This article originally appeared on Business Insider.
Earlier this year, guests at Royal Caribbean’s Perfect Day at CocoCay private island were the first to enjoy the historic spectacle of the world’s largest cruise ships, Icon of the Seas and Wonder of the Seas, docked one beside the other.
The ships towered over the shared dock like skyscrapers, casting a dark shadow on the relatively small shared dock.
Together they can accommodate approximately 19,250 people.
Cruise ships like the Icon of the Seas will spend the majority of their voyage at sea. Pieter De Boer via BI
At 1,196 feet long and weighing 248,663 gross tons, the Icon of the Seas is a sight to behold. When it was launched in late January, the giant ship surpassed its eight-foot shorter predecessor, the Wonder of the Seas, as the largest in the world.
There was no surprise at the time: each new Royal Caribbean ship seemed to dethrone another Royal Caribbean ship for this title.
But not for long.
The company’s smaller ships, important for diverse voyages, are aging.
Royal Caribbean recorded its largest day of bookings ever when reservations opened for Icon of the Seas in October 2022, more than a year before the ship’s official launch. Brittany Chang/Business Insider
The company is synonymous with its mega ships. And they were great successes: Michael Bayley, president and CEO of Royal Caribbean International, has repeatedly called the Icon of the Seas the “best-selling product” in the company’s history.
Royal Caribbean is set to launch four more megaships by 2028, representing about a third of its total fleet. So far, most of the megaships’ scheduled departures are in the Caribbean.
The other 21 smaller ships tend to have more specialized itineraries, Patrick Scholes, managing director of lodging and leisure investment research at Truist Securities, told Business Insider.
Royal Caribbean International via BI
Given the size of their trimmers, these ships can make multiple sailings outside of the Caribbean, which often ensures high fares and customer satisfaction for the company, Jay Schneider, head of product innovation at Royal, told reporters in January Caribbean Group. He’s thinking Mediterranean, Alaska and South Pacific itineraries — the latter are especially important as the cruise line continues to ramp up business in Asia.
But these flexible-destination cruise ships are aging as Royal Caribbean continues to unveil their giant counterparts. The company launched its four oldest Vision-class ships, with a maximum capacity of 2,730 guests, between 1996 and 1998.
They are small and old compared to the 2-month-old, 7,600-guest Icon of the Seas.
Looking ahead, Royal Caribbean plans to go back to basics: smaller cruise ships.
Royal Caribbean’s oldest ship is the 2,440-guest Grandeur of the Seas, which first set sail on December 14, 1996. Royal Caribbean International via BI
Despite the cruise line’s success with mega-ships, Schneider said Royal Caribbean is now considering a new class of ships that would start “smaller” — noting that he was “careful to say small, but less than large “.
“The reality is that families want to vacation not just in the Western and Eastern Caribbean, where a ship like Icon can come in,” Schneider said. “They want to stay with our brand and travel to different destinations that require more versatility in vessel size.”
Popular destinations such as French Polynesia and Venice, Italy, have cruises with limited visits, including size restrictions, to curb pollution and overcrowding. But, as Schneider said, specialized itineraries for small boats are also important for travelers.
The pool was surrounded by several hot tubs. Brittany Chang/Business Insider
The giant mass-market floating resorts often attract even first-time cruise passengers, enamored of their family-friendly water parks and Broadway-style shows. But after a few nice vacations at sea, these guests who are no longer new to cruising may begin to desire quieter ships or more personalized itineraries.
“cruises to Alaska tend not to be first cruises,” Scholes told BI. “I don’t really see Icon of the Seas taking a trip to the Norwegian fjords or Alaska.”
Plus, “there’s probably just some demand for these giant ships,” Scholes said.
Royal Caribbean has already succeeded in the first part: bringing a series of new cruisers with its megaships. Now she has to hold them back.