RC formally introduces Hero of the Seas

[smokeybandit]

Definitely some interesting new and upgraded things on Hero that they didn't do on the previous three.

[ZeroZeroSeven]

Interesting. If the marketing photos are accurate, the Treehouse Family Suites appear to be at the edge of Cloud 17?

[dupontracin24]

yes kinda its replacing the royal loft suite on the current ships. it is a on the opposite side of the shiop from cloud 17

[BigKarl]

Why now am I hearing the Bonny Tyler song "Holding out for a Hero"

[Southern Dan]

Adding a swim up bar in Hideaway is a wonderful idea.  Snagged a screenshot from the video…

 

Here’s a couple more I just saw…

 

[WAAAYTOOO]

I didn't think they allowed swim-up bars on board [American-based] ships.  I would imagine it's a safety nightmare.  I guess we'll see.....

[Nicholas Volta]

4 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

I didn't think they allowed swim-up bars on board [American-based] ships.  I would imagine it's a safety nightmare.  I guess we'll see.....

How so? I personally never heard of it not being a safety risk.

[skywalk640]

Interesting that they're adding a swim-up bar to the Hideaway AND making Swim and Tonic 30% bigger. I feel like it makes more sense to move Swim and Tonic to the Hideaway once they made Swim and Tonic adult only. Overall, some nice changes, I just hope that they address the lack of shade in the Hideaway. 

[twangster]

30 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

I didn't think they allowed swim-up bars on board [American-based] ships.  I would imagine it's a safety nightmare.  I guess we'll see.....

Swim and Tonic on both Icon and Star was converted to adult only last year.  They are both very popular and packed every cruise.

[smokeybandit]

46 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

I didn't think they allowed swim-up bars on board [American-based] ships.  I would imagine it's a safety nightmare.  I guess we'll see.....

They have those now on Icon and Star

[smokeybandit]

RC already hitting the email spam

 

[Ampurp85]

As much as I want to actually do an inaugural sailing, I don't see myself booking Hero. I'm still not a fan of Icon class even though the food options are awesome. 

[smokeybandit]

1 hour ago, Ampurp85 said:

 I'm still not a fan of Icon class even though the food options are awesome. 

It's similar for us. By far the most amazing ship I've ever been on, just it doesn't fit us as much as Voyager/Freedom class do.

Now, put Aquadome Market on Freedom....

[WAAAYTOOO]

1 hour ago, smokeybandit said:

They have those now on Icon and Star

lol.  I just got off Icon.  Guess I missed this.  

[tonyfsu21]

2 hours ago, Nicholas Volta said:

How so? I personally never heard of it not being a safety risk.

The only safety risk I can see (other than turning one of the floating menus into a projectile weapon) would be spilling a strawberry daiquiri into the pool. Great bar by the way but ALWAYS packed. 

[WAAAYTOOO]

I guess it's just the safety engineer in me lingering from my working days....but the combination of alcohol consumption and water deep enough for someone to drown, do not seem  like a combination that the insurers would want to accommodate.  I guess (like all safety issues) until there is a problem, they will allow it.  Truly, I'm surprised that the insurers allowed a swim-up bar on a cruise ship.  Hopefully all will be well !

[tonyfsu21]

3 minutes ago, tonyfsu21 said:

The only safety risk I can see (other than turning one of the floating menus into a projectile weapon) would be spilling a strawberry daiquiri into the pool. Great bar by the way but ALWAYS packed. 

Oh, the fact that the swim and tonic appears empty despite my comment is not lost on me. This was AM prior to the bar opening. 

[tonyfsu21]

1 minute ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

I guess it's just the safety engineer in me lingering from my working days....but the combination of alcohol consumption and water deep enough for someone to drown, do not seem  like a combination that the insurers would want to accommodate.  I guess (like all safety issues) until there is a problem, they will allow it.  Truly, I'm surprised that the insurers allowed a swim-up bar on a cruise ship.  Hopefully all will be well !

