As the weekend approaches, the world’s largest cruise ship is all set to begin her second set of sea trials. Icon of the Seas set sail earlier this year on her first test voyage, with the vessel now being subjected to even more trials to ensure she is ready for her first voyage early next year. 

Icon of the Seas, the first of three Icon-class cruise ships Royal Caribbean International has on order, will sail from Miami, Florida, on seven-day cruises to the Caribbean. Subsequent Icon-class cruise ships will be launched in 2025 and 2026.

Icon of the Seas Second Round of Sea Trials

Meyer Turku, the shipyard in charge of constructing the largest cruise ship in history, revealed today that Icon of the Seas will be setting sail on its second set of sea trials this weekend, likely casting off from the dock on Saturday evening, October 27. 

When a ship departs for sea trials, it’s an important moment in its construction phase. Sea trials are paramount in evaluating various integral systems that cannot be inspected while the ship remains at the dock. The primary objective is to ensure every feature operates as intended before the official handover to the cruise line.

Meyer Turku wrote on its Facebook page: “We’ve been getting Icon ready for her second sea trials. Now it’s almost time to wish her a safe journey and succesful sea trials! Icon is scheduled to leave for the second sea trials this Saturday evening.”

Typically, there can be one or two sea trial sessions during the construction of a ship. The number and duration depend on the ship’s size, complexity, and any subsequent modifications or rectifications that might arise from the initial trial. 

In the case of Icon of the Seas, the first sea trials took place starting on June 19, 2023, spanning four days. This initial test assessed the vessel’s main engines, hull integrity, brake systems, and steering and observed noise and vibration levels. 

Although she cleared the sea trials with flying colors, the second round is often more rigorous, designed to challenge the ship’s performance and functionality. This would include achieving top speed, going from full speed to a dead stop, heavy maneuvers, and much more. 

From Steel to Sea

Construction of Icon of the Seas began with the ceremonial cutting of the first steel back in 2021, now more than two years ago. After the steel-cutting, the ship’s hull was laid down, and on January 23, 2023, she was floated out. Now, as she prepares for her second set of sea trials, her maiden voyage isn’t far away. 

On January 27, 2024, Icon of the Seas will depart from Miami, Florida, on her maiden seven-day cruise to the Caribbean. Guests will visit popular destinations like Basseterre, St. Kitts, and St. Thomas, as well as a day at Royal Caribbean’s private island, Perfect Day at CocoCay.

After her inaugural voyage, the Icon-Class cruise ship will continue to sail on seven-night cruises, covering Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries. The Western Caribbean routes include stops in Costa Maya and Cozumel, Mexico, and in some cases, Roatan, Honduras. 

On Eastern Caribbean cruises, the ship will dock at Philipsburg in St. Maarten, Basseterre, St. Kitts, and St. Thomas in the US Virgin Islands. All cruises will include a stop at Perfect Day at CocoCay.

Tipping the scales at 250,800 gross tons, and with space for 7,600 passengers at maximum capacity, Icon of the Seas will be larger in size than the current largest cruise ships in the world, the Oasis-Class ships.

But she won’t be the lone giant for long. Star of the Seas is expected to accompany her in the summer of 2025, and a third yet-to-be-named Icon Class ship is on the horizon for 2026.

Port Canaveral has officially welcomed Royal Caribbean International’s Allure of the Seas as the ship has repositioned to the central Florida homeport to offer short Bahamas getaways for the next nine months.

This is a great option for travelers looking for a cruise vacation that may be combined with other Florida attractions, and is the first time Royal Caribbean has offered shorter sailings on one of its largest vessels.

Allure of the Seas Sets Sail From Port Canaveral

The world’s busiest cruise port has gotten busier still as Allure of the Seas – the fifth largest cruise ship in the world – is now homeported from Port Canaveral, Florida.

The Oasis-class ship set sail from the Space Coast for the first time on Wednesday, October 25, 2023 on a 5-night sailing that was to have visited Labadee, Haiti and Perfect Day at CocoCay in the Bahamas. Due to high winds in the Bahamas, however, the itinerary was adjusted to visit Cozumel, Mexico first, with the visit to CocoCay later in the sailing rather than the first day.

Nevertheless, the first sailing from Port Canaveral is still a momentous occasion for the vessel as it is the first of such large ships to be offering shorter cruise vacations.

“We’re proud to be Royal Caribbean’s partner in this industry first offering,” said Captain John Murray, Port Canaveral CEO. “Our partners see a strong demand in our market for shorter itineraries on an Oasis Class ship. We are thrilled to welcome home the Allure of the Seas and look forward to delivering exceptional customer service experiences to their cruise guests.”

