I spent a week on Royal Caribbean’s Legend of the Seas, the world’s largest cruise ship

Come with me, and you’ll be in a world of pure imagination. Those lines are sung by Willy Wonka in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and they seemed apt as I wandered the decks of Royal Caribbean’s newest cruise vessel Legend of the Seas.

I felt as if I had a golden ticket as one of the first passengers to climb aboard the cruise ship ahead of its launch in Europe this summer. It was like stepping into Wonka’s world.

The Charlie and the Chocolate Factory show is being performed on the megaship but the whole vessel seemed to keep growing like a never-ending gobstopper, with more pools, bars and restaurants appearing wherever I walked. In fact, there are a whopping seven pools, 20 bars and 28 restaurants on board.

There is colour everywhere, from the giant pearl structure at the entrance made of 612 hue-changing LEDs to the eight different districts, complete with gigantic waterslides and chill-out areas.

And there are plenty of Wonka-style treats around the ship. I sang with a performer playing piano in one of the 12 lifts. I found a novel way to travel between two decks in the pool area by taking a dry slide rather than steps. And the resident pet, or “chief dog officer”, Skipper, hangs out by the running track.

This is the third Icon class ship built by Royal Caribbean, proudly staking a claim to being the largest cruise ships in the world. There are four more in development, with the next iterations due to be delivered in 2029 and 2030.

At 364.84 metres long, Legend of the Seas is officially the biggest of the bunch, beating its sister ships Icon and Star by just 4mm. The gross tonnage remains the same at 248,663 and it can cater for up to 5,600 passengers.

While size may matter to some, the onboard experience is also important.

Royal Caribbean’s own version of Willy Wonka, chief executive Michael Bayley, explains that the Icon ships are built to balance “tradition, evolution and revolution.”

Guest favourites such as the Royal Promenade’s all-night pizza venue Sorrento’s – available on most Royal Caribbean ships – are still on board and I can report that the margherita and lemonade are still delicious.

Passengers can also still enjoy karaoke in the popular Duelling Pianos bar, where they can test performers with requests (who strangely ignored a call for the Titanic theme tune). Elsewhere on the deck, you will also still find the Schooners bar and Latin-themed club Boleros.

The tradition that Royal Caribbean is aiming to uphold continues with popular districts from other cruise ships such as the green and serene plant-filled Central Park on deck eight.

It is one of my favourite areas, with its quiet bars and speciality steak and sushi restaurants. It provides a peaceful oasis compared with the bright pink flamingo that welcomes passengers one deck below in the Surfside district.

This is a family-focused area, part of the evolution side of the Icon class, with an arcade, sweet shops, ice cream, a duck-themed carousel and splash park. There is even a duck grabber machine where I boosted my collection of cruise ducks a dollar at a time. It is what you would get if you asked a child to design a cruise deck.

The evolution continues on deck 16 where Royal Caribbean has transformed the way it does waterslides with Thrill Island, a 17,010 square foot space that takes up most of deck 16 with the world’s largest waterpark at sea.

There are six waterslides to choose from including the 46-foot-high Frightening Bolt, which starts with a near-vertical drop. I opted for the comparatively tame Hurricane Hunter that spun me through twisting bright purple tubes in an inflatable ring.

Royal Caribbean has gone beyond waterslides though and I discovered one of its revolutionary aspects further round deck 16 when I climbed Crown’s Edge, a mix of a sky walk and zipline. It took me 154 feet above the ocean and onto the side of the ship.

I got a sense of the size of the vessel as I stepped close to the famous Royal Caribbean crown logo.

I had barely finished admiring the design and views of the ocean before the platform below gave way and I ziplined back onto the deck.

Luckily, it is only a few steps to the more-relaxed pool deck named Chill Island, where I recovered with a much-needed drink from the swim-up Swim and Tonic bar. I also found my favourite onboard restaurant in Chill Island, El Loco Fresh, where passengers can make their own burritos and nacho bowls while sitting in the sun or shade.

Many of these features are already on the other Icon class ships but Legend has its own revolutionary approach.

I entered Royal Railway Legend station one evening to board a virtual train that follows the route of explorer Marco Polo. I was given my own train ticket and felt as if I was entering a real old fashioned steam train carriage, full of dark brown oak panelling and large windows. The room rocked as if we were on tracks as virtual scenery took us through India, China and Italy while waiters served delicious food inspired by each destination such as fragrant curries and crispy spring rolls.

Legend also has its own unique and memorable shows. I am still amazed at the sight of a diver falling out of the sky and into the water during Shockwave, and the way dancers and drones delicately moved around in the Fusion ice-skating show.

My favourite show was Charlie and the Chocolate Factory though – the flagship theatre performance on the ship for its maiden season.

The set is full of detail such as Charlie’s rickety house and is a real feast for the senses with the smell of chocolate wafting into the Royal Theatre as Wonka’s colourful factory is revealed.

There is extra magic as Wonka and Charlie fly out into the audience on a glass elevator as the curtain comes down on the show and my cruise. A legendary sailing full of fun and wonder that it is worth finding a golden ticket for.

How to do it

Prices for a seven-night, round trip Mediterranean sailing from Barcelona aboard Legend of the Seas start from £1,210 per person, based on a 13 September 2026 departure.

Book now