Nathan Graveson

She is sat on wooden/steel Keel blocks that prevent the actual bottom of the hull from touching/scraping along the concrete base of the dry dock… but yeah, it has to support ALOT of weight… 😂

A few pictures from various sources…

Thats just one of the pictures I put but inverted...

This is exactly what I have been told. As much as Royal Caribbean want to replace the older-ships in the fleet, size brings MORE! From what I have been told is Voyager/Freedom size, with LNG-Hybrid propulsion...

Its Floating Day at Fincantieri for the beautiful Norwegian Aqua!

They will be announcing the ship orders soon with the Meyer Group shortly, from what I've been told...

No... Carnival aim to take delivery of the first 2 ship of their new class at Fincantieri in 2028, with a 3rd in 2029 and a 4th in 2030... NCL's new ships are on order for 2030, 32, 34 & 36...

The first block for Prima 4/Prima-Plus 2 has been spotted on site at the Fincantieri, Maghera yard in Italy! Lets go!

Just a few weeks from float out!

🚨NEW SHIPS: Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Announces Record Cruise Ship Order For Its Three Cruise Brands Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NCLH) and Fincantieri announce agreement for eight cruise ships to be delivered to NCL, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas. Four of these will be destined for Norwegian Cruise Line and delivered between 2030 and 2036 and will have capacity for up to 5,000 passengers and inaugurate a new class of NCL ships. Two will be delivered to Oceania Cruises between 2027 and 2029 and will be derived from the Allura Class ships, and finally two will be delivered to Regent Seven Seas in 2026 and 2029 and will surpass the Explorer Class ships in luxury. Additionally, NCLH hopes to build a new pier at Great Stirrup Cay, its private destination in the Bahamas, to accommodate its new ships. The order is still in the financing process and should be confirmed soon, the ships are also in the design phase and may be cancelled or new orders being added. Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Press Release - 2024-04-08_Norwegian_Cruise_Line_Holdings_Unveils_Bold_New_590.pdf

Norwegian Bella?? Norwegian Ultima will be the last ship as it means "final" in Italian so either Bella or Luna?

Back to the Future Musical onboard??

Can't wait to see the beautiful hull art begin painting!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2B-PBfFcWaA Thought you might find this an interesting conversation... A few allusions to a 4th Icon Class ship being ordered soon?

Hi all, I want to cover a few things I have been thinking about after I found out about this news the other day... I must say, these are my personal opinions, I do have mixed feelings when it comes to Carnival Corp, both in good and bad ways, but that's besides the point. Now, firstly, the shipyard... It must be said that Fincantieri are not a BAD shipyard by any means, however, they lack the experience of building larger, 200,000+ gross ton vessels, something only 2 shipyards in the world have mastered, that being Chantiers De L'Atlantique (Oasis-Class and World-Class) in St. Nazaire, France and Meyer Turku (First 2 Oasis-Class vessels, Excel-Class & Icon-Class) in Turku, Finland. This means that Fincantieri simply do not have either the space/facilities to construct them over that size, or they like to overcomplicate the designs, making it difficult to construct anyways. Then, we have to look back at the failed Pinnacle-Project of the 2000s. A project as ambitious as ever, but was lost to the financial issues facing the Euro currency trade. From what I have though about, we could very well see a new design inspired by that project, with the large promenade deck that wraps around the whole ship above the lifeboat deck, to the top-deck attractions - which it must be said a new, longer version of Bolt would be installed. Also, talking of the Pinnacle-Project, we need to cover size... cause it matters. 208,000 gross tons is what is being reported here. That so happens to be the exact same tonnage of the new Disney Adventure (formerly Global Dream), but no, its not a coincidence. Also mentioned in one of the articles is that this new ship class will be based on Princess Cruises new Prototype ships, the Sphere-Class, which is 180,000 gross tons. What we can expect from this ship is for it to carry much of the same hull design - only enlarged and modified to meet the demands of the increase in tonnage on the main superstructure. No, there won't be a large sphere in the middle, however we can expect a large ocean-view window on each side of the superstructure. Then the competition. Icon of the Seas, is the comparison most people are making, but remember, Royal can do anything and do it well, Carnival can't. Royal could build a 300,000 gross ton vessel any day and it wouldn't even shock us cause they know how to perfect a product, again, Carnival just can't. If Carnival really want to shock the industry, they are gonna have to really push themselves to be bold and different cause the Excel-Class played it safe, nearly identical across the four brands that got them, only few changes. So whatever this new ship class is, it better be different and unique, or else Carnival will fall flat on their faces and Royal will coast on with the majority Market Share....

Current Progress on Norwegian Aqua! From https://www.instagram.com/fedele.chiello?igsh=MW55bnBmbmlhdGZpag==

There will be a 3 Night Preview Voyage from PortMiami on the 23rd January 2023, this will be for media and special guests. This is the same day the ship will be Christened by Lionel Messi, the Icon of Icon.

