Cruisers Pick Legend of the Seas as 2026’s Most Anticipated New Ship
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Royal Caribbean’s Legend of the Seas was voted Most Anticipated New Cruise Ship.
It was the third year in a row that a Royal Caribbean new-build was chosen for the honor.
Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Luna came in second place.
For the third consecutive year, a Royal Caribbean new-build was named Most Anticipated New Cruise Ship in the Cruise Hive Awards.
Legend of the Seas, the line’s third Icon-class ship that will enter service in July 2026, has won the title in the 2025 competition with 35.3% of the total vote. The ship is under construction at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Turku, Finland.
Sister ship, and first in the class, Icon of the Seas, won the title in 2023 ahead of her 2024 launch, and Star of the Seas, second in the class, took it in 2024, in advance of her debut in 2025.
The Icon-class ships have been wildly popular with cruisers, thanks in part to their enormous size — they weigh in at 250,800 gross tons and have capacity for 7,000 guests — as well as innovative public spaces and amenities.
Most Anticipated New Cruise Ship of 2025 (Data: Cruise Hive)
When she debuts in July 2026, Legend of the Seas will feature the well-received Surfside neighborhood designed especially for family fun, and the Category 6 Waterpark, the cruise industry’s largest waterpark at sea.
Like her sister ships, Legend of the Seas will offer AquaDome, a huge glass and steel structure that features a waterfall, along with dining venues and the AquaTheater, where synchronized swimming, diving shows, and acrobatic performances are held.
Legend of the Seas will wow guests with 28 dining options, including some new venues such as Royal Railway, a multi-course meal served in the setting of a simulated train journey in Asia and Europe, and the Hollywoodland Supper Club, a themed experience evoking the Golden Age of Hollywood.
When she debuts in summer 2026, Legend of the Seas will sail her 7-night inaugural cruise on July 11 roundtrip from Rome with port calls at Naples, Italy; Barcelona and Palma De Mallorca, Spain; and Marseille, France.
The ship will sail 7-night Western Mediterranean voyages through mid-October before repositioning to Fort Lauderdale, where she will sail 6- and 8-night Eastern, Western, and Southern Caribbean cruises.
Norwegian Luna Ranks Second in Awards Listing
Nine cruise ships due to launch in 2026 were included in the Most Anticipated category.
While Legend of the Seas earned a commanding 35% of the total votes in the 2025 Cruise Hive Awards, Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Luna came in at a respectable second place with just shy of 20% — 19.4% to be exact.
Read Also: How Much Is a Cruise on Royal Caribbean’s Legend of the Seas?
When she debuts on March 10, 2026 in Rome, the 3,550-guest ship will become the newest Prima Plus-class ship in the fleet. Her maiden voyage will bring the ship to PortMiami, arriving on March 23, 2026 to begin a series of Caribbean and Bahamas cruises.
Disney Cruise Line’s 6,700-guest Disney Adventure garnered 16.5% of the vote to come in third. The ship, the largest in the fleet, will cater to the Asia market and be based in Singapore when she debuts on March 5, 2026.
MSC Cruises’ MSC World Asia received 12.8% of the vote for Most Anticipated New Cruise Ship. Due to launch in December 2026, the 6,758-guest ship will sail in the Mediterranean.
The remaining five ships in the category included Explora Journeys’ Explora III, which tied with Regent Seven Seas Cruises’ Seven Seas Prestige at 4.1%; Viking’s Viking Mira, 4%; Viking’s Viking Libra, 2.6%; and TUI Cruises’ Mein Schiff Flow, 1.1%
Voting in the 2025 Cruise Hive Awards opened on October 14, 2025 and closed on December 19, 2025. Readers were invited to vote for their favorite ships and amenities in a total of eight categories. No spam votes, or other suspicious votes of any kind were counted.
Cruisers Pick Legend of the Seas as 2026’s Most Anticipated New Ship