I agree, it’s a recipe for disaster but it seems to work. The water is also waste deep. 

[Jmccaffrey]

I love these picture. RC keeps taking feedback from the older ships in this case ICON and made some GREAT adjustment. I can't wait to go on

[JasonOasis]

1 hour ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

I guess it's just the safety engineer in me lingering from my working days....but the combination of alcohol consumption and water deep enough for someone to drown, do not seem  like a combination that the insurers would want to accommodate.  I guess (like all safety issues) until there is a problem, they will allow it.  Truly, I'm surprised that the insurers allowed a swim-up bar on a cruise ship.  Hopefully all will be well !

I looked closely at the upcoming swim up bar that will be on Hero and like others have pointed out it appears to be a larger version of the swim up bars on both Icon and Star call Swim & Tonic where the water is only waist deep depending on the height of the individual.  I understand your concerns as anything more than a waist deep pool could be a recipe for disaster when talking about alcohol but I think limiting the pool to waist deep probably allowed Royal insurers to sign off on this larger swim up bar being installed on Hero.

[USCG Teacher]

1 hour ago, tonyfsu21 said:

The water is also waste deep. 

This is a fantastic atomic typo. 

[smokeybandit]

2 hours ago, tonyfsu21 said:

The water is also waste deep. 

That's only on Carnival cruises. Waist deep elsewhere.

[tonyfsu21]

1 hour ago, USCG Teacher said:

This is a fantastic atomic typo. 

Lol this is awesome and totally unintended! 

[steverk]

Since ships are traditionally thought of as a she, shouldn't this be Heroine of the Seas?

[Jmccaffrey]

On 3/30/2026 at 5:19 PM, USCG Teacher said:

This is a fantastic atomic typo. 

We have a CODE BROWN!!!!!

[twangster]

Looking at the "fast fact" infographics that Royal publishes, the four Icon class ships share the same basic figures such as gross tonnage, length, width and crew count.  

By one account, the official ship registrar, Star is stated to be 8cm longer than Icon.  This appears to be suspect in my mind because a structure this size could shrink or grow a few centimeters based on temperature and sunlight.  All else being equal, this data point has afforded Star the title of largest cruise ship.  

While the first three Icon class ships have 2,805 staterooms and a stated double occupancy capacity of 5,610 guests, Hero has grown to 2,814 cabins and a stated double occupancy capacity of 5,654 guests.

All else being equal including the claim that Star is 0.02% longer than Icon, the increase in cabin count and double occupancy capacity appear to give Hero the opportunity to claim the largest cruise ship title if cabin count and capacity are used as tie breakers, pending the official ship registration of Legend and Hero.

On a side note, it's curious how an additional 9 staterooms has increased the double occupancy capacity by 44 guests.  Royal math?

[AshleyDillo]

52 minutes ago, twangster said:

On a side note, it's curious how an additional 9 staterooms has increased the double occupancy capacity by 44 guests.  Royal math?

The treehouse holds 12 which is a +6 from the Royal Loft.  But there's still a Royal Loft which holds 6, so that replaced something else that likely holds 4.  So that's a net 8.  Add that to 9 staterooms that hold 4, which is 36 guests.  36 + 8 = 44.

[twangster]

13 minutes ago, AshleyDillo said:

The treehouse holds 12 which is a +6 from the Royal Loft.  But there's still a Royal Loft which holds 6, so that replaced something else that likely holds 4.  So that's a net 8.  Add that to 9 staterooms that hold 4, which is 36 guests.  36 + 8 = 44.

 

Double occupancy is just that.  Two in each available cabin, not what that cabin can accommodate over two per cabin. It's a standard hotel and cruise ship concept that has been around for decades.  In the passenger vessel industry, double occupancy was sometimes called lower berth capacity, meaning even if a cabin had upper berths, it's lower berth capacity was still two.  

The first three Icon ships have 2,805 staterooms which at double occupancy equals 5,610.  That math is simple.  2,805 X 2 = 5,610. This is the stated double occupancy capacity for the first three Icon class ships.

