Inside Royal Caribbean’s New Over-the-Top Cruise Ship

The third vessel in Royal Caribbean’s massive Icon Class lineup, Legend of the Seas, has officially made its July 2026 debut in the Mediterranean.

The budget to build it exceeded $2 billion, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing — and after seeing it, I understand why. It’s home to an expansive theater, rock walls, pools, a two-story gym and what the cruise line calls the largest water park at sea.

To be honest, I never thought of myself as a “cruise person.” My ADHD brain usually panics at the thought of multiple consecutive days trapped at sea. But ships like the Legend of the Seas, with all of their over-the-top activities and entertainment options, have me rethinking that.

I boarded the ship in late June in Spain as part of an early media preview sailing before its July 4 maiden voyage. While Royal Caribbean covered the costs of my travel, these opinions are my own.

At port, you generally get plenty of time — usually 12 hours — making it easy to actually explore each European city without feeling rushed. Each itinerary also has a couple of full days at sea.

After its Mediterranean debut, the Legend of the Seas will head to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where it will sail to the Caribbean in the winter.

In the Caribbean, it will offer mostly six- and eight-day itineraries that again vary but largely include both sea days and port days, with stops including Aruba, Curacao, the Dominican Republic and Royal Caribbean’s own private island, Perfect Day CocoCay, Bahamas. Those sailings are round-trip out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, which might be a more convenient option for U.S.-based cruisers.

Your base cruise fare covers your lodging, entertainment, access to the pools and gym, and a massive array of complimentary dining choices, ranging from the three-story main dining room to multiple buffets, cafes and several soft-serve machines sprinkled throughout.

Suite guests get extra benefits, like more personalized service and access to certain private spaces. But whether you book the cheaper interior or the fancier balcony, the experience outside your room is the same. I generally recommend that budget travelers (or simply those who are out and about all day) save money by booking an interior room.

Upcharges apply to certain drinks (like specialty coffees and alcohol), Wi-Fi, shore excursions and specialty dining. Royal Caribbean sells packages that bundle extras together — but keep in mind that costs can add up fast when you opt in to those extras.

Other extra costs to budget for include gratuities, plus optional extras you might want to partake in, like the arcade, as well as a few ship experiences that are priced separately, such as Crown’s Edge, which features a zipline and obstacle course.

While many of the physical neighborhoods will feel familiar to seasoned Royal Caribbean travelers, a few aspects are entirely fresh.

Instead of generic decor, the cruise line’s Artist Discovery Program commissioned six independent artists from across the Caribbean, Mexico and Central America to create custom installations. These include massive murals, a hand-painted ceramic mosaic sculpture on the Suite Sundeck and an intricate stainless-steel structural piece on the Royal Promenade.

Some cruise lines play it safe with beige palettes, but I appreciate Royal Caribbean’s colorful designs.

Much of the ship is a celebration of the design elements that made the previous Icon Class ships a hit.

Home to the Category 6 water park, which is billed as the largest water park at sea for its multiple drop slides, raft rides and signature FlowRider surf simulator which allows you to surf or boogie board at sea. Non-water activities include mini golf and a sports court.

An open-air garden in the center of the ship is packed with more than 30,500 real plants, according to the cruise line. There are also shops, live acoustic music (the harpist was the highlight) and walk-up windows where you can grab upscale eats like sushi or a glass of sparkling wine.

The adults-only neighborhood tucked at the back of the ship, featuring a suspended infinity pool, a beach club atmosphere, dedicated cocktails and a resident afternoon DJ.

The ship has an area focused on families called Surfside, which includes a playground, carousel, splash zone and arcade. There are also kids’ clubs, along with plenty of programming around the ship for kids.

Legend of the Seas is massive, maximalist and showy — and it’s the kind of ship that’s slowly turning me into a cruise person. With so much to do on sea days, you won’t get bored here. While it’s relatively expensive compared to Royal Caribbean’s other ships, the over-the-top entertainment options, in my opinion, make it worth the cost.

That said, it’s not quiet. If you prefer the intimacy of a boutique, 500-passenger ship, this is not the ship for you.

But if you want an active, aesthetic vacation that keeps things simple with its largely all-inclusive format, Legend of the Seas hits the sweet spot.

(Top photo by Sally French)

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About the author

Sally French is co-host of the Smart Travel podcast and a writer on NerdWallet’s travel team. Before joining NerdWallet as a travel rewards expert in 2020, she wrote about travel and credit cards for The New York Times and its sibling site, Wirecutter.

Outside of work, she loves fitness, and she competes in both powerlifting and weightlifting (she can deadlift more than triple bodyweight). Naturally, her travels always involve a fitness component, including a week of cycling up the coastline of Vietnam and a camping trip to the Arctic Circle, where she biked over the sea ice. Other adventures have included hiking 25 miles in one day through Italy’s Cinque Terre and climbing the 1,260 steps to Tiger Cave Temple in Krabi, Thailand.

She lives in San Francisco.