Royal Caribbean president outlines plans for Discovery Class vessels

Royal Caribbean’s president has outlined his hopes for a new class of smaller ships, called the Discovery Class.

The cruise line’s order book currently has a third, fourth and fifth Icon Class ship, plus a seventh Oasis Class ship, all to be delivered by 2028, and agreed options for Icon 6 and 7.

Speaking on a Travel Weekly webcast, Michael Bayley said: “As a team we have probably been spending 50% of our time every week on Discovery Class. It’s taking a huge amount of energy.

“We are getting close to being able to talk about it – but we won’t talk about the product until about two years out.”

Bayley added the new ship class would still be focused on the family market and is intended to focus on European, Alaskan and Asian itineraries.

The new vessels are being designed to be able to operate in more ports, particularly in the Mediterranean and Alaska.

He revealed one aim for the newly designed vessel is for it to be able to transit the Panama Canal to save up to 40 days moving between Alaska and the Caribbean.

“We like to create and innovate so that when people experience that product, their initial response is ‘wow’, and that’s what we’re doing with Discovery Class,” he added.

Bayley added the cruise line “may have more Icon” vessels in the future, describing the series as “a gamechanger” and “a massively popular product”.