Royal's UK boss outlines 'strong case' to bring third Icon ship to Europe
Ben Bouldin, Royal Caribbean International’s vice-president EMEA, believes he has “a strong case” to have the line’s third Icon-class ship based in Barcelona after delivering “really good” sales from the European market.
Speaking onboard Icon of the Seas, the line’s first Icon-class ship, in The Bahamas, Bouldin outlined why he thought the upcoming vessel – currently known as “Icon 3” – could come to Europe when it launches in 2026.
Royal Caribbean Group president Jason Liberty earlier told TTG the cruising giant had not yet confirmed Icon 3’s homeport, but did stress that the UK and European markets were “very important" to Royal.
The line has already confirmed Icon of the Seas and its sister vessel, Star of the Seas, will both operate a mix of Caribbean sailings from US ports until spring 2026. Bouldin told TTG: “My hopes are absolutely Icon 3 will be in Europe – Barcelona deployment would be perfect.
“I think Icon is a seven-night vacation product, there’s too much on it to not to spend a week onboard. I think the itineraries in Europe lend themselves perfectly to this class of ship because we’ll have a couple of sea days which gives you the chance to explore the ship in full. You’ll have the opportunity to see some terrific ports.
"I think I’ve got a strong case.”
Bouldin admitted there were other deployment options available to Liberty and Royal Caribbean International president Michael Bayley, but highlighted how both the first two Icon-class ships were US-based.
"The [deployment] conversations are happening now,” said Bouldin. “If all things go to plan, Icon 3 should go on sale in Q4 this year, so we need to make some [deployment] plans this summer.
“That’s why I am delighted to be posting some really good numbers for people coming from Europe to Icon.”
Bouldin revealed that around 10% of Icon of the Seas’ sales were through international markets, adding that the EMEA region is responsible for around half of that figure. “A good chunk of those sales are from the UK,” he added.
Bouldin said basing Icon 3 in Europe would make Icon-class ships more accessible to Brits and Europeans. “I also think Icon-class is going to be ship that will attract the US market to Europe – it’s a win-win for the brand,” he continued.
On the importance of the UK and European markets, Liberty said: “The UK and European markets are very important to us. We continue to invest and put many of our best assets in the UK or Europe.
“We’ve been really pleased with the UK market. We’ve been sourcing a little bit less than where we were pre-Covid. The UK is a great market for us across all three brands.”
He added: “The markets are always competing on where that cabin is going to go and to a degree where that ship is going to go. Some [deployment] is not driven by that source market. It could be where does that source market want to go, where are they dreaming of going?”
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