Royal Caribbean’s first Icon Class ship sailing in Europe ‘just the start’

Royal Caribbean’s first Icon Class ship sailing in Europe is “just the start”, with more trade initiatives and capacity coming to the region in future, according to EMEA vice-president Gerard Nolan.

 

Legend of the Seas is confirmed to sail in the Mediterranean for the summer seasons in 2026 and 2027, and executives strongly hinted it could also return for 2028.

 

Speaking to Travel Weekly, Nolan described Legend as “a top seller” and its European debut as something that was “50 years in the making”.

 

More: Royal Caribbean mulls shorter ex-UK cruises on larger ship to attract new-to-cruise

 

He stressed the team was “not finished” with trade-friendly initiatives that were rolled out for the launch, such as Royal on the Road shop takeovers, AI enhancements to the My Royal Genie digital brochure tool, and agent advisory panels.

 

Nolan said: “We are really committed to the UK and Ireland trade and the last 12 months have been extremely busy, with a lot of it leading to this event showcasing the newest and best ship we have in Europe, which is huge for the region.

 

“We are not finished [with these kinds of trade-friendly initiatives] and this is going to continue. This is just the start.”

 

Future trade engagement plans include the line’s largest Seminar at Sea taking place this August, with nearly 200 places for UK and Ireland agents out of a total of 500 on Legend.

 

Nolan revealed that “bigger plans” are already being made for another event next year.

 

Nolan added that for agents who have not had a chance to sail on Legend, there will be booking incentives and a ship visit programme for the Icon Class ship, alongside extensive training opportunities on the My Club Royal trade platform.

 

He said Europe was “a key piece” for the company and the support of the UK and Ireland trade would be needed for future capacity growth, with the Mediterranean fleet expanding from five to seven ships in 2027.

 

Nolan said this increased deployment was “a great testament” to the performance of European markets, adding that there will also be “up-weighted Southampton product” when Freedom of the Seas comes to the port next year.

 

He added: “We used to have 12 ships in Europe and with our new deployments with Hero [of the Seas], Oasis Seven and Discovery [Class] coming, Europe is primed for more and more of our best-in-class ships, so we will continue to push that.”

 

Nolan also said he “would never rule out” an Icon Class or Discovery Class ship sailing from Southampton, and would consider shorter three-to-four-night cruises in Barcelona or the Mediterranean to cater for new-to-cruise customers.

 

“There’s definitely a market for it and an opportunity when you think about city breaks,” he said. “It’s in the mix and it’s something that could come which I think would be quite successful.”

 

Speaking about trading through the Middle East conflict, Nolan said Royal Caribbean faced “the same challenges as most others in travel”, but he was “pleased” with its current “well-booked” position.

 

He said: “A lot of the travel environment is still booking late, but we have moved into 2027 now and we are in a good place.”

 

Nolan also noted it was “great to see” a change in the FCDO guidance about travel through the Middle East and “some level of stability” returning to the region.

 

He concluded: “We hope that stays, but we have been in business for 50 years, and we always have things that we navigate through. This year has been challenging, but equally when I look forward, I am confident where we are headed.”

 

More: Royal Caribbean mulls shorter ex-UK cruises on larger ship to attract new-to-cruise