How expensive is it to sail the world's biggest cruise ship? Here's what to know.

Royal Caribbean International’s new cruise ship, Icon of the Seas, has generated pre-launch buzz befitting its name.

The vessel, which will be the largest cruise ship in the world when it launches in January 2024, has generated record bookings and hot takes online. Michael Bayley, the line’s president and CEO, said Icon was “by far the best-selling product we've ever launched in the history of our business” during parent company Royal Caribbean Group’s third-quarter earnings call in October.

The demand even prompted the line to open the ship’s 2025-2026 sailings three months early. But with such high anticipation, high prices have followed.

The ship is priced at “(at) least a 50% premium” compared to similar cruises, according to Patrick Scholes, a lodging and leisure analyst with Truist Securities. That number is even higher for more premium cabin categories.

Here’s what to know.

How expensive is Icon of the Seas?

Starting prices for Icon’s available 2024 itineraries range from almost $1,800 per person to nearly $2,200, according to Royal Caribbean’s website.

The cheapest of those is currently $1,756 per guest based on double occupancy for a seven-night Western Caribbean itinerary sailing round-trip from Miami on Feb. 17, 2024, but prices vary depending on the itinerary and dates of the cruise.

Why is Icon of the Seas more expensive?

Royal Caribbean has seen an unprecedented response to the ship, which Bayley billed as the “world’s best family vacation” in an October 2022 interview with USA TODAY. The line saw its “single largest booking day and highest volume booking week” ever after unveiling Icon last fall, according to a September news release.

“The advertising has been extremely well received by potential customers,” Scholes said in an email. New ships typically get a 15% to 20% premium in their first year, he added.

Cruise prices more broadly have also been rising for over a year, Stephanie Goldberg-Glazer, chief experience officer and owner of the travel agency Live Well, Travel Often, told USA TODAY last month.

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“There are a lot of factors – cost of goods and labor has gone up, so the cruise lines are seeing higher operating costs,” she said in an email at the time. “Combined with very high demand, that often leads to increases.”

And while travelers can sometimes snag cruise deals by booking at the last minute, those hoping to sail on Icon when it debuts are unlikely to find them. “If one hopes to book several weeks before departure, expect to pay a premium price, assuming any cabins are still available,” Scholes said.

Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Nashville. You can reach him at ndiller@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Royal Caribbean's Icon of the Seas sees high demand, prices