Key Aspects:
- Legend of the Seas’ first main engine was successfully started on November 19, 2025.
- Each of the six Wärtsilä next-generation engines will be powered up and tested within the next week.
- The engines are designed to reduce fuel consumption and lower emissions while capturing waste heat and recovering energy for reuse.
If you’ve been watching the rise of Royal Caribbean’s next big ship, there’s some movement happening deep inside the hull. Shipbuilder Meyer Turku just shared that Legend of the Seas has powered up its very first main engine.
As the shipbuilder works to bring the 248,663-gross-ton vessel to life, the first of the ship’s six Wärtilä next-generation engines was started for the first time on Wednesday, November 19, 2025.
The new engines use a two-stage turbocharging system that’s designed to reduce fuel consumption and lower emissions compared to the previous generation of marine engines.
Together, the six engines will deliver more than 85 megawatts of power once all are online.
Meyer Turku noted that the engines do more than propel the ship. Waste heat from the cooling water and motor oil will be captured and reused in onboard systems such as the laundry, cutting down on the amount of additional fuel needed to power day-to-day functions.
The shipyard shared the news in a social media post, stating, “Legend has a total of six main engines, all of which will be running early next year. Legend runs on Wäetsilä’s next-generation, two-stage turbocharged engines. The combined power of all six engines reaches over 85 megawatts.”
For now, the first engine start provides a visible sign of progress on a ship that has spent months in dry dock as its steel, cabins, and interior blocks have come together.
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With the construction schedule moving into a more technical phase, Meyer Turku says all engines should be operational early in the new year, a key requirement before trials begin.
Legend of the Seas Coming Along
Legend of the Seas, the third Icon Class vessel in Royal Caribbean’s fleet, has moved quickly through several major construction phases since work began at Meyer Turku.
Having learned from the construction of Icon of the Seas and Star of the Seas, the build officially started on January 12, 2024, when the first steel plate was cut.
After months of block production and early assembly, the ship reached its next major milestone with the keel-laying on October 7, 2024. Between late 2024 and mid-2025, crews at Meyer Turku continued to assemble the hull, with mechanical outfitting continuing throughout early 2025.
As anticipation builds with every new milestone, including the August 29, 2025 float out, Royal Caribbean fans cannot wait for Legend of the Seas to welcome its 5,600 guests.
With the vessel now powered by its first running engines, the shipyard will move into propulsion and navigation testing, with sea trials expected to take place in the Baltic Sea in early 2026.
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Once trials are complete, the ship will be handed over to Royal Caribbean in mid-2026. Legend of the Seas is scheduled to begin its inaugural sailing on July 11, 2026, weeks earlier than originally scheduled.
That sailing will kick off the ship’s Mediterranean season before it repositions to Fort Lauderdale in October 2026 for a winter in the Caribbean.
