Royal Caribbean unveils Legend of the Seas — Here’s when and where it will sail first

Royal Caribbean is ready to do something it's never done before: bring back a retired cruise ship name to honor its next new vessel.

The cruise line confirmed a not-so-well-kept secret that it will name its third Icon Class cruise ship, Legend of the Seas.

The name was previously used for one of the cruise line's Vision Class ships, launched in 1995. 

That ship would have been dwarfed by the new Legend of the Seas, as the original was only 70,000 gross tons and had a capacity of about 2,000 passengers.  The new cruise ship will be able to handle about 7,000 passengers when at full capacity and is 250,800 gross tons in size.

In 2017, Royal Caribbean sold Legend of the Seas to a cruise line now known as Marella Cruises, where it was renamed Marella Discovery.

Being the third Icon Class ship, Legend of the Seas is going to follow-up on the tremendous success of the world's largest cruise ship Icon of the Seas and Star of the Seas. The Icon Class has been nothing short of incredible for Royal Caribbean.  

These ships have been a hit with passengers and critics alike, as it's set a new standard for what a megaship can offer.

Not only did Royal Caribbean share the ship's name, but we also have details on when she'll begin offering cruises.

Debuting in Europe first

Royal Caribbean will begin sailings on Legend of the Seas in the Mediterranean first, and then transition to Florida.

Beginning in August 2026, Legend of the Seas will offer 7-night Western Mediterranean cruises from Barcelona, Spain. (Originally the cruise line said it would be July, but the the new first sailing is in August 2026).

Legend will visit ports of call in France, Italy and Spain, that include historical significance and beautiful landscapes.

The inaugural Legend of the Seas cruise will be on August 2, 2026, which is a 7-night Western Mediterranean cruise departing Barcelona. It will visit Palma De Mallorca, Spain, Florence/Pisa (La Spezia), Italy, Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy, and Naples, Italy.

Here's a breakdown of the of inaugural European sailings:

After the summer cruising season concludes, Legend will move to her new homeport in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Beginning in November 2026, Legend of the Seas will offer 6-night Western Caribbean and 8-night Southern Caribbean cruises from Port Everglades.

The first sailing of Legend in Fort Lauderdale will be on November 11, and it's a 3-night voyage that visits just Perfect Day at CocoCay in The Bahamas

In addition, Legend of the Seas will remain in Fort Lauderdale until at least April 2027.

Bookings open tomorrow

You'll be able to start booking sailings this week.  Officially, it goes on sale Thursday, Feb. 20, but expect bookings to open up on Tuesday as an early start.

"A jaw dropping, showstopping, stunning ship"

Naming this new cruise ship Legend of the Seas is significant because of what the name means literally, as well as to the company.

"The Icon Class as a name really sets a really high bar...so we needed a third name that really fit with that," Kara Wallace, Royal Caribbean's chief marketing officer, told Royal Caribbean Blog in an exclusive interview.

"Legend is, not only fitting of the class, but an homage to everything that came before it."

Introducing a third Icon Class ship is something Royal Caribbean can't wait to debut, because of all the success Icon of the Seas has had so far.

"This ship truly has lived up to all of the hype and then some." Wallace said.

Bringing Legend to Europe first is something Royal Caribbean is doing to match what its customers have been clamoring for, "our guests across Europe have been asking for for an Icon Class ship to to be based there, and this was the right time to bring it," Wallace explained.

"The ship will come straight from delivery into Europe, and it's taking now what is going to be a legendary ship and bringing it to legendary destinations."

What will be different on Legend of the Seas?

Royal Caribbean didn't share many details about what will be different about Legend, but Ms. Wallace suggested it won't be a carbon copy of Icon or Star either.

"We'll tweak things as we learn and as we go along to make them both fresh, interesting, but also deliver on the experiences that our guests are asking for and will continue to do that on this ship alike," Wallace said. "Things like entertainment and shows, theming on some venues will constantly be adapted for market, and we'll reveal them in the coming months."

A change that has been leaked already is that the Supper Club will have a Hollywood theme to it.  

Icon of the Seas had a New York theme, and Star of the Seas' version will have a Chicagoland theme.

One thing you won't see is Legend being slightly bigger than Icon or Star of the Seas.

Royal Caribbean's Senior Vice President and Chief Product Innovation Officer Jay Schneider has previously said each Icon Class ship will not be a little bit bigger than the previous one.

"Star will not be a foot bigger. It will be 1198ft long. The third ship in the icon class will also be 1198ft long," he said during an interview held on Icon of the Seas.

Legend of the Seas is being built now

While the ship's name and homeport are news, the ship has been under construction for months.

The first piece of steel was cut in January 2024 for Legend of the Seas. When the steel cutting ceremony is held, it marks the official start of construction.

Then in October 2024, the keel was laid and the ship is being assembled as we speak.

Other milestones include floating out, and delivery.

Building on Icon's record-breaking success for Royal Caribbean

Ever since Icon of the Seas started wowing passengers, the new ship has exceeded even the company's highest expectations.

According to Ms. Wallace, the ship has set a new benchmark for guest satisfaction—not just within the cruise industry, but across all of hospitality.

"It’s delivering at the highest levels of guest satisfaction that we’ve ever seen across our brands, across the industry, and across all of hospitality,” Wallace said. “And that’s really by far and wide margin."

Royal Caribbean re-imagined what a cruise ship could be when it designed Icon of the Seas, calling the ship a "white paper" design because everything was conceived without any pre-existing ideas. Wallace highlighted how the ship’s vibrant design and innovative features created excitement from the moment it launched.

"I think it was highly anticipated when it came to market,” she said. “Last year, the demand for it was off the charts, creating excitement through its colors, its vibrancy, its energy."

One of the most talked-about features is Surfside, a neighborhood designed specifically for families, offering a space where they can “stay and play all day.” The AquaDome, a stunning architectural space with breathtaking exterior views and immersive entertainment, has also left a lasting impression.

Meanwhile, the ship’s water park, Thrill Island, brings an unprecedented level of excitement to the cruise experience.

"It wasn’t one slide, two slides—it’s multiple slides," Wallace said. "The slide experiences are great, and that theming and experience runs throughout a whole neighborhood."

Icon's connection to the water was also one of its primary goals that the ship delivered on, offering expansive sea views throughout the ship.

"I think the flow of the ship, of Icon Class, in terms of bringing the sea to the ship and the expansive views edge to edge, is something that we haven’t experienced on a class of ships like this yet," she noted. "And certainly what that did for the promenade experience and the inclusion of The Pearl—one of my favorite things to do is watch TikTok or Instagram videos when people first board Icon and they just see the magnitude of the ship. That first impression with The Pearl—there’s nothing like it."

Wallace also emphasized that social media has played a major role in Icon of the Seas’ success, as guests eagerly share their experiences online.

"We’re seeing that in the popularity—not just in how people are experiencing the ship, but how they’re also reliving and posting their experiences all over social media," she said. "It is truly a jaw-dropping, showstopping, stunning ship when you see it in person."

A key factor in Icon of the Seas’ success is its focus on families of all kinds. From young kids to teens, multi-generational groups to extended families, the ship offers an unmatched variety of accommodations and entertainment to suit every type of traveler.

"We are a family brand," Wallace said. "When we think about families, it’s every single type of family. It’s families with young kids, it’s families with teenagers, it’s extended families, multi-generational families. And when you think about Icon, it truly does have something for all of those different types of families."