Royal Caribbean Group announced a series of agreements with the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France, to construct a new class of ships–the Discovery Class. The agreement is for two ship orders with the option for four more ships. The first ship is expected to debut in 2029, with the second ship scheduled for 2032.
Jason Liberty, Chairman and CEO of Royal Caribbean Group, stated, “The Discovery Class represents our continued commitment to shaping the future of vacations. These ships will be a showcase of what’s possible when design meets purpose, ultimately bringing the world closer to our guests. Through our partnership with Chantiers de l’Atlantique, we are leveraging France’s world-class shipbuilding ecosystem and new technology to, once again, reimagine the industry for decades to come.”
The partnership between Royal Caribbean Group and Chantiers de l’Atlantique began in 1985 when the shipyard constructed original Sovereign Class ships for Royal Caribbean Group. The partnership continues with today’s groundbreaking classes of ships–everything from the Oasis Class to Celebrity Cruises’ Edge Class and now the Discovery Class. Currently, the shipyard is constructing two vessels for Royal Caribbean Group, Oasis 7 and Celebrity Xcel.
“The Discovery Class introduces a bold new concept that puts our guests at the center of it all. It will deliver extraordinary, one-of-a-kind experiences — from cutting-edge design to immersive moments — every detail crafted to surprise and delight guests in ways they’ve never imagined, all while visiting truly breathtaking destinations around the world,” said Michael Bayley, President and CEO, Royal Caribbean. “This is a completely new class and it’s going to be like nothing you’ve ever seen before.”
While there has been much public speculation about the Discovery Class ships–especially about their size–the announcement gave no further details about the vessels. Royal Caribbean currently holds the record for the world’s eight largest cruise ships, but the speculation has been that this class of vessels may be smaller.
However, Royal Caribbean President and CEO, Michael Bayley, did not offer any details regarding the size of the upcoming ships. Instead, he said, “We are really looking forward to sharing more details about Discovery, but we’re not planning on saying much about it today or in the next couple of months. It’s really going to be a game changer, just as Icon was.” He went on to comment that it would be “fair to say” the social media assumptions were “inaccurate.”