To mark the occasion, Captain Murray presented Allure of the Seas‘ Captain Tobias Oster with a framed photo of Port Canaveral, which will likely be displayed aboard the ship with other mementos from the many ports Allure of the Seas has visited since joining the Royal Caribbean fleet in 2010.

The ship’s Hotel Director, Adriana Tibaudo, was also on hand representing all the nearly 2,200 international crew members aboard Allure of the Seas, who are ready to offer amazing service to everyone who sets sail.

With her new deployment to Port Canaveral, Allure of the Seas joins her fleet mates Mariner of the Seas, Adventure of the Seas, and Wonder of the Seas – currently the largest cruise ship in the world.

Before sailing from Port Canaveral, the vessel was the largest ship homeported from Galveston, Texas, and the first Royal Caribbean ship to set sail from the new cruise terminal at the Texas homeport.

Short Cruises on Allure of the Seas

From Florida, Allure of the Seas will be offering 3- and 4-night Bahamas itineraries, all of which will visit the cruise line’s private island, Perfect Day at CocoCay (weather permitting). Depending on the sailing date, the ship will also call on Nassau or may include a day at sea.

Two special sailings are offering different itineraries. Over the New Year holiday, the ship will offer a single 7-night Eastern Caribbean cruise, departing on December 26, 2023 and visiting CocoCay, St. Thomas, and St. Maarten before returning to Port Canaveral on January 2, 2024.

At the end of April, Allure of the Seas will offer a 4-night Western Caribbean sailing visiting Cozumel, Mexico. That cruise departs on April 29, 2024 and also features two days at sea.

Allure of the Seas‘ last sailing from Port Canaveral will be departing July 5, 2024 – a 3-night cruise that will visit both Nassau and CocoCay. After that cruise, the ship will leave Port Canaveral and reposition to PortMiami to continue offering the same short itineraries but from the south Florida homeport at least into February 2025.

Enjoy a Big Ship on a Short Cruise

With so much to enjoy on such a large ship, passengers might feel rushed to see and do everything. Allure of the Seas offers seven unique neighborhoods with more than 30 restaurants, bars, and lounges, as well as two FlowRider surf simulators, an aqua park, a 9-story zip line, twin rock-climbing walls, an ice rink, four production shows, and so much more.

To rest up from so much fun, the ship has a dedicated adults-only Solarium, or guests may want to take a stroll through the open Central Park neighborhood with its live trees and charming walking paths.

Allure of the Seas can welcome 5,484 guests at double occupancy or as many as 6,780 travelers when fully booked with all berths filled.

Royal Caribbean Group has reported impressive third-quarter results that have surpassed expectations, showcasing the cruise giant’s remarkable performance amid ongoing challenges in the industry.

With bookings that significantly exceed the numbers seen pre-pandemic, Royal Caribbean is not just on course for a strong year but setting the stage for a year that will be the start of the cruise company’s recovery.

Strong Quarter, Promising Outlook for Royal Caribbean

Royal Caribbean Group revealed its third-quarter earnings today, October 26, showing results that far exceeded the guidance from earlier this year.

Both onboard revenue and bookings made earlier to the sailing date showed a marked increase, resulting in an earnings release that sets the company up for a promising future.

Jason Liberty, president and CEO of Royal Caribbean Group: “The strength of our brands and the acceleration of consumer spending on experiences have propelled us towards another outstanding quarter and a robust 2023.”

Liberty also mentioned the unprecedented demand for 2024, with bookings showcasing higher load factors than ever before, significantly higher than in 2019, the busiest year to date.

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Liberty: “The combination of our leading brands, the best people, and the most innovative fleet and destinations positions us exceptionally well to deliver on a lifetime of vacation experiences while creating long-term shareholder value.”

In the third quarter, the company made $1 billion in profit, which translates to about $3.65 per share. This is a significant improvement compared to the same period last year when Royal Caribbean Group only made $33 million, which was about $0.13 per share.

Emphasis on Growth

Royal Caribbean Group has set its sights on growing rather than maintaining a status quo. While the competition has made it clear they do not intend to build more ships in the coming years, Royal Caribbean is launching some of the biggest ships in the world in the next 12 months.

Revenues for North American and European itineraries outperformed expectations due to better close-in demand, increased occupancy rates, higher pricing, and higher onboard revenue. The company achieved a remarkable 110% occupancy rate for the quarter across the board. While some analysts might view this with some skepticism, the tide is with Royal Caribbean.

“Looking ahead, we see accelerating demand as we build the business for 2024. Our booked load factors are higher than all prior years and at higher rates, further supporting our trajectory towards the Trifecta goals,” added Liberty.

The accelerated demand comes from the fact that Silver Nova, Icon of the Seas, and Celebrity Ascent are all due to debut, with the latter two ships slated for delivery in the fourth quarter of 2023. Furthermore, Icon of the Seas is set to commence its revenue sailings by the end of January 2024.

