- Meyer Turku completed the Aquahome dome lift on 28 June 2026.
- The structure measures 25 metres high and 50 metres wide.
- Hero of the Seas weighs 250,800 tons.
- The ship carries 5,610 passengers.
- Maiden voyage departs August 2027 from PortMiami.
Legend of the Seas has just started tits summer programme, but the next Royal Caribbean build, a new largest ship in the world, has just had its aquadome installed.
Meyer Turku installed the signature Aquahome glass dome on Royal Caribbean’s Hero of the Seas. The 25-metre-high and 50-metre-wide structure is the largest single-piece glass and steel lift ever completed on a ship. Construction of the 250,800-ton Icon-class vessel continues at the Turku shipyard in Finland.
The dome forms part of the Aquadome complex that will house an aquatic theatre along with restaurants, bars and lounges. Workers lifted the piece into place on 28 June 2026. The entire operation took around 24 hours with the actual lift completed in a few hours under perfect weather conditions.
This marks the fourth Aquadome installation for the Icon class. Hero of the Seas follows Icon of the Seas, Star of the Seas and Legend of the Seas. The shipwill have a capacity for 5,610 passengers and will begin seven-night Caribbean and Bahamas cruises from PortMiami in August 2027.
Elvis Kulovac shared “This was already the fourth Aquadome lift. The entire operation went exceptionally well in terms of both timing and schedule. The prep work had been carried out carefully, and the conditions were perfect. There was virtually no wind, which is crucial for a lift of this scale. The entire process took about 24 hours, while the actual lift was completed in just a few hours.”
