Royal Caribbean
Cruises Ltd. (RCCL) signed a memorandum of understanding to build a fifth Oasis-class ship, plus two additional vessels for the Edge class, the new prototype
for Celebrity Cruises.
The agreement
with the STX France shipyard comes on the heels of delivery of the Harmony of
the Seas, the third in the Oasis class.
"Harmony of the Seas' warm reception is
evidence that growing this class of ship will continue to drive exceptional
performance for the brand," said Michael Bayley, president of Royal Caribbean
International.
RCCL is taking the unusual step of doubling down on the Edge class
ships before operating any of them. The first of two on order is scheduled for
service in late 2018.
"Although
our first Edge-class vessel is still over two years away from delivery, there
has been a tremendous amount of interest around the new standard of style
Edge class will introduce," said Celebrity CEO Lisa Lutoff-Perlo.
The
fifth Oasis-class ship is planned for delivery in the spring of 2021, and the
two additional Edge-class ships are scheduled for delivery in 2021 and 2022.