Icon of the Seas Sailing at 132% Capacity: What Exactly Does That Mean?

July 26, 2024 Randy Young

Royal Caribbean’s newest ship, Icon of the Seas, has been making headlines since it first debuted in January. One of the headlines, though, is a bit confusing. On a recent investor call, Royal Caribbean leadership shared that the Icon of the Seas is sailing “at around 132% load factor.” But what does this figure really mean for the ship and its passengers?

Royal Promenade on Icon of the Seas

Understanding Cruise Ship Capacity

Cruise ship capacity is typically measured in two ways: double occupancy and maximum capacity. Double occupancy refers to the number of guests the ship can accommodate if every cabin is occupied by two passengers. Maximum capacity, on the other hand, takes into account the total number of passengers the ship can hold when every bed, including those in pull-out sofas and bunk beds, is filled.

Since the cruise industry’s restart, nearly every ship from Royal Caribbean and other lines like Carnival and Norwegian, are sailing at over 100% capacity, especially in summer months.

The Numbers Behind Icon of the Seas

Icon of the Seas is the largest ship in the world, holding a maximum of 7,600 guests.

Icon of the Seas boasts 2,805 cabins. When sailing at double occupancy, it holds 5,610 guests. However, the ship can accommodate up to 7,600 guests when fully booked.

If Icon of the Seas sailed with every bed completely full, it’d be at 135% capacity. According to the investor call, the ship is sailing at 132% capacity, which means there are still a few hundred beds available.

While this number is much higher than we’ve seen for other ships, it is not unexpected. The main reason is that the Icon of the Seas has many more family cabins. On most older cruise ships, a majority of cabins only accommodate two people. There are some cabins that accommodate 3 to 5 guests, but they’re the minority.

On Icon of the Seas, Royal Caribbean wanted to create the ultimate family vacation, so they introduced many more family cabins. These standard cabins and suites can easily accommodate entire families. Because of this, even though there are fewer cabins than an Oasis-class ship, the Icon of the Seas can hold more people.

Royal Caribbean Planned for This Capacity on Icon of the Seas

132% capacity is not something to be alarmed about. Royal Caribbean planned Icon of the Seas with that in mind. The ship features multiple neighborhoods, each offering unique amenities and experiences that evenly distribute crowds around the ship. Icon of the Seas also boasts improved spaces to help dissipate these crowds. For example, a second family-oriented buffet can be found in the Surfside Neighborhood, and the ice rink has been supersized to accommodate more guests.

In fact, many people who have sailed the Icon of the Seas say it feels less crowded than the Oasis-class ships. On the same investor call, leadership said they were “delighted with very high customer satisfaction” with the Icon of the Seas.

High Capacity Icon of the Seas Isn’t a Red Flag…Unless You Don’t Like Kids

Icon of the Seas sailing at 132% capacity highlights the popularity and demand for this new ship. With its impressive design and thoughtful crowd management, Royal Caribbean continues to be able to offer the same cruising experience, even at higher occupancy rates. The ship doesn’t feel noticeably more crowded than similar Oasis-class ships.

Still, this number does mean that there will be a lot of children on board, as they typically would be the ones occupying the third and forth beds in a cabin. While Royal Caribbean doesn’t release passenger demographics, we know that during summer sailings, 21% of Carnival guests are kids. That would equate to around 1,600 kids on board the Icon of the Seas. If we assume every 3rd and 4th bed is a kid, then the number is closer to 2,000. This fact shouldn’t be news to anyone, as Royal Caribbean has very heavily positioned Icon of the Seas as a family vacation in all its marketing.

Guests who want a more intimate experience, or fewer children, will have to look at Royal Caribbean’s older ship or other cruise lines.