The new Legend of the Seas will enter service for Royal Caribbean International earlier than initially planned.

According to a statement sent to guests, the ship’s maiden cruise was pushed forward and is now set to depart from the Italian port of Civitavecchia on July 4, 2026.

The third Icon-class vessel was set to enter service on July 11, 2026, kicking off a seven-night cruise in the Western Mediterranean.

“Building such a large and incredible ship is no easy feat, but lucky for us, there are times when we get to embark on our new ship ahead of schedule,” Royal Caribbean said.

“We simply cannot wait to show off The Next Icon of Vacations, the Legend of the Seas, with one extra sailing, a seven-night Western Mediterranean cruise,” the company added.

Royal Caribbean explained that the newly added departure will serve as the ship’s inaugural sailing, kicking off Legend’s maiden season celebrations.

The company is also offering guests who booked the previous maiden cruise an opportunity to move their reservations to the new sailing.

“Not to worry, our July 11 sailing that is part of our showcase will still take place, but we wanted to give you an exclusive opportunity to join us for this new sailing,” Royal Caribbean explained.

The company said that it will move bookings for the new date into the same suite or like-for-like stateroom at no extra cost, on a first-come, first-served basis.

Royal Caribbean noted that the original cruise fare will either be protected at the original cruise rate or reduced to the current cruise fare based on what’s lower.

Taxes, fees, gratuities and other non-cruise fare items will be at the prevailing rate, the company continued.

Royal Caribbean also said that guests who purchased air travel with its Air2Sea team and decide to move their existing bookings to the new date will have direct assistance.

For guests who booked non-refundable air and/or hotel independently, the company will cover any travel change fees up to $200 for domestic travel or $400 for international travel per person.

The Legend of the Seas is currently in the final stages of construction at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Turku, Finland.