Cruising With JT Posted April 12, 2021 Report Share Posted April 12, 2021 Are there any updates to the next class of Royal ships with Project Icon? From what I recall, they will be smaller than Oasis-class but larger than Quantum-class? Excited to hear more about what they will be like and can't wait to sail on these one day in the future! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted April 12, 2021 Report Share Posted April 12, 2021 In the past Royal used a process called concurrent engineering. In that process construction of the ship begins with only 30% of the design complete. Ships are constructed using blocks that are built ahead of time in different locations then brought together once they begin to assemble the ship. Icon's early hull blocks have been spotted waiting for assembly to begin. Nick Weir is the SVP in charge of Royal entertainment. He has hinted at entertainment components involving an Aqua Theater on Icon. She is said to be capable of LNG fuel. That's about as much as is known. Cruising With JT, Jill, cruisellama and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jill Posted April 12, 2021 Report Share Posted April 12, 2021 1 hour ago, twangster said: In the past Royal used a process called concurrent engineering. In that process construction of the ship begins with only 30% of the design complete. Ships are constructed using blocks that are built ahead of time in different locations then brought together once they begin to assemble the ship. Icon's early hull blocks have been spotted waiting for assembly to begin. Nick Weir is the SVP in charge of Royal entertainment. He has hinted at entertainment components involving an Aqua Theater on Icon. She is said to be capable of LNG fuel. That's about as much as is known. Fingers crossed for a Central Park type area. Probably not but a girl can hope! We’ve got 2 bucket list cruises and a Symphony in the next year. My next booking after that will hopefully be on the new Icon. If she’s not ready by Spring 2023, I’ll have to book a quickie to the Bahamas. However, if she follows her big sisters, she’ll probably do Europe her first summer. Can’t wait to see her! twangster, SebagoSue and Cruising With JT 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted April 12, 2021 Report Share Posted April 12, 2021 Here's the latest talk of Icon: https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2021/04/01/royal-caribbean-ceo-calls-next-gen-icon-class-cruise-ships-game-changer Cruising With JT 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oliver Posted April 12, 2021 Report Share Posted April 12, 2021 I find it hard to believe that the Icon ships will not be further delayed due to the cruise shutdown. I’m not saying they won’t be built eventually but I would think Royal may need to sail at capacity for a year before feeling like everything is back to normal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steverk Posted April 12, 2021 Report Share Posted April 12, 2021 1 hour ago, Oliver said: I find it hard to believe that the Icon ships will not be further delayed due to the cruise shutdown. I’m not saying they won’t be built eventually but I would think Royal may need to sail at capacity for a year before feeling like everything is back to normal. Just my guess, I think they are proceeding because of the long lead time and high cancellation costs of postponing. There are only so many ship yards and getting a reservation to build a ship is a big deal. Therefore, postponing one, is also a big deal. In fact, I heard the reason the Freedom class ships were built is that the yard time was reserved for a project to stretch the Vision class ships. However, the project was scrapped when Royal determined the stretching was not economic. They couldn't just release the yard without a huge penalty, so they build the Freedom ships. I'm not sure if this story is true, but it shows just how tough it is to mess with the yard's schedule. emmef 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biff215 Posted April 12, 2021 Report Share Posted April 12, 2021 4 hours ago, steverk said: Just my guess, I think they are proceeding because of the long lead time and high cancellation costs of postponing. There are only so many ship yards and getting a reservation to build a ship is a big deal. Therefore, postponing one, is also a big deal. In fact, I heard the reason the Freedom class ships were built is that the yard time was reserved for a project to stretch the Vision class ships. However, the project was scrapped when Royal determined the stretching was not economic. They couldn't just release the yard without a huge penalty, so they build the Freedom ships. I'm not sure if this story is true, but it shows just how tough it is to mess with the yard's schedule. That certainly sounds reasonable since Freedom class are really just stretched versions of Voyager class ships. Great decision Royal made there in my opinion. As cool as it sounds to lengthen existing ships (Original Enchantment was our first cruise), there’s nothing like a brand new ship. Although we love Oasis class, Icon should be a really nice size ship with the best existing features plus new innovations! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonOasis Posted April 13, 2021 Report Share Posted April 13, 2021 14 hours ago, Jill said: Fingers crossed for a Central Park type area. Probably not but a girl can hope! We’ve got 2 bucket list cruises and a Symphony in the next year. My next booking after that will hopefully be on the new Icon. If she’s not ready by Spring 2023, I’ll have to book a quickie to the Bahamas. However, if she follows her big sisters, she’ll probably do Europe her first summer. Can’t wait to see her! I thought I read a couple weeks ago on this site a future delivery schedule that had been update to reflect the impact COVID has had on future deliveries. That updated schedule they posted showed Icon's expected delivery will take place in the 3rd quarter of 2023 and the only new cruise ship Royal Caribbean will take delivery of in 2022 is Wonder of the Seas. I remember seeing an updated schedule on the homepage. But no matter when she is delivered I'm excited to sail on her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokeybandit Posted April 13, 2021 Report Share Posted April 13, 2021 Will Canaveral still be the only LNG refueling-capable cruise port by the time Icon comes online? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CGTLH Posted April 13, 2021 Report Share Posted April 13, 2021 33 minutes ago, smokeybandit said: Will Canaveral still be the only LNG refueling-capable cruise port by the time Icon comes online? Think PortMiami will also be capable of LNG refueling. Only thing I'm not sure of is if it will be only at Carnival's new terminal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted April 13, 2021 Report Share Posted April 13, 2021 7 hours ago, CGTLH said: Think PortMiami will also be capable of LNG refueling. Only thing I'm not sure of is if it will be only at Carnival's new terminal. That's interesting. Port Canaveral went with a barge for LNG bunkering. It arrived a month or so ago. PoM appears to be plumbing it into the pier. That suggests they are keeping the LNG storage close by. Most ports don't want it stored nearby. I was watching a show the other night that featured an LNG powered ferry that operates on the River Plate between Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Montevideo, Uruguay. They used LNG trucks to get the fuel from nearby storage facilities to the ship. Jill and AlmondFarmer 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.