As another Royal Caribbean mega-ship hits the seas – what do people really think of these ships?

• Legend of the Seas has left its shipyard in Turku, Finland, for its first sea trials.
• The massive new cruise ship will become one of the equal biggest in the world when it begins European sailings in July.
• Opinions by cruisers on Royal Caribbean’s new mega-ships are varied, from “best ever” to “overpriced”.

Royal Caribbean’s Legend of the Seas, which is set to join Icon of the Seas and Star of the Seas as the biggest cruise ship in the world, set out on its first sea trials. Carrying more than 2000 engineers and specialists onboard, the ship made its very first departure from the Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland.

Footage from Royal Caribbean shows the massive ship leaving the yard to take its first spin at sea, while it’s closely monitored by specialists and experts who test the ship’s systems as it sails out for the first time.

Legend of the Seas is only a few months away from its first scheduled sailings, with the ship set to debut with a Mediterranean cruise out of Barcelona this July. The ship, will then sail a range of Mediterranean itineraries before pivoting to the Caribbean from November onwards.

Legend of the Seas will operate a bit differently from the other Icon-class ships that sail year-round in the Caribbean, as she’ll go between Europe and the Caribbean.

Another Royal Caribbean Icon-class ship is already in the works, with Hero of the Seas set to debut in 2027, sailing out of Florida.

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What do people really think of these Royal Caribbean mega-ships?

A recent Reddit thread involved users sharing their experiences and thoughts of the huge Royal Caribbean ships.

One user wrote: “It truly depends on you. First of all, they’re truly magnificent ships, and there are few ships out there that truly match Royal’s Icon and Oasis class. My teenage son described his week aboard Star of the Seas as “the best week of his entire life”.

“From my perspective, it was truly a great cruise, but hardly “the best week of my life”. I’ve enjoyed cruises aboard much smaller ships with far less to do than the cruises we’ve taken on Royal’s biggest ships. But what I consider important is very different than what my kids consider important (for the record, my kids have always thoroughly enjoyed every cruise they’ve taken, even those aboard more adult oriented cruise lines with less to do for their age group).

“The times we’ve sailed on these Royal ships were because the price difference wasn’t significant. They were more expensive, but well within what I was willing to pay. There’s no way I’d be paying several extra thousands of dollars during high season to sail on these ships.

“If you have the extra discretionary budget to afford them without having to cut back or sacrifice something else, go for it. Otherwise I wouldn’t do it.”

Another user agreed, stating that the ships really are perfect for kids.

“We had the same experience. We took our 10-year-old son on Wonder (Oasis class). He had a blast. Loved the slides, the shows, the arcade, the mini golf. The diving show was amazing. It’s really designed for kids or kids at heart. He was all on for Coco Cay too until he realised you have to pay to access the wave pool, lol. It was a great family vacation.

“That said, my husband and I wouldn’t opt for Wonder or another mega ship for just us. We’d rather be on a smaller ship that goes to more interesting ports. And I’m a sucker for the balcony hammocks on Virgin.”

Another user stated they believe that nothing can truly compete with Icon-class sailing.

“If you’re looking for things to do, variety of activities, entertainment for both kids and adults, good food with the options to upgrade to excellent, and more pool space than I’ve ever seen on a ship before, then I genuinely don’t know if there is anything out there that can compete with the Icon Class.

“I was on Star of the Seas last week, and I was blown away with just how much they improved the design of the ships between the Oasis Class and Icon. I usually hate cruise ship entertainment, I think the singers on most ships are mediocre, but the Back to the Future show on Star was legitimately great. By far the best show I’ve ever seen on a ship.

“The kids club was great, both of our kids had a wonderful time there. As for dining, the food in main dining was pretty good, but their specialty options, especially Lincoln Park where I think you have a type of venue that puts itself up there among the best across all of cruising, were phenomenal. And from what I understand, with the two newer ships in Legend and Hero, they’re taking it up even further with Disney-like railway-themed dining events. 

“As for the design, there were more people on that ship than I’ve ever sailed with before, and yet it felt among the least crowded of any ship I’ve been on.”

Other users weren’t quite as onboard with the massive new ships, feeling the Icon ships are overpriced.

“The Icon class is ridiculously overpriced. Last time I looked it was $1400 per person for seven nights in an interior under the casino.

“You can do seven nights in a balcony on Oasis of the Seas for less than that and there’s still a huge amount of things for everyone to do. I’m D+ with Royal and between the cost and a convoluted layout, I have zero interest in the Icon class.”

Another user said: “Not worth it at all IMO. We sailed Star of the Seas in October. The highlight was the entertainment, specifically Back to the Future and Torque. The food was not great. The service was just ok. It was the only cruise ship I’ve ever seen an argument occur amongst passengers which was weird (obviously out of RC’s control). It was also my daughter’s least favourite kids club.”