, such as St. Maarten, St. Thomas, Cozumel, Roatán, and, of course, Perfect Day at CocoCay.
Could Icon 4 replace Icon of the Seas in Miami?
Icon of the Seas has called Miami home since she entered service in Jan. 2024. However, she's moving to Texas in Aug. 2027. She will offer 6- and 8-night voyages to the Western Caribbean, calling at ports like Costa Maya (which is set to become Perfect Day Mexico) and Cozumel (the future home of the Royal Beach Club Mexico).
As such, this timing aligns almost perfectly with the Sept. 2027 test sailings listed under "HE" on the Royal Caribbean website. Positioning Icon 4 in Miami after Icon's departure would ensure that the cruise line maintains a strong presence in the South Florida market without interruption.
"I guess [the test loads confirm] what has been suspected for a while now - Icon 4 will...take over the Miami 7 nighters when Icon moves to Galveston," ScottishRobbie speculates.
(Credit: ScottishRobbie / Royal Caribbean Blog Discussion Forum)
Of course, this cannot be officially confirmed until Royal Caribbean makes a formal deployment announcement. It is, however, a compelling theory.
With Legend of the Seas only calling Port Everglades home seasonally (and Star of the Seas sailing from Port Canaveral), South Florida is on track to temporarily lose a full-time Icon Class ship.
South Florida is a critical cruise hub, meaning that it wouldn't make sense for Royal Caribbean to leave Miami without a flagship Icon Class ship for long.
In fact, PortMiami set a yearly record for cruise passengers during fiscal year 2025, welcoming 8,564,225 cruisers — a 4.02% increase in cruise passenger totals compared with 2024's record of 8,233,056.
Royal Caribbean is also building a brand-new terminal in Miami. Cruise Terminal G will cost $345 million and have the capacity to accommodate up to 7,000 passengers. Officials claim that the terminal's completion date is late 2027, which would also fit the arrival timeline of Icon 4.
Icon 4 is under construction in Finland
Construction of Icon 4 is underway at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland, where Icon and Star of the Seas were also built — and where Legend of the Seas is currently being built.
The ship's keel-laying ceremony was in Sept. 2025, marking the placement of the first building block in the dry dock where the ship will take shape.
Following maritime tradition, coins were also placed under the first steel block to bring good fortune and protection to the vessel.
Read more: Construction starts on one of Royal Caribbean's largest cruise ships
