Royal Caribbean passengers thinking they would be the first to enjoy the line’s newest ship will have to think again, after the firm announced the Legend of the Seas will make its maiden cruise three weeks earlier than expected, departing from Civitavecchia near Rome for the debut voyage, rather than from Barcelona in Spain.
Construction of the Legend of the Seas, taking place at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Turku, Finland, is “progressing ahead of schedule,” according to an email sent to guests booked on what was supposed to be the ship’s first sailing on 2 August 2026.
“As a result of this early completion,” the Royal Caribbean message reads, “we’ve added three new sailings to our inaugural season showcase departing on 11, 18 and 26 July 2026.” The ship’s first seven-night voyage will now visit Naples, Italy, Barcelona and Palma De Mallorca, Spain, and Marseille, France, the firm said.
The new ship will be Royal Caribbean’s third Icon Class vessel, alongside Icon and Star of the Seas, making up the world’s largest cruise ships, or “megaships.” Able to welcome 5,610 passengers, it will boast the world’s largest cruise ship waterpark and slides, as well as the usual restaurants and entertainment facilities.
Acknowledging that it understands “some guests may value being the first onboard and others look forward to celebrating the inaugural voyage,” Royal Caribbean said it wanted to give the original passengers “the first choice and the flexibility to switch sailings, add an additional sailing, or stay on your currently booked sailing” before the new cruises go on sale to the general public.
Stateroom guests opting to switch to the new first sailing will be transferred to a like-for-like stateroom, based on availability, on a first-come, first-served basis, with price protection lasting for one week, the firm explained. Meanwhile, guests in Interior, Oceanview and Balcony staterooms will have the opportunity to transfer at the prevailing rate. It is unclear whether voyagers who insist on being first on board will be able to claim anything for having to change their departure point.
This is not the first time Royal Caribbean have changed inaugural itineraries, and online forums such as Reddit are awash with complaints from guests booked on the Star of the Seas, which launched in August 2025, who were disappointed at repeated schedule adjustments and additions of “showcase” sailings ahead of the maiden trip.
Redditor mooncheddar69 said: “When we got the first email we still wanted to be on the very first sailing, so we moved to the new 4-night sailing. We called the morning after we got the email, and all of our room type was sold out.” The complainant went on to note: “Then this morning, they did it again! They added another three-night cruise ahead of ours. I just rebooked this damn thing like a month ago, into a room I don’t like as much, for a trip half as long as we wanted, and now, we won’t even be on the first sailing!”
I just want to go on the dang inaugural sailing!!
byu/mooncheddar69 inroyalcaribbean
However, other commenters point out that inaugural sailings are sometimes “full of influencers” and that some venues on the ship are not always completely ready for guests.
Despite this, Royal Caribbean is clearly pleased with the work of the Meyer Turku shipbuilders. It recently signed off on an order for a fourth Icon Class ship for delivery in 2027, putting options in for two further vessels.
