For years, Royal Caribbean executives have been asked the same question at nearly every public event, but they always gave the same cautious non-answer.
They never told their loyal customers that they would no Do what they are asked to do, but they never said they would do either.
When the company launched its newest Oasis-class ship, Utopia of the Seas, it broke with past conventions. Traditionally, new ships operate on seven-day itineraries, often filled with the cruise line’s existing passengers who want to experience the latest hardware.
For Utopia, Royal Caribbean opted for a shorter cruise, targeting new cruise ships rather than its existing customer base.
“It’s just a matter of days. With a new cruise ship, it’s less of a time commitment. What we’ve found is that when you offer the right product, you can stimulate a lot of demand,” he said on the company’s second-quarter 2024 earnings call.
The decision angered many Royal Caribbean long-term passengers, who prefer full-week sailings to short trips or back-to-back two-cruise itineraries.
However, Royal Caribbean’s latest move responds to questions existing passengers have been asking for years. The company is building smaller ships to replace the oldest ships in its fleet.
I have been on Royal Caribbean’s last four inaugural cruises. They held a press conference for the media and held a public event where non-media could ask questions of Royal Caribbean Group CEO Jason Liberty and Royal Caribbean CEO Michael Bailey.
One of the most common questions is “When will you build the new, smaller ships?”
Royal Caribbean’s Radiance and Vision class ships can accommodate 2,400 to 2,700 passengers, while the Oasis and Icon class ships can accommodate 6,700 to 7,600 passengers. The older, smaller ships have fewer than 1,000 crew members, while the two newest and largest ships have more than 2,000 crew members, according to Cruiseline.
The company launched its four oldest Vision Class cruise ships between 1996 and 1998, which can accommodate up to 2,730 passengers. Bailey has repeatedly hinted at media events that the class of cruise ships is nearing the end of its life cycle, but has not confirmed a new class.
The name “Discovery Class” is even in public use, but the cruise line didn’t confirm plans to build it until its most recent earnings call.
Large ships like the Miracle of the Seas can only call in certain ports. Daniel Kline/ComeCruiseWith.com ·Daniel Klein/ComeCruiseWith.com
“We are also announcing the launch of the Royal Caribbean brand’s new Discovery Class cruise ships, which will redefine the way Royal Caribbean guests experience the world,” Liberty said on its fourth-quarter earnings call.
Royal Caribbean’s agreement with the shipyard includes a “firm order” for two Discovery-class ships, with “options to build an additional four ships.”
Bailey responded to questions about the new curriculum during a conference call without providing many details.
“I’ll talk about Discovery. Actually, I’m not really going to talk about Discovery. We’ve been working on Discovery for the past few years. From a business perspective, we’re very excited about the innovation, the creativity, the type of products that Discovery is going to create. It’s really going to be a game changer,” he said.
“Just like Icon launched and changed the game in a way, Discovery will do the same thing. We’re very much looking forward to sharing more details about Discovery with the market, but we don’t plan to discuss it too much today or in the next few months,” he added.
The two Discovery-class ships will be built at Atlantique Shipyards in Saint-Nazaire, France, with the first due to debut in 2029 and the second in 2032.
As someone who has sailed 47 times on Royal Caribbean since 2019, I have only been on a Vision or Radiance Class ship once, and that was because the trip was supposed to be in Cuba. When the flight to Cuba was cancelled, I was left on a small, old ship with only one specialty restaurant and a music venue.
It’s still fun, but on a 7-day cruise, the lack of options would be an issue, even if it’s port intensive.
In theory, the new smaller ships will offer more specialty restaurants, bars, pools and entertainment options while being small enough to call in more exotic ports. Icon and Oasis class ships typically operate in the Caribbean, calling at ports such as Nassau, Cozumel and CocoCay Perfect Day, which many experienced cruisers have visited on multiple occasions.
While Royal Caribbean has yet to comment on the actual size of the Discovery-class ships, Bailey has said at multiple public events that they are large enough to pass through the Panama Canal.
“The largest ship to pass through the Panama Canal to date is Norwegian Bliss. Based on this, Discovery-class ships may not exceed 168,000 gross registered tons (GRT) and 1,094 feet in length,” said Matt Hochberg of the Royal Caribbean Blog (which is not affiliated with the cruise line).
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This article was originally published by TheStreet on February 21, 2026, and first appeared in the Travel section. Click here to add TheStreet as your preferred source.