On top of that, Royal Caribbean’s sixth Oasis-class cruise ship, Utopia of the Seas, will set sail in 2024. With the 236,860 gross tons cruise ship sailing on shorter 3- and 4-night cruises to Nassau and Royal Caribbean’s private island Perfect Day at CocoCay, the company has another revenue booster coming up.

Removing Debt

Not only is RCL experiencing a surge in demand and bookings, but they are also taking significant steps to reinforce their financial position. In the third quarter alone, the company repaid $775 million of its debt, its credit ratings were upgraded, and it aims to pay off $3.5 billion in debt this year alone. 

Naftali Holtz, chief financial officer at Royal Caribbean Group: “Our strong performance and commitment to strengthening the balance sheet will allow us to pay off over $3.5 billion of debt by the end of this year.”

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Reacting to the promising results, stock prices for Royal Caribbean Group went up more than $3 today before settling down at the 3% increase mark, trading around $84 per share.

Royal Caribbean’s promising trajectory suggests a brighter future for the company and the cruise industry. However, the company is not out of the woods yet. With the situation in Israel and Gaza escalating and fuel pricing seemingly going up again, there are still factors that could hold the cruise giant back.

The UK’s truth-in-advertising watchdog agency has directed Royal Caribbean to alter the language in an itinerary description it says is misleading to prospective cruisers.

The case involved a complaint filed against the cruise line for indicating a cruise would depart from or call at Venice, when the destination was actually Ravenna, some two hours drive away.

Royal Caribbean Told to Differentiate Venice, Ravenna

Royal Caribbean got a slap on the wrist for its practice of using the phrase “Venice (Ravenna)” when describing the location of a departure port in Italy, and misleading cruisers into thinking Ravenna is a port in Venice. 

The October 25, 2023 ruling by the London-based Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) stemmed from a complaint it received in May 2023 about an itinerary description that appeared on its website. 

The cruise line has already removed the Venice reference from itineraries that depart from or call at Ravenna. Although it is not clear when the change was made, it appears likely that the ASA’s investigation prompted the rewording.

“The ad must not appear in the form complained of. We told Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd to ensure ads made clear where cruises departed from, and not to misleadingly imply a cruise departed from or visited a particular place if that was not the case,” the Advertising Standards Authority wrote in its ruling.

The itinerary that spurred the complaint was a 7-night Italy, Greece & Croatia cruise, described as “Leaving from: Venice (Ravenna), Italy” and “Visiting: Venice (Ravenna), Italy,” along with other port calls.

Royal Caribbean’s current description of a 2024 Greece & Croatia cruise aboard Explorer of the Seas, for instance, now reads: “Roundtrip from Ravenna, Italy,” with no mention of Venice, which is roughly 90 miles north.

In its assessment, the ASA noted that Royal Caribbean used similar location qualifiers in other parts of the advertisement, such as the description of a port call in Sicily on the same itinerary. The ad indicated the port was “Sicily (Messina),” and since Messina is in Sicily, the ASA believes that consumers would apply the same logic to Venice (Ravenna), and assume that Ravenna is a port in Venice.

Cruise Line Points to Venice Ban on Large Ships

In its response to the ASA, Royal Caribbean noted that large cruise ships no longer are allowed to dock in the historic city center of Venice, and must use alternate ports.

Due to environmental and other concerns, Venice in 2021 banned ships over 25,000-gross tons from accessing the city center, sending them instead to nearby Porto Marghera or other ports farther afield, like Ravenna or Trieste. The presence of cruise ships in Venice has been controversial for years. An earlier ban, in 2017, was proposed for ships over 100,000 gross tons, but was on hold while a new cruise terminal was built.

Royal Caribbean told the ASA that using Ravenna as a qualifier in the description of Venice was sufficient to clarify that a ship would actually depart from or visit Ravenna, and not Venice. The line added that such qualifiers are commonly used across the travel industry.

In its ruling, the ASA pointed out that Royal Caribbean’s explanation for using the misleading phrase included the fact that most of its guests hailed from the US and were familiar with Venice but not Ravenna. Without Venice prominently mentioned, travelers would be less likely to book the cruise.

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Royal Caribbean also had proposed reversing the qualifier, to read “Ravenna (Venice),” but the ASA determined it would still be misleading.

The cruise line agreed “there was a potential for consumer confusion,” but pointed out that it offers “sufficient information” about the departure port and itinerary before prospective guests reach the booking stage. The ASA did not agree.

Currently, Royal Caribbean’s Italy itineraries that are advertised on its website and include Ravenna point to the city’s eight UNESCO World Heritage sites and other attractions. It also states that Venice “is just over two hours away by car, putting one of Italy’s star destinations well within reach.”