The world’s biggest cruise ship isn’t too far away from her maiden voyage, and it’s going to be a momentous day, given the sheer size and luxury of the vessel.
It’s called Icon of the Seas and it’s an absolutely gigantic ship. In fact, it’s so big that it’s five times bigger than the Titanic.
We can only hope that the maiden voyage – and all others, to be fair – are more successful than that 1912 equivalent.
Icon of the Seas has been built for cruise line Royal Caribbean at a shipyard in Finland, and it’s already made a first journey into open waters, before it is likely to be delivered in October.
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The humongous vessel is a full 365 meters long – around 1,200 feet – and weighs in at 250,800 tonnes.
If you’re struggling to put that into context, don’t worry too much, just know that it’s a lot.
The ship will first set sail in January 2024, taking passengers on journeys around the world in the lap of luxury.
By the way, it will hold easily 7,600 passengers and 2,350 members of crew, putting the actual at-sea capacity of the ship at around 10,000 people.
The real showpiece of the Icon is the world’s largest waterpark at sea, featuring no less than six record-breaking slides, as well as seven pools and nine whirlpools for those who don’t fancy the white-knuckle stuff.
The ship is supposed to be released to the company on schedule following construction at the Meyer Turku yard, ahead of that 2024 maiden voyage.
As it stands the current benchmark for the world’s largest cruise ship is another owned by Royal Caribbean, the Wonder of the Seas.
Length-wise, it’s only 1,188 feet, and there are only 18 decks, as opposed to the Icon’s 20.
Eww, how could you live with only 18 decks?
As well as the ‘Category 6’ waterpark, there’s the AquaDome, which will have shows, a massive viewing area, and the tallest waterfall at sea, measuring 55 feet. There’s also a full park, a ‘chill island’ pool deck, and a swim-up bar.
On top of that, there’s loads of bars and restaurants, a surf simulator, a mini-golf course, sports court, rock climbing, and – well – you get the idea.
That’s before you get to the idea that you’ll be travelling around the Caribbean for your voyage, as well as spending a day at Royal Caribbean’s private island resort, CocoCay.
It’s going to be an incredible bit of kit, and you’ll be able to get on board from January 2024, as that’s when it’ll be setting off around the globe.
Bring your cheque-book, though, as this sort of luxury doesn’t come too cheap.
Topics: Travel, World News, Royal Caribbean
Tom Wood