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ICON CLASS UPDATE


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10 hours ago, Chili said:

Richard Fain said in the Latest business statement.

The Galveston terminal will be built to take Oasis class and the new Icon class ship.
 

Port Canaveral and/or  Galveston ?

 

I imagine once they have multiple Icon class ships we'll see one in Texas, but the initial one will definitely be Florida.

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1 hour ago, steverk said:

As much as I'd prefer Galveston,  it will be Florida unless Florida doesn't allow lng for some reason 

Florida already has LNG.  Carnival sails with Mardi Gras year round from Port Canaveral and next year starts with the new Celebration.

Icon is a little more interesting for the fact that it won't be the biggest ship in the fleet, so with the new terminal being able to handle Oasis, Icon should be fine for size considerations, but the fueling etc will be the biggest challenge. I imagine the terminal is being built with shore power in mind, which is important for Icon based on their recent press releases about the ship. Port of Galveston has been establishing LNG fueling partnerships for their cargo operators, which likely can be created/extended/etc to include cruise.  

We won't know for a while why Royal specified the Galveston terminal can handle Icon, could have been they've discussed that ship going there, that class going there, or just because they all have Icon on the brain right now.  Im sure we will see in a few months.  Interesting times in Galveston beyond Royal.  Carnival wanted four ships there before the pandemic started, and even today has three of their larger ships.  Disney is keeping the winter sailings they do there, and Norwegian will be basing their newest ship there as a new homeport.  The market is going to get more competitive, but its also a huge market. 

Edited by Plumlee2028
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6 hours ago, Plumlee2028 said:

Icon is a little more interesting for the fact that it won't be the biggest ship in the fleet, so with the new terminal being able to handle Oasis, Icon should be fine for size considerations, but the fueling etc will be the biggest challenge. I imagine the terminal is being built with shore power in mind, which is important for Icon based on their recent press releases about the ship. Port of Galveston has been establishing LNG fueling partnerships for their cargo operators, which likely can be created/extended/etc to include cruise.  

Thanks to Galveston's location in the heart of the US Refining industry, I'm sure that LNG fueling won't be a problem there.

Combine that with Mr. Fain's comments, and I'm sure an Icon class will arrive in Galveston sooner rather than later.  I just don't think it will be the first place to receive one.

I suspect that was the real reason for the terminal expansion in Galveston.  They're putting Allure there to make sure everything works well and bookings are solid before committing one of their newest ships to the location.

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On 6/16/2021 at 8:13 PM, StayFrosty said:

What do you think it’s lineage will be:

  1. Evolution of the Oasis Class
  2. Evolution of the Quantum Class
  3. Clean sheet design
  4. Or something else?

 

My realistic vote is an evolution of the Quantum Class.  My wish is for a clean sheet design!

Quantum Class doesn't make great use of outside spaces, it is more of an inside class of ship.  Even before COVID there was a slight shift in the industry to have more outside spaces bring people closer to the ocean or encouraging them to spend more time outside.  I think we are going to see a clean sheet design with a focus on more entertainment, activities, and dinning outside to bring more people out of the ship than what you see on Quantum Class ships.  I think we might see Royal make better use of deck 5 on Icon than we've seen on any other Royal Caribbean ship.

After all with a name like Icon, the ship will have to be Iconic in every way.  I'm thinking more of a game changer like Oasis was in 2009, whereas Quantum even though it is a great class of ship is more of the run of the mill ship that we've seen across the industry throughout this past decade.  I think Royal will push the envelop with Icon with a clean sheet design.  

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11 hours ago, SummerRose said:

Carnival announced that its new LNG ship Jubilee will be based in Galveston when it launches in 2023.  For competition purposes, there may be an Icon in Galveston sooner rather than later...

I think Carnival is reacting Royal putting Allure in Galveston, so Royal fired the first shot (rather than Royal needing to respond)

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16 minutes ago, Scott Cooper said:

Do you think Royal will be releasing the 'Icon of the Seas' sailing dates with the 2023 new release schedule next month?  Or will they hold off til a later time to announce the ship and sailing dates?

I don't know the answer, but typically new ships get their own release cycle.

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3 hours ago, gabeb848 said:

Is daytime Two70 not a good enough big ocean view, I mean, it is named Two70 after its 270 degree views of the ocean.😂

270 is my happy place on Quantum class.   Sitting right at the windows watching all that horse power.There’s food and drink close by to sustain life.

But I like the forward view of the Viking crown lounge coming and leaving port.
‘I suppose the suite lounge on oasis is good, if you are in a suite.

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  • 2 weeks later...

 

6 hours ago, Chili said:

It’s going to be interesting what icon looks like with some of the new ship coming out of the ship yards.

Blunt bows and hollow in the middle seems to be the fashion.

MSC always cracks me up a bit when they talk about how "innovative" their structure is on this ship, and their "innovative, unique" dry slide from the top decks to the outdoor promenade.  Seems like we've seen all that stuff before. 

That said I would be curious to talk to the engineers about why they chose props/rudders over pods.  

I imagine a similar bow will be used on Icon, similar to Edge class.


Technology wise, I suspect yesterday's Silver Nova announcement gives some clues (some of which Royal has already confirmed).

https://www.silversea.com/lp-silver-nova.html

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Love these videos, but the title is incorrect... "new world's largest cruise ship"? Unless they changed the specs, it will be approx. 200K tons, not 245K tons as cited in the YouTube text blurb. Naturally, smaller than Oasis class (approx. 225-230K tons) and larger than Quantum class (just shy of 170K tons). I can't wait to see what she is going to look like!

image.thumb.png.b4930e4d257bd599a682f7b03032f569.png

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On 11/14/2021 at 7:54 PM, SummerRose said:

It's going to be interesting watching this play out.  I doubt RCL puts the first ICON ship in Galveston but the second one...maybe??

I'm happy Galveston is getting an Oasis class ship, but an Amplified Oasis ship would be preferred and seem to make more sense to complete.

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3 hours ago, JohnK6404 said:

Love these videos, but the title is incorrect... "new world's largest cruise ship"? Unless they changed the specs, it will be approx. 200K tons, not 245K tons as cited in the YouTube text blurb. Naturally, smaller than Oasis class (approx. 225-230K tons) and larger than Quantum class (just shy of 170K tons). I can't wait to see what she is going to look like!

image.thumb.png.b4930e4d257bd599a682f7b03032f569.png

There was a lot of discussion on different websites with information from the ship yards.  The shipyards have posted GT of 220k up to like 245k.  I don't think anyone has any idea at this point what it will actually be.  It's all speculation.

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IMHO It will probably a mostly new design, quantum class were built for cold(er) weather and are unique for that so it probably wont be too similar to that class. As well making a mini oasis class doesn't give that WOW factor. Looking at the Norweigan Prima - also LNG - which is currently being built looks really nice. Definitely takes that lounge feel to the next level especially on deck. Its not as big as what Icon was announced at but i could see RC going in that direction especially as it will be a completely new class. 

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  • 5 weeks later...
7 minutes ago, smokeybandit said:

https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2022/01/04/icon-of-the-seas-blocks-arrive-shipyard-along-something-weve-never-seen

 

Since it's early on in the construction, is it something related to the LNG storage?

 

That was my first thought.  Carnival's ships (AidaNova, Mardi Gras, Iona, etc) that are LNG have large tanks that are shaped like tanker trucks or rail cars.  But there's also the large sphere's that are on LNG tankers so maybe that's the best shape overall and royal found a way to make that work instead.  

 

That said, looking closer at the picture the opening seems rather intentionally large and architecturally designed, which makes me think more of a sky-pad type thing.  

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19 minutes ago, smokeybandit said:

https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2022/01/04/icon-of-the-seas-blocks-arrive-shipyard-along-something-weve-never-seen

 

Since it's early on in the construction, is it something related to the LNG storage?

That was my first thought. I work in the natural gas industry and that looks like a storage module to me.

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I may have an answer. The icon class has hydrogen fuel cells as well. This is probably the storage vessel for that. 

Some information on design that is geared more to LNG but any type of gas can be stored in a similar fashion. 

https://www.gsctanks.com/industrial-storage-tanks/#7_Industrial_Gas_Storage_Tanks

 

This talks about design decisions and safety information of round vs cylindrical storage vessels. 

 

https://www.transtechenergy.com/lpg-ngl-storage-news/lpg-storage-bullet-tanks-vs.-lpg-storage-spheres-/-hortonspheres

 

There is also a possibility that a sphere vessel could be for the LNG and the bullets for the CNG that boils of the liquid to be stored for later use. 

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