Demand is so strong for Royal Caribbean's next new cruise ship that hasn't even begun sailing yet that the line has sold out every single reservation for its most expensive suite ever for the year.
Royal Caribbean's Icon of the Seas is the cruise line's first new ship class in almost a decade, and the company is betting big on its success.
Despite being more than 7 months away from the first sailing in January 2024, it's already seeing record-breaking demand from customers.
Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley talked about how strong the business is right now, and highlighted an eye-opening statistic about sales for the new ship.
"I think the entire ship is just stunning. And I think we're seeing that in the bookings," he said during a webinar with travel agents on Wednesday.
"The sales for icon are amazing. The the yields are just fantastic. So again, we're very happy with how Icon is playing out."
To exemplify just how much demand there is for Icon, Mr. Bayley talked about how well the most expensive suite onboard the ship is selling.
The three-story "Ultimate Family Townhouse" is located in the Surfside neighborhood for young families.
"I think we mentioned that the Ultimate Townhouse, I think is pretty much sold out completely for 2024 at an average rate of about $78, $80,000 a week."
Bookings for Icon only opened up in October 2022.
This cabin is a 1,772-square-foot Ultimate Family Townhouse that will be three decks high and sleep up to eight people.
It features an in-suite slide, movie-viewing room, karaoke machine and a "backyard" with a ping pong table, outdoor seating and a white picket fence leading directly to the Surfside area.
Icon of the Seas will offer guests a variety of room options spanning across 28 unique categories, offering some of the most spacious rooms Royal Caribbean has ever designed.
"Icon is going to be the best family vacation in the world,” said Jay Schneider, Chief Product Innovation Officer in a video update from January 2023. "You can’t have an ultimate family vacation without a purpose-built neighborhood for families."
Royal Caribbean has created its first neighborhood on Icon of the Seas dedicated entirely to young families. It's an open-air space at the back of the ship.
Surfside was designed to become an area of the ship where families with kids ages 6 and under can play all-day together, where parents don't need to give up their relaxation time just because their kids want to play.
You'll find a giant aqua park designed for families: Splashaway Bay and Baby Bay splash parks for kids and the Water's Edge pool for parents.
Surfside neighborhood will also offer family-friendly dining venues.
Next to Splashaway Bay and next to a deep water pool, you have a grab-and-go eater at Surfside Bites. Then there's Surfside Eatery, which is Royal Caribbean's first buffet just families. The Lemon Post bar is also a new concept that is the first bar to feature an adult menu and a kids menu. This will serve traditional tropical cocktails, as well as mocktails.
There's also a new specialty restaurant, Pier 7, which is described as a casual Boardwalk eatery.
The 1,198-foot-long mega-ship will be able to accommodate 7,600 guests across its 2,805 staterooms, which will make it the world's largest cruise ship once it debuts.
Icon will be 10 feet longer than Wonder of the Seas, which is currently the world's largest cruise ship.
The first sailing of Icon of the Seas will be a 7-night cruise from Miami on January 27, 2024.
The ship will sail year-round out of Miami in 2024, alternating between Eastern Caribbean and Western Caribbean itineraries, with four different routings available for departures between January 2024 and April 2025.
