Royal Caribbean has revealed a sneak preview of its upcoming Icon class ship, Legend of the Seas

Cruise Trade News was the only UK trade publication in attendance on a media trip to Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland where the vessel is under its final stages of construction.

Legend of the Seas is scheduled to enter service in July and will be the first in the line’s Icon class to sail in Europe, offering seven-night Western Mediterranean cruises this summer before repositioning to Fort Lauderdale for a winter season of six-night Western Caribbean and eight-night Southern Caribbean cruises.

On the shipyard tour, product innovation leads led media around the 7,600-passenger ship, which will be the joint largest in the world when it joins the Royal Caribbean fleet, the same as sister ships Icon of the Seas and Star of the Seas.

Like its sisters, Legend is made up of eight neighbourhoods: Thrill Island, Chill Island, Surfside, The Hideaway, AquaDome, Royal Promenade, Central Park and Suite Neighbourhood.

New venues and concepts on Legend include an adaptation of the Royal Railway restaurant, which was first introduced on the line’s Utopia of the Seas, and features a 90-minute, multi-course meal inside a simulated train car with digital scenery, live actors and a storyline.

The theme of Legend’s restaurant is silk routes, as opposed to the Wild West theme on Utopia, and will transport guests through China, India, Turkey, Persia and Italy during their meal. There is also a 45-minute wine tasting option with a Tuscany theme.

Also new is the Hollywoodland Supper Club dining venue inspired by the Golden Age of Hollywood. It will offer gourmet meals, themed cocktails and live performances, taking guests on a journey through cinema history from the 1910s to the 1950s.

Although Royal Caribbean staff were tight-lipped about the menu offering, they suggested the food would reflect the transition from black and white television through to colour.

Category 6 waterpark returns on Legend with new colours and internal graphics compared to its sister ships, while new restaurants will debut in the AquaDome Market food court, including a Korean offering, called Seoulmate, Mexican venue Adobo, tapas bar La Espanola, and freshly squeezed juice bar Simply Pressed.

The line’s minigolf concept, called Lost Dunes, is also new for Legend, featuring a shipwreck theme.

Jay Rosser, senior product owner, product development, told Cruise Trade News he is most excited for the unveiling of The Pearl, a kinetic art installation and structural centerpiece on the Royal Promenade.

“The Pearl is, in my personal opinion, is a new, mic-drop moment for this ship,” he said.

“We’re also really excited about the updates we have for the AquaDome Market, the Hollywoodland Supper Club, which is a brand new concept on this ship and is an evolution of the Supper Club concept we have on Icon and Star, an expanded casino and all of the new offerings for our guests onboard, whether its new designs or new experiences.”

Legend of the Seas is the third Icon class ship in the Royal Caribbean fleet. Hero of the Seas will be the fourth, set to debut in August 2027, and an as yet unnamed fifth Icon is set to enter service the following year. Royal Caribbean also has an option for two further Icon class vessels but has not yet confirmed whether it will build them.

Meanwhile, the line has announced a new series of ship, called the Discovery class, with two vessels currently on order and scheduled to enter service in 2029 and 2032.