Key Aspects:
- Royal Caribbean is reportedly preparing to order a brand new class of ships.
- Many speculate this could be the long-awaited “Discovery” Class.
- The new class could open the door to many new, exotic itineraries.
According to a rumor reported by a French media outlet, Le Marin, Royal Caribbean is quietly preparing to order a brand new class of ships from the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard.
No official announcement has been made as of yet, but the order is reportedly expected to be finalized in the coming weeks. Le Marin further reports that preliminary work on the new vessels may have already begun at Chantiers de l’Atlantique.
Located in Saint-Nazaire, France, the shipyard has a long-standing relationship with Royal Caribbean, dating back to 1987 with the launch of Sovereign of the Seas.
Read Also: Royal Caribbean Ships By Size – Largest to Smallest
At the time, this was the largest cruise ship ever constructed, a feat the collaborators repeated recently in 2024 with the 236,473 gross ton Utopia of the Seas.
When it came to their even larger Icon Class ships, though, Royal Caribbean did not return to Chantiers de l’Atlantique.
Taking the record for the largest cruise ships in the world, Icon of the Seas, Star of the Seas, and 2026’s most anticipated new ship, Legend of the Seas were built instead at Meyer Werft Shipyard in Germany.
As Royal Caribbean returns to the French shipyard, however, more mega-ships may not be on the menu.
What We Know About the Discovery Class So Far
Many speculate that this order could be for the long-awaited, mid-sized “Discovery” Class of ships.
Whispers of the new class have circulated since 2023, when President and CEO of Royal Caribbean International, Michael Bayley, mentioned that the cruise line was considering a smaller class of ships.
Additional information came in September 2025, when the President and CEO of Royal Caribbean International, Michael Bayley, confirmed the project was still in development.
“We’ve been working a lot on the Discovery Class… it takes a lot of work to design a ship,” said Bayley. “We can’t make any announcements now, but I’m hopeful that in the coming months we will be able to make an announcement on that class.”
While exact details are not yet available, the design of the Discovery Class is expected to be smaller than recent ships.
Why would Royal Caribbean want smaller ships, you ask?
Many more exotic itineraries, such as the Panama Canal, are currently not an option for Royal Caribbean’s larger vessels. As such, the new class of smaller ships will have much better maneuverability, allowing for a wider range of routes and port options.
“It’ll go through the Panama Canal, which we think will be a real positive because it’ll be able to go to Alaska in the summer, and it can get back into the Caribbean,” said Bayley.
Don’t think that Royal Caribbean is giving up on mega ships, though.
The cruise line is investing heavily in big ships, breaking ground January 8 on a brand new terminal at PortMiami to accommodate the largest vessels in its fleet.
The Discovery Class is also expected to replace some of the cruise line’s oldest operating ships, such as Vision and Radiance Class vessels. The oldest and smallest of these ships, the 2,446-passenger Grandeur of the Seas, has been in service for nearly 30 years, since 1996.
For now, we’ll just have to wait and see what comes next.
