Royal Caribbean Shares How Modern Cruise Ships are Really Built

The cruise industry has been absolutely booming, and the new mega-ships that are coming out this year are more sophisticated and innovative than ever before.

In 2025 alone, Royal Caribbean, MSC Cruises, Princess Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, Disney Cruise Line, Norwegian Cruise Line, and Virgin Voyages have either launched or are about to debut new ships.

This makes now a perfect opportunity to reflect on all the planning and effort it takes to bring these giant marvels to the high seas – and Royal Caribbean agrees.

The topic of building a cruise ship is the focus of the first episode of Royal Caribbean’s new video series, called “Engineering the Experience,” that premiered on YouTube on July 7, 2025.

Utopia of the Seas, which launched a year ago in July of 2024, was the star of the short video.

The completion of the Oasis-class ship was an engineering triumph in its own right, with 2,834 staterooms, over 40 dining venues and bars, and major amenities like an ice rink onboard the 236,860-gross ton ship.

The interesting episode went through the approximately two-year construction process that Utopia of the Seas went through, and that the upcoming Icon-class ships are in the middle of now.

Star of the Seas has passed her sea trials and is nearly ready for her August 2025 launch, while Legend of the Seas is much earlier in the process and won’t debut until July 2026.

Construction always starts with a traditional steel-cutting ceremony, after which the steel is sent off to be turned into blocks.

Next up is the keel laying ceremony in dry dock, which is the official starting point of assembling the cruise ship.

The keel is the bottom of the ship and sort of functions like a backbone. It is the first major piece of the ship’s structure and is ultimately the base for which the blocks are installed upon once they are pre-fabricated and ready to go.

A coin ceremony for good luck is also held during the keel laying ceremony, during which a special coin is placed under the ship’s keel.

SEND ARTICLE

The blocks are usually put into place during the first year or so, with the second year (more or less) spent welding everything together and installing major systems onboard, such as the engines and air conditioning.

Once the ship’s structure is complete, she moves on to the big, public milestones that cruise fans look forward to, such as floating out, undergoing sea trials, and officially being delivered to the cruise line.

What Happens Before Construction Begins?

Considering the massive size of the cruise ships of today, it’s truly remarkable that they can be fully built within just a couple years.

But in reality, the process of designing and planning for a new ship actually can take closer to a decade.

The “Engineering the Experience” episode made sure to show some love to the process of brainstorming, designing a new ship, and collaborating with naval experts and architects.

But while Royal Caribbean leadership is heavily involved in the ideation process, the cruise line partners with skilled architects to help bring their dream to life.

These conversations happen and partnerships are formed long before the ship building process actually begins.

Among the brand’s most notable partners is Wilson Butler Architects, which has been heavily involved in creating firsts at sea since the Voyager-class ships were first coming out.

For example, this firm helped create the AquaDome for Icon of the Seas, which is the largest glass dome ever to be installed on a cruise ship.

Depending on the vision for the ship and its size, one of three shipyards is given the task of building the vessel once the design is finalized.

The cruise line works with Meyer Turku in Turku, Finland; Meyer Werft in Papenburg, Germany; and Chantiers de l’Atlantique in Saint-Nazaire, France.

Once the design is delivered and every specification is nailed down, the shipyard team places material orders to prepare for the upcoming construction, which is a big undertaking in its own right.

And I don’t know about you, but learning more about the process of taking a cruise ship from an idea to a completed vessel has made me even more excited about the new ships launching soon.

Catie Kovelman

Catie is an award-winning journalist and researcher. By day, she helps market new movies and TV shows as a senior research manager. But by night, she loves writing cruise news. In addition to Cruise Hive, Catie has contributed to a variety of newspapers, magazines, and other online publications, such as The Plaid Horse, Unwritten, YourTango, Fangirl Nation Magazine, Chapman Magazine, the Orange County Register, and Voice of OC.