Icon of the Seas to Sail From Galveston Starting in 2027
Scheduled itineraries include calls at Perfect Day at CocoCay in the Bahamas, as well as Roatan and Cozumel. Icon of the Seas entered service in 2024.
Royal Caribbean International’s Icon of the Seas will move to the Port of Galveston in August 2027, President and CEO Michael Bayley told analysts on Tuesday’s earnings call. The ship will leave PortMiami, where Hero of the Seas, the fourth Icon-class vessel, will take its place.
The deployment will bring the original Icon-class ship to Texas for six- to eight-night Eastern and Western Caribbean cruises. Bayley was responding to an analyst’s question about the region, where Perfect Day Mexico in Mahahual and the planned Royal Beach Club Cozumel face uncertainty.
“We’ve already got a lot of great response from our travel partners, and we think it’s going to be a huge success,” Bayley said.
The scheduled itineraries include Perfect Day at CocoCay in the Bahamas, Roatan and Cozumel. The 250,800-gross-ton Icon of the Seas entered service in 2024 and accommodates 5,610 passengers at double occupancy.
Bayley cited Icon-class passenger loads of 7,600 and a load factor of 133%, alongside net promoter scores in the 80s. Of those scores, he said, “it means that they’re having an exceptional time and they’re happy to pay a good price for that experience.”
Mexico destination plans await updates
Royal Caribbean Group Chairman and CEO Jason Liberty did not provide a progress update on Mahahual during the call. He described the company’s partnerships with Mexican communities and the government, saying Royal Caribbean delivers nearly 1 million vacations annually in Mexico.
Liberty said further updates would come “at the appropriate time or as they become available.” Royal Beach Club Cozumel was not discussed during the call.
Plans for Perfect Day Mexico cover more than 200 acres near Costa Maya, serving passengers whose ships dock at the Costa Maya cruise port. Proposed attractions include a waterpark with more than 30 slides and nearly two miles of beach. General admission is planned to be complimentary for arriving Royal Caribbean guests, although Costa Beach Club and the adults-only El Hideaway may require separate access or passes.
Royal Beach Club Cozumel is planned as a roughly 42-acre daytime resort for cruise passengers and the general public, with no overnight accommodations. Its proposed facilities include two pools, three dining venues, private cabanas and a catamaran pier.
Bayley said the Texas deployment “sets the table really for the future as it relates to those itineraries” while the company works through the Mahahual and Cozumel projects.
Galveston terminal discussions continue
Separately, Port of Galveston Port Director and CEO Rodger Rees recently addressed questions about whether the port would proceed with Royal Caribbean discussions over a fifth cruise terminal. Royal Caribbean currently uses Terminal 10 at the port.
Rees said the Galveston Wharves Board had voted unanimously to continue the fifth-terminal discussions without delay.
See current Icon of the Seas fares and itineraries on Cruise Lookup.
