Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas is a cruise ship that will appeal to multigenerational families “like never before”, according to the line’s UK boss.
Speaking on a Travel Weekly webcast, Ben Bouldin, EMEA vice-president at Royal Caribbean, laid out what features on the 7,600-passenger vessel would entice families ahead of its debut programme going on sale next week.
Icon, due to launch in January 2024, will offer a mix of seven-night Caribbean itineraries out of Miami. Every sailing will call into the line’s private island Perfect Day at CocoCay.
More: Royal Caribbean unveils features on Icon of the Seas
Royal Caribbean’s global sales chief: ‘Icon could homeport in UK’
Royal boss predicts Icon to spark new-to-cruise surge
Bouldin said: “This ship allows us to do multigenerational cruising like never before. It allows us to cover every type of family size and make-up. It’s going to be insane.
“Every day onboard is going to be different. Every evening is going to be different. Every meal is going to be different. Every show is going to be different.”
Bouldin pledged to give “a large number” of UK travel agents the chance to see the ship “irrespective of where that is in the world”.
“I think we are still working out where Icon will go first and when that is,” he said. “We’ll know very soon.”
He admitted that many of the ships areas and features had not yet been revealed.
“We’ve got 14 months of fun until this ship arrives and we’re going to maximise every opportunity to continue to tell people,” he added.
Looking ahead to next year, he predicted 2023 would “a good success” for “lots of cruise lines including our own”.
“From a capacity point of view, 2023 could be a real record breaker – I do sense that,” he said. “For those lines that are US-based they will obviously really benefit from the demand that we’re seeing in North America at the moment.
“I think Americans will travel into Europe in big numbers because of the strength of the dollar.”
But on the path ahead for British holidaymakers, he said: “There are some headwinds that we need to be concerned about, whether its interest rates, mortgages, heating or the constant flux of messaging coming from our government.
“It’s hard to know whether it’s coming or going.”
Around 1,000 agents joined a Royal webinar on Thursday morning as details about Icon were made public, said Bouldin, who described that figure as “insane”.
“For the first time we’ve really got he best toolkit, the best images, the best assets that we’ve ever had [for a new ship],” he said. “They are all available on [trade platform] Club Royal.
“The assets that we’ve made available to the trade have never been better.”
More: Royal Caribbean unveils features on Icon of the Seas
Royal Caribbean’s global sales chief: ‘Icon could homeport in UK’