New Icon of the Seas aerial photos show Royal Caribbean's construction progress

Royal Caribbean’s next new cruise ship is making steady progress towards being completed, and we have a new look at what it looks like now.

Icon of the Seas is under construction at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Turku, Finland. Based on the new set of photos, the top deck is starting to come together.

In an effort to keep our readers up to date, RoyalCaribbeanBlog commissioned its own aerial drone photos to share what we can see so far from the shipyard.

These photos were taken on June 6, 2023 to provide a glimpse of how the ship looks today.

Having visited the shipyard last month, it’s clear one noticeable change from the exterior is how much of the ship is no longer covered up.

Another change you might detect is the addition of more of the water slides.

Icon of the Seas will have an entire water park when the ship launches, known as Category 6.

Category 6 will be the largest waterpark at sea, with six record-breaking slides. Other Royal Caribbean ships have only 2 or 3 slides.

• Pressure Drop: the industry’s first open free-fall slide
• Frightening Bolt: the tallest drop slide at sea
• Storm Surge & Hurricane Hunter: family raft slides which can fit 4 riders per raft
• Storm Chasers: the cruise industry’s first mat-racing duo

The water slides are part of the Thrill Island neighborhood.

Royal Caribbean thinks Thrill Island will be a beacon for thrill seekers.

At the front of the ship, you’ll find a sprawling pool deck that the cruise line hopes evokes a resort-style feel.

Read more: Royal Caribbean designed its new Icon of the Seas cruise ship to have a beach retreat experience

Icon will have 62% more water surface area than the Oasis Class cruise ships, and that means more pools than the cruise line has ever had before.

You’ll find the largest pool at sea, an adult only pool, and the first suspended infinity pool at sea. Five of the seven pools on Icon of the Seas are located in Chill Island.

Something else I noticed is we can see more of The Grove and the Suite Neighborhood.

Beyond the top deck changes, the side of the ship looks more like the concept art we’ve seen.  With less of the protective coverings on, there’s more glass visible.

At 250,800 gross tons ,the 20-deck-high vessel will be the biggest cruise ship in the world when it debuts in 2024. 

What we can see from the air is just a fraction of what Royal Caribbean has planned for the ship.

Royal Caribbean has lofty expectations for its first Icon Class ship, which has the aim of being the ultimate family vacation and a megaresort at sea for all to enjoy.

Icon of the Seas has a price tag of more than $2 billion and has been under construction for just about two years. 

Nearly ready for the next phase

There’s still seven months to go until Icon of the Seas begins sailing with paying passengers, and there’s still lots of work left to complete.

In May 2023, Royal Caribbean said Icon of the Seas more than 80% done.

In fact, the shipyard said last month that Icon of the Seas could start her sea trials as early as mid-June.

When the sea trials are complete, there may be some final adjustments that need to be made before the ship is prepared for delivery.

Once the ship reaches 90% completion, much of the final ceiling panels and final finishes are added to make the ship look more complete from a visual standpoint.

In the fall, the plan is to finalize all staterooms, the commissioning of the ship, and all the special features.

Being the first in a class of ships, Icon of the Seas has more time built into her build schedule to prepare it for service.