Using the same conventional math, 2,814 staterooms at double occupancy equal 5,628.  Yet by Royal math, 2,814 x 2 = 5,654.

[AlmondFarmer]

25 minutes ago, twangster said:

Using the same conventional math, 2,814 staterooms at double occupancy equal 5,628.  Yet by Royal math, 2,814 x 2 = 5,654.

5,654-5,628=26 

Coincidently there are 12 Hideaway beds. 12x2=24

So the interesting thing is Royal math relies on an occupancy of three on 2 of the Hideaway beds…..

[Ogilthorpe]

38 minutes ago, twangster said:

 

Using the same conventional math, 2,814 staterooms at double occupancy equal 5,628.  Yet by Royal math, 2,814 x 2 = 5,654.

I am wondering if the double occupancy is 2 per bedroom. If there are thirteen 2 bedroom staterooms onboard, that could explain the math. 

[twangster]

21 minutes ago, AlmondFarmer said:

5,654-5,628=26 

Coincidently there are 12 Hideaway beds. 12x2=24

So the interesting thing is Royal math relies on an occupancy of three on 2 of the Hideaway beds…..

New to Hero... Hideaway Upside Down Pineapple Beds 

[smokeybandit]

1 minute ago, twangster said:

New to Hero... Hideaway Upside Down Pineapple Beds 

In that case, Royal math could go either way.

[Jolly Ogre]

On 3/30/2026 at 1:48 PM, Ampurp85 said:

As much as I want to actually do an inaugural sailing, I don't see myself booking Hero. I'm still not a fan of Icon class even though the food options are awesome. 

Yeah I won't "pay" for an Icon class ship cruise.

I will use a casino comp for it.

[JimnKathy]

On 3/30/2026 at 5:40 PM, steverk said:

Heroine of the Seas?

Marketed towards a VERY relaxed crowd, I suppose? 

[twangster]

1 hour ago, Ogilthorpe said:

I am wondering if the double occupancy is 2 per bedroom. If there are thirteen 2 bedroom staterooms onboard, that could explain the math. 

Then the first three Icon class ships would also use different math compared to what they do now.  

Also, the concept of a stateroom is an industry term for any passenger vessel.  While a stateroom might have more than one bedroom, all guests are considered to be in that one stateroom.  Each bedroom does not have a unique cabin number.

[Ampurp85]

4 hours ago, Jolly Ogre said:

Yeah I won't "pay" for an Icon class ship cruise.

I will use a casino comp for it.

This was what I did for last year's annual comp and after sailing Icon I know I wouldn't pay out of pocket for subsequent ships.

[WAAAYTOOO]

2 hours ago, Ampurp85 said:

This was what I did for last year's annual comp and after sailing Icon I know I wouldn't pay out of pocket for subsequent ships.

Same for us.  I really loved Icon but no way would I pay full fare just to sail on it again.  We have a Pinnacle milestone cruise coming up on Star in August and we will have our annual Prime cruises coming up later this month…so maybe Icon again for those or maybe something NOT sailing out of Miami instead….

[OCSC Mike]

19 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

or maybe something NOT sailing out of Miami instead

I hear Star in March 2027 has a very popular cruise with some pretty cool people onboard. We could meet up at an air conditioned bar like civilized people this time... just a thought. 

[WAAAYTOOO]

27 minutes ago, OCSC Mike said:

I hear Star in March 2027 has a very popular cruise with some pretty cool people onboard. We could meet up at an air conditioned bar like civilized people this time... just a thought. 

Alas, I doubt very seriously that Star will be eligible for our [Prime] annuals this year.  Icon ?  Probably.  Star ?  Doubtful.  

[AshleyDillo]

29 minutes ago, OCSC Mike said:

I hear Star in March 2027 has a very popular cruise with some pretty cool people onboard. We could meet up at an air conditioned bar like civilized people this time... just a thought. 

Possibly a blackout week for both the milestone and prime cruises because of spring break, though.