Royal Caribbean International has reported “tremendous feedback” from UK agents following the launch of sales for its latest Icon Class ship, Legend of the Seas.
The name and planned itineraries of its third Icon Class ship, due to launch in summer 2026, were revealed last week, with sales opening shortly afterwards.
It will offer seven-night Western Mediterranean cruises from Barcelona from August 2026, ahead of a season of Caribbean cruises.
Aaron Langford, senior sales director at Royal Caribbean for UK and Ireland, told a Travel Weekly webcast: “I was not prepared for the level of excitement that we got when we announced that this is opening for sale.
“I happened to be on the on the road with my team that day and going into frontline agents and seeing their faces and hearing the excitement was actually quite a thrill.
“We have had tremendous feedback from the trade, particularly from a lot of our agents that we work very close with.
“They’re very excited the opportunity to get themselves, as well as their guests, onto this class of ship.”
He said some of the higher-end cabins have already been sold by UK agents, adding: “We have been very surprised and very happy with the bookings that we’ve got so far.
“[They] are incredibly engaged with anything new – very switched on. They want to get the opportunity right away.
“They love the fact that Barcelona is a big thing for us.”
Asked about pricing for a new ship, he added: “The family pricing is fabulous, in my opinion, for a brand new ship out of Barcelona.
“The lead-in price for a family of four in a balcony [cabin], is about £5,500 – really affordable, particularly in contrast to a land-based holiday in the Med in the summer.”
The first Icon Class ship, Icon of the Seas – the biggest cruise vessel in the world – was launched in Miami in January 2024, with football star Lionel Messi.
Several UK travel agents were onboard to explore the ship, and visit Royal Caribbean’s private island in the Bahamas, called Perfect Day at CocoCay.
Asked about plans for the launch of Legend of the Seas next summer, Langford said: “We don’t do ship launches by halves.
“It’ll be my personal mission to try to get as many agents on Legend as we possibly can when she comes over.
“There is an opportunity to do something very cool. We’ll think about how we can excite our fabulous trade partners through our activations, like we’ve always done.”