According to a rumor reported by the French media outlet *Le Marin*, Royal Caribbean is quietly preparing to order a brand new class of ships from the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard. While no official announcement has been made yet, the order is reportedly expected to be finalized in the coming weeks.
*Le Marin* further reports that preliminary work on the new vessels may have already begun at Chantiers de l’Atlantique. Located in Saint-Nazaire, France, this shipyard has a long-standing relationship with Royal Caribbean, dating back to 1987 with the launch of *Sovereign of the Seas*. At the time, this was the largest cruise ship ever constructed, a feat the collaborators repeated recently in 2024 with the 236,473 gross ton *Utopia of the Seas*.
However, when it came to their even larger Icon Class ships, Royal Caribbean did not return to Chantiers de l’Atlantique. Instead, the Icon Class vessels—which hold the record for the largest cruise ships in the world—were built at the Meyer Werft Shipyard in Germany. These include *Icon of the Seas*, *Star of the Seas*, and 2026’s highly anticipated *Legend of the Seas*.
As Royal Caribbean returns to the French shipyard, though, more mega-ships may not be on the menu.
### What We Know About the Discovery Class So Far
Many speculate that this rumored order could be for the long-awaited, mid-sized “Discovery” Class of ships. Whispers about the new class have circulated since 2023, when Michael Bayley, President and CEO of Royal Caribbean International, mentioned that the cruise line was considering a smaller class of ships.
Additional confirmation came in September 2025, when Bayley stated that the project was still in development. “We’ve been working a lot on the Discovery Class. It takes a lot of work to design a ship,” he said. “We can’t make any announcements now, but I’m hopeful that in the coming months we will be able to make an announcement on that class.”
While exact details are not yet available, the Discovery Class design is expected to be smaller than recent ships.
### Why Smaller Ships?
You might wonder why Royal Caribbean would focus on smaller ships. The answer lies in offering more exotic itineraries. Many destinations, such as the Panama Canal, are currently not accessible to Royal Caribbean’s larger vessels. Smaller ships provide better maneuverability, allowing the cruise line to explore a wider range of routes and port options.
Bayley explained, “It’ll go through the Panama Canal, which we think will be a real positive because it’ll be able to go to Alaska in the summer, and it can get back into the Caribbean.”
### Mega Ships Are Still in Royal Caribbean’s Future
Don’t think Royal Caribbean is giving up on mega-ships, though. The cruise line is investing heavily in large vessels, breaking ground on January 8 for a brand new terminal at PortMiami designed to accommodate the largest ships in its fleet.
The Discovery Class is also expected to replace some of Royal Caribbean’s oldest operating ships, such as those in the Vision and Radiance classes. The oldest and smallest of these, the 2,446-passenger *Grandeur of the Seas*, has been in service for nearly 30 years, since 1996.
For now, we’ll have to wait and see what comes next from Royal Caribbean’s evolving fleet.
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*Read Also: [Royal Caribbean Ships By Size: Largest to Smallest]*
https://www.cruisehive.com/is-royal-caribbean-preparing-its-next-big-ship-order/196990
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