Royal Caribbean Welcomes Icon of the Seas, the Largest Cruise Ship in the World.
Royal Caribbean International has just welcomed the world’s largest cruise ship, Icon of the Seas, from the Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland. This milestone comes after over seven years of planning and 900 days of design and construction.
Icon of the Seas is the first in a trio of Icon Class ships for Royal Caribbean. Weighing in at a record-breaking 250,800 gross tonnes, this massive ship can host up to 5,610 passengers in double occupancy, with a maximum capacity of 7,600 guests, plus 2,350 crew members. The next ship in this class is set to arrive in 2025, followed by the third in 2026.
What makes Icon of the Seas even more special is that it’s Royal Caribbean’s first ship powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG). It’s packed with energy-efficient features and cutting-edge environmental programs, including the first waste-to-energy plant at sea. This makes the ship 24% more energy efficient than current standards, marking a big step towards Royal Caribbean Group’s goal of launching a net-zero cruise ship by 2035.
The first two ships in this class were ordered back in 2016, with the original delivery dates set for 2022 and 2024, but the pandemic caused some delays.
Royal Caribbean celebrated the delivery with a big ceremony on Monday. Over 1,200 crew members and workers attended, along with Jason Liberty, President and CEO of Royal Caribbean Group, Michael Bayley, President and CEO of Royal Caribbean International, and Tim Meyer, CEO of Meyer Turku.
“Delivering Icon of the Seas shows what we can achieve with strong partnerships and a commitment to creating unforgettable vacations responsibly. The memories millions of families and vacationers will make on Icon will be our greatest accomplishment yet,” said Liberty.
The ship also boasts the first “AquaDome,” the largest glass and steel structure ever lifted onto a cruise ship, and some cool engineering innovations to provide more water on board than ever before, including seven pools and six record-breaking waterslides.
Icon of the Seas will sail from Turku to Cadiz, Spain, for the final touches before its highly anticipated debut in Miami in January 2024.
“Welcoming Icon of the Seas to the Royal Caribbean family is a remarkable achievement years in the making,” said Michael Bayley. “Seven years ago, we had an ambitious idea to create the first vacation truly made for every type of family and adventurer, and now, it’s in our hands. We’ll bring it all to life for the biggest debut in our history in January 2024.”
