Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas is Almost Ready to Sail

The construction of the Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas has been completed at Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland. Measuring 365 meters long and weighing approximately 250,800 tonnes, the Icon of the Seas is the world’s largest cruise ship. To give you an idea, the ship is similar to that of two CN Towers.

Aside from the size, the ship also comes with some of the latest tech. It is the first Royal Caribbean ship powered by liquefied natural gas and fuel cell technology. This is part of the cruise line’s efforts to support the use of clean energy.

The Icon of the Seas is scheduled for delivery in October this year and is set to sail by January 2024. It can hold around 5600 passengers and more than 2300 crew.  The Icon of the Seas also features the largest waterpark on a cruise ship. It comes with six water slides, seven pools, and nine whirlpools.

Bigger Than the Wonder of the Seas

The current holder of the world’s largest cruise ship is also a Royal Caribbean ship. It is the Wonder of the Seas that made its debut last year.

In a statement, Royal Caribbean announced that the first set of sea trials was completed on June 22. The statement mentioned that “During her first set of sea trials, Icon of the Seas traveled hundreds of miles, during which the main engines, hull, brake system, steering, noise, and vibration levels were all tested.” It added that “Everything was done on time as outlined in the schedule, despite her departure being delayed due to wind conditions.”

According to Royal Caribbean’s president and chief executive Michael Bayley, the Icon of the Seas is on schedule to join Royal Caribbean’s fleet on October 26.

Bayley said that “We are positioning it as the ultimate family vacation and when you step back and look at all the energy and time that has gone into creating this ship it is mind-blowing.”

Different Ways to Be Entertained

Passengers will have different ways how they can dine, drink, and enjoy its entertainment features. There are 20 decks along with 8 neighborhoods, catering to different types of passengers. There will be areas for a young family and spaces where people can enjoy some adults-only entertainment.

Royal Caribbean is offering 28 kinds of accommodations. According to the cruise line, it took a long time for them to design the “perfect home base.”