The expansion of Royal Caribbean's wildly popular Oasis Class cruise ships continues, with construction of its seventh ship officially underway in France.
Just days after Legend of the Seas was officially handed over to Royal Caribbean, a keel-laying ceremony was held earlier at the Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France. The first building block was placed in the dry dock, where the ship will take shape over the coming months.
"The first block of Oasis 7 has been set in the dry dock by the TGP, in the presence of Royal Caribbean Group and Chantiers de l'Atlantique teams — as Oasis 7's assembly officially begins," the shipyard shared on Facebook.
"A cherished shipbuilding tradition was honored: a symbolic euro and dollar coin were sealed in a steel tube, wishing the ship fair winds — in the shipyard and at sea."
(Credit: Chantiers de l'Atlantique / Facebook)
The ship's steel-cutting ceremony was held in October 2025. Now, however, the real work begins, as pre-assembled blocks will start arriving at the yard and being joined together in dry dock to form the hull.
At the time of publication, Royal Caribbean has yet to formally reveal the name of the upcoming ship. They have also not yet divulged information about what will make her different from the other vessels in the Oasis Class, such as Harmony and Utopia of the Seas.
That said, it is almost certain that signature neighborhood concepts such as the Boardwalk, Central Park, and the Royal Promenade will return, alongside updated venues and reimagined concepts to give the ship a distinct feel of her own.
(Credit: Royal Caribbean International / X)
According to Royal Caribbean Group, Oasis 7 is expected to debut in 2028 and will "deliver bold new adventures, standout dining, immersive entertainment and experiences designed for every type of vacationer."
Her launch is expected to succeed the fourth Icon Class ship, Hero of the Seas, which is currently under construction at Meyer Turku shipyard in Turku, Finland.
Meanwhile, the steel-cutting ceremony for Icon 5 took place in January 2026, with that next-gen cruise ship also scheduled to launch in 2028.
(Credit: Royal Caribbean Group)
Building three mega-ships at once is an incredible feat and a clear demonstration of Royal Caribbean's commitment to its next-generation fleet.
What about Discovery Class?
Long-time cruise fans have been eagerly awaiting construction to begin on the cruise line's upcoming Discovery Class.
Back in January, the cruise line revealed plans to build two Discovery Class ships at the Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France, with the first debuting in 2029 and the second in 2032.
However, at the time of publication, construction had yet to begin on the first ship.
Additionally, although Royal Caribbean has not made any further official announcements regarding its upcoming Discovery Class ships, its filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission provide a glimpse of what's swirling around at headquarters.
Based on the SEC 10-Q filing, it appears that Discovery Class ships will have an approximate passenger count (berths) of 4,300. However, this has not been officially confirmed.
If true, this would mean these ships would be larger than older mid-sized vessels like Radiance and Voyager Class ships, though still smaller than the Oasis and Icon Classes.
