Shane Cullen interviews Aaron Langford, Senior Sales Director for UK & Ireland, Royal Caribbean International (“RCI”) on the cruise company’s pipeline into 2026 and beyond.
Aaron Langford – Senior Sales Director for UK & Ireland, RCI
Aaron, thanks so much for taking the time to sit down with us today. You’ve got so many things in the pipeline with Royal Caribbean, do you want to go through maybe one or two of them?
“One or two? Okay. Let’s start chronologically, shall we? The big news next year, obviously, is that Legend of the Seas is coming to Europe. Third in class, like the successful icon class ships. We launched Star of the Seas this year, which was fabulous, obviously. We launched Icon of the Seas back in January 2024, so we’ve had a huge reception for Icon-Class ships.”
“For someone who has worked for the company for 18 years, it is unfathomable to think that we keep pushing the bar, but we do. Next year, Legend of the Seas comes to Europe, which we’re super thrilled about. She’ll be doing her 7-night Western Mediterranean out of Barcelona. She arrives mid-July, and we’ll be there through the middle of October.”
“And the good news is that we’ve also opened up our 2027 deployment, where she will come back to Barcelona from May and do a full season. She will be a main stayer in Barcelona for the foreseeable future, which is super exciting for us over this side of the world, because usually when these new ships come out, they go to Florida, which is also a great destination, but we’re super excited.”
It is really exciting, and that’s big news with Legend of the Seas. What else is next?
“You know, we don’t just do fabulous ships. Now we build fabulous destinations. I’ve much loved Perfect Day at Coco Quay which everyone will know about. And, big news for Europe next year is Royal Beach Club Santorini, which will be open in mid-summer 2026 which is super exciting for my team and myself.”
“For years, we have asked the powers that be in Miami when and if we would have some sort of beach-style resort, a Perfect Day in Europe. Lo and behold, we have done that with a resort in one of our top-rated destinations in Santorini so we are really excited about that news.”
“Again, the list doesn’t stop there. Through to 2028, we’ve got either a new ship to handle or a new destination coming out between then and 2028, so we’re pretty stacked.”
In Europe, Royal Beach Club Santorini will welcome vacationers from Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises in summer 2026. This setting will combine the breathtaking volcanic beaches of this iconic Greek island with the company’s signature experiences alongside the vibrant local spirit and culture.
The beach club will be part of an Ultimate Santorini Day that will include a scenic ferry tour along Santorini’s breathtaking coastline. Guests can soak up the sunshine or swim in the Aegean Sea, indulge in gourmet dining and enjoy spectacular ocean views. Guests will stop in Oia to admire the iconic blue-domed architecture and Fira, and stroll through the local shops, cafes and art galleries before enjoying the Mediterranean vibes of the beach club. Included in the Royal Beach Club Santorini is:
- A three-town tour of must-see landmarks & a scenic ferry tour
- A stop at the Santorini Royal Beach Club
- Complimentary gourmet beachfront dining
- Access to a volcanic black sand beach
- Umbrellas, lounges, Wifi & more
Passes are already available to book via the Royal App or My Royal Cruise as “Ultimate Santorini Full Day Tour with Royal Beach Club“. It is open to Royal Caribbean Group guests (so guests sailing on Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises).
There are so many really exciting things coming to the brand. You mentioned Legend of the Seas. Is there going to be any new tweaks compared to her sister ships?
“There will, but they are tightly guarded in terms of the tweaks. I would expect more ways to dine, more different ways to dine. We will have the Royal Railway, which we actually introduced on Utopia of the Seas last year. On Utopia of the Seas, it was Wild-West-themed and the concept is very exclusive.”
“It is about 24 covers on Utopia with slightly more on Legend of the Sea. The theme is the Silk Route so that will then come with the experience of taste and smell and sight and everything. And just as a reminder, the environment you’re in is a carriage. You’re in a room which looks like a train carriage and on the walls, its projecting your experience outside of the carriage.”
One of the most notable restaurants onboard Utopia at Sea is the immersive at-sea dining experience called Royal Railway℠ – Utopia Station℠. The meticulously designed dining car simulates a locomotive train ride with high-definition screens as windows and food courses to pair with the scenery of a guest’s virtual journey. Diners start with pre-dinner drinks at the station platform and wait for the whistle to blow to kick-start this creative and delicious multi-course adventure that transports guests to places like America’s Wild West and other iconic destinations across the globe.
Back to the Future with Royal Caribbean
“The big news in terms of the entertainment for Star of the Seas was Back to the Future which was absolutely mind-blowing. The new news for next year for Legend of the Seas is Charlie and the Chocolate Factory so golden tickets galore so we are going to have a lot of fun with that over the next couple of months as we lead up to the launch in July.”
In terms of trade engagement, is there anything you have planned for 2026?
“We finished our first run of our well-known well-loved and very successful hashtag #GetMeOn. And we’ve been doing these for many years. The first one was #GetMeOnHarmony back in 2016, then we did #GetMeOnSymphony in 2018 and then we fastforward to #GetMeOnWonder in 2022. The idea here is that people get to sign up to the competition. There will be something big in January coming, and the idea will be to get your place on Legend next year with us and celebrate a massive party when she comes to Barcelona.”
For more on the Legend of the Seas Trade Incentive, check out:
“We are elevating our trade support and our trade engagement, predominantly through experience. As I mentioned, my passion point is trying to get people to come and see the products. Me and my team, we can talk about it all day long till we are blue in the face, but there’s nothing like going and experiencing it, being able to sell it through the eyes of lived experience. We’re looking at how we amplify that. We do lots of ship visits in Southampton for the Irish market [but] how do we get Irish trade to Barcelona? I’ll be focusing on that.”
“The other big things we are looking at is, obviously, we can’t get everyone on every single ship so how do we bring the ship to people? And there’s a lot of focus and deliverable that will come next year as it relates to VR (Virtual Reality) – how we get people to see and experience through virtual reality, which I’m super excited about because if you can’t get there, the next best thing is virtual reality and we’re going pretty big with that – I’ve actually got a Vice President of Virtual Reality – so you are basically a gamer.“
For More on Royal Caribbean
For more on Royal Caribbean, check out:
