Legend of the Seas

Legend of the Seas
Legend of the Seas at the Meyer Turku Shipyard in Finland
History
NameLegend of the Seas
OwnerRoyal Caribbean Group
Operator Royal Caribbean International
Port of registryNassau,  Bahamas
RouteWestern Mediterranean, then Western Caribbean
Ordered18 December 2019
BuilderMeyer Turku, Finland
Cost€2.33 billion[1]
Yard numberNB-1402
Laid down7 October 2024[2]
Launched2 September 2025
Completed30 April 2026
Acquired10 June 2026
Maiden voyage4 July 2026
In service2026-present
Identification
StatusIn Service
General characteristics
Class & typeIcon-class cruise ship
Tonnage248,663 GT, 307,895 NT[3][4]
Length364.84 metres (1,197.0 ft)[3]
Beam48.49 m (159.1 ft)[3]
Draft8.8 m (29 ft)[4]
Decks20 total (18 guest decks)[4]
Propulsion4 × Wärtsilä 12V46TS-DF, 15,240 kW (20,730 hp) each 2 × Wärtsilä 9L46TS-DF, 11,430 kW (15,540 hp) each
Speed22 kn
Capacity5,610 (double occupancy)[4]
Crew2,350[4]

Legend of the Seas is an Icon-class cruise ship operated by Royal Caribbean International.[3] She was built at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Turku, Finland. At 248,663 gross tonnage (GT), Legend of the Seas shares the title of the largest cruise ship in the world with her sister ships. After her summer 2026 season in the Western Mediterranean, Legend of the Seas will offer her primary sailing of the Western Caribbean operating out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States.[5]

Naming

Legend of the Seas is the second cruise ship in the Royal Caribbean fleet to have carried the same name. The original Legend of the Seas (now Marella Discovery 2) was a Vision-class cruise ship launched on September 5, 1994, and served in Royal Caribbean's fleet until 2017, when it was sold to Marella Cruises.[2][6] Royal Caribbean's Chief Marketing Officer Kara Wallace explained the company's reasoning behind bringing back the name.[2]

The Icon Class as a name really sets a really high bar... so we needed a third name that really fit with that... Legend is, not only fitting of the class, but an homage to everything that came before it.[2]

Design

As designed, Legend of the Seas measures approximately 250,800 gross tonnage (GT), and has a capacity of approximately 5,610 passengers with double occupancy over its 2,805 cabins and a maximum capacity of 7,600 passengers.[2][7]

Like the other Icon-class ships, Legend of the Seas is made up of various neighborhoods which include a plethora of activities, such as skywalks, surf simulators, waterparks, and pools.[8][9][10]

As a part of Royal Caribbean's journey towards a net-zero cruise ship by 2035, Legend of the Seas is the company's fourth ship powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG), joining Utopia of the Seas, Icon of the Seas, and Star of the Seas.[8][10][11]

As of July 2026, seven pools, 20 bars and 28 restaurants were on board.[12]

Construction

Legend of the Seas was under construction at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Turku, Finland.[8][13][7] Its construction began with the first steel cutting, which occurred in January 2024.[2] The ship's Keel was laid in October 2024.[2][14] On September 2, 2025, Legend of the Seas was floated out and the ship head to the outfitting pier, where construction was completed in 2026.[15] On December 2, 2025, during construction there was a fire in the engine room that is not expected to affect the construction schedule.[16][17] The ship started 2,400 nautical miles of sea trials in April 2026, before it can begin accepting passengers for its 2026 summer schedule.[18] The ship was delivered to Royal Caribbean on 10 June 2026,[19] and like its predecessors, it was height modified and just passed under the Great Belt Bridge, on 19 June 2026.[20][21]

Planned deployment

Legend of the Seas is set to debut in the Western Mediterranean in the Summer 2026 season, and in doing so, will be the first Icon-class cruise ship to offer sailings of Europe.[2][9] The ship will offer 3 to 7-night cruises of the Western Mediterranean, primarily cruising out of Barcelona, Spain, and Rome, Italy.[2][9]

When the Summer season concludes, the vessel is planned to relocate to Florida, US, where it will offer 3 to 8-night cruises of the Western and Southern Caribbean out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida.[2][9] For its relocation, Legend of the Seas will offer a 13-night long, transatlantic cruise.[9]

References

  1. ↑ "Amendment No. 7 in connection with the Credit Agreement in respect of "ICON 3" – Hull 1402". Retrieved 17 February 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Fielding, Jenni (2025-02-18). "Royal Caribbean Brings Back a Historic Name for Its Third Icon-Class Ship, Legend of the Seas". Cruise Mummy. Retrieved 2025-04-08.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Legend of the Seas (42122)". Vessel Register for DNV. DNV. Retrieved 11 June 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "Legend of the Seas Fact Sheet". Royal Caribbean Press Center. Retrieved 5 June 2026.
  5. ↑ "Royal Caribbean Reveals Name and Itineraries for Next Icon Class Ship". Cruise Industry News. Retrieved 2025-03-28.
  6. ↑ "DNV Vessel Register". vesselregister.dnv.com. Retrieved 2025-03-28.
  7. 1 2 "Third Cruise Ship in the Icon Class". Meyer Turku. Retrieved 2025-04-11.
  8. 1 2 3 "When Icons Become Legends: Royal Caribbean Unveils Name and Lineup of the Third Icon Class Vacation" (Press release). Royal Caribbean International. Retrieved 2025-03-28.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 "Legend of the Seas: Where Icons become Legends". Royal Caribbean. Retrieved 2025-04-09.
  10. 1 2 Leppert, Jason (2025-03-05). "Ship Preview: Royal Caribbean's Legend of the Seas". www.travelagewest.com. Retrieved 2025-04-08.
  11. ↑ Fielding, Jenni (2024-12-17). "The First 19 LNG-Powered Cruise Ships - Meet The Pioneers!". Cruise Mummy. Retrieved 2025-04-08.
  12. ↑ Shoffman, Marc (2026-07-10). "I spent a week on Royal Caribbean's Legend of the Seas, the world's largest cruise ship". independent.co.uk. Retrieved 2026-07-10.
  13. ↑ "Royal Caribbean's Icon 3, Legend of the Seas, to debut in Europe". Seatrade Cruise News. Retrieved 2025-04-11.
  14. ↑ The RCI production line continues Ships Monthly August 2026 page 13
  15. ↑ "Legend of the Seas Behind the Scenes: Floating Out". www.royalcaribbeanpresscenter.com. Retrieved 2025-09-02.
  16. ↑ "Rakenteilla olevalla loistoristeilijä evakuoitu Turun telakalla – tulipalo". Ilta-Sanomat (in Finnish). 2025-12-02. Retrieved 2025-12-02.
  17. ↑ "Jani Santalahti teki töitä jättiristeilijän yläkannella, kun konehuoneessa syttyi tulipalo". YLE (in Finnish). 2025-12-02. Retrieved 2025-12-03.
  18. ↑ "Royal Caribbean's Legend of the Seas embarks on sea trials". Seatrade Cruise News. 21 April 2026.
  19. ↑ Wright, Elizabeth (10 June 2026). "Royal Caribbean just took delivery of its newest cruise ship that can hold nearly 10,000 people". Royal Caribbean Blog. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  20. ↑ "Se verdens største krydstogtskib sejle under Storebælt" (in Danish). TV2 Øst. 19 June 2026.
  21. ↑ "Did Legend of the Seas make it under the Great Belt Bridge?". Royal Caribbean.
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