Some images before the beginning of sales!

My guess for the name of ICON 3 is ... Titan of the Seas

Do you have a link for these?? If so could you please post it!

Woop, Woop!! I don't want to take credit, but I believe I am the first person on the planet to document it on a forum and socials! It happened by chance really, I saw the teaser on Insta, went to the webpage and there it was! That livery is bold, unique and really is putting PR1MA & V!VA to shame!!

Erm...So I found it...

I could see design cues from the Edge-Class, however, we are most likely expecting a Parabolic Ultra-Bow similar to Icon and Edge, and possibly a heavier emphasis on Infinite Balconies!

Its funny really... I think it was almost inevitable for a 4th Icon Class ship to be ordered. But I think a few things need to be considered. Firstly, Royal have had the option of Oasis 7 from Chantiers De L'Atlantique, which was shelved/rejected due to the Icon Program. The concept of Oasis 7 would only follow Utopia: LNG-Powered, similar features, etc. Obviously Royal and Chantiers have a good relationship, however it is no were near the partnership with the Meyer Group. Voyager Class, Freedom Class, Oasis & Allure, Quantum Class and now Icon Class ships have been built at both Meyer Turku, Finland and/or Meyer Werft, Germany. My point about partnerships with shipyards is relevant as Royal put the faith in the Meyer Group for each of these classes of ships, all different and unique, even ground-breaking in design, which shows with the Icon Program that Royal trust them to construct and partially design these new ships. One oddball is the Edge-Class for Celebrity Cruises, all built/being built at Chantiers, you could make an argument for the rest of the Oasis-Class being built in Chantiers, however my argument for it is that Tui Cruises and the Carnival Corporation had booked orders at Meyer Turku for quite a while, leaving Royal to have to move designs to France. Meyer Turku Ship Timeline I've inserted this link to show that they had been booked up by Ferry companies and other Cruise Lines after Oasis & Allure. It also has to be said that size wasn't why they moved, it was the shipyard schedule, so rumours about moving because of size are false. Secondly, Project Discovery/Discovery of the Seas. Let's be honest, Royal needs this. A smaller class of ship, similar in size to the Voyager/Freedom Class ships. For me, Independence of the Seas is the pinnacle of the fleet; packing all the fun into a smaller package. From what I believe, Meyer Werft in Papenburg, Germany will be contracted to construct these ships within the next few months. Meyer Werft's schedule is empty after the delivery of Disney's 3rd Triton-Class vessel, meaning that Royal could get in there and order their new ships. A rumbling that I heard from a few people I know with high up positions at Meyer Werft is that Royal have been having regular meetings with the team at the shipyard to go over what they want, and also show off their designs. Meyer Werft Ship Timeline Again, I have inserted a link that shows the orders of new ships, bare in mind that Asuka III will be built in the smaller dock where Silver Nova/Silver Ray have been constructed in, leaving the famous Hall 6 empty. Project Discovery, it is a project that truly is secretive, much like the Icon Program was for the past 7 something years. What we can understand so far after the confirmation from various sources such as the Captain of Ovation of the Seas, the ship will be smaller than the Quantum-Class, but bigger than the Voyager Class, potentially putting it in the range of 150,000 Gross Registered Tonnes. That puts it in a similar size category as the Freedom-Class, Norwegian's Breakaway-Class and Queen Mary 2. Obviously, it is still big, however, I think it is the perfect size for Royal to play with, it would allow them to fit the standard Royal features, as well as adding new and exciting features, never seen before. I think we may find out some more information shortly, I do believe that a contract will be signed with the Meyer Group within the next few months for this new class of ships, but you know, we'll see what happens. Finally, the case for a 4th Icon Class vessel. You could say this is a bit of a premature decision as Icon hasn't even started sailing yet, however, the fact that bookings for Icon's 2025-26 Season had to be opened 3 months early, says a lot about the demand for this new class of ship. It shows that a lot of people are putting their faith in Royal for these new ships, showing that Royal has to deliver what the people want. When Star goes on sale next Summer, that will be the final indication of whether or not a 4th Icon-Class ship is needed, if demand is incredibly high like it was for Icon, that ship will be ordered, otherwise it may leave Royal in doubt whether or not to put in another $2 Billion investment. I think we should just hold onto our horses for now, but I think once we see how well Icon performs next year and see how well demand for Star is then we can through all our eggs in one basket and get that 4th Icon-Class ship underway... If I have rambled too much, tough... I just want to share my thoughts and opinions on all the current stuff going on at Royal, possibly adding to some of your thoughts. But yeah, thats me done for now!

Woooo, how exciting!!