At the Finnish shipyard Meyer Turku, the first launch took place for the cruise ship Hero of the Seas, which is being built for Royal Caribbean. The Icon-class vessel has moved on to the next stage of construction-completion works alongside the pier.
To carry out the operation, the dry dock overnight was filled with more than 90 million gallons of water. After that, the liner was moved to the completion pier, where work will continue throughout the next year. Earlier this summer, a glass dome was installed on the ship.
Meyer Turku CEO Kazimír Lindholm called this event an important milestone in the shipyard’s cooperation with Royal Caribbean. In his words, the sequential construction of Icon-class liners helps improve production processes and energy-efficient solutions in shipbuilding.
The debut of Hero of the Seas is scheduled for August 2027 in Miami. The liner will operate seven-night cruises across both the eastern and western parts of the Caribbean region. For each route, visits to Perfect Day at CocoCay-Royal Caribbean’s island destination in the Bahamas-are planned. Details about the ship’s launch and its operating plans were reported by Cruise Industry News.
Royal Caribbean International
Hero of the Seas
Royal Caribbean never settles for carbon copies. When the cruise line debuts Hero of the Seas in August 2027, the ship will be 10% larger than its predecessors with improvements based on guest feedback from Icon, Star, and Legend of the Seas. The result: a 248,663-gross-ton cruise ship featuring the most pools at sea, record-breaking dining options, and family-focused innovations transforming multigenerational cruising.
The ship introduces the Ultimate Family Treehouse, a three-deck suite sleeping 12 with rooftop whirlpool, two-story teen hideout, and spiral staircase connecting private spaces. New Orleans-inspired Orleans Parish Supper Club brings live jazz and Cajun cuisine to the high-seas dining scene. The adults-only Hideaway expands to two pools including the largest swim-up bar at sea with an in-water DJ booth. Category 6 waterpark adds family raft slides featuring Royal Caribbean's first funnel raft slide.
Whether you're planning multigenerational Caribbean vacations, seeking cutting-edge waterpark thrills, or simply want Royal Caribbean's latest innovations, here's everything you need to know about Hero of the Seas before booking opens.
- Year built
- 2027
- Passengers
- 7600+
- Decks
- 20
- Class
- Icon
- Gross tonnage (GT)
- 250 800 GT
- Speed
- 24 knots
- Length
- 365 m