World's Largest Cruise Ship Reaches Construction Milestone
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Cruise line brand Royal Caribbean announced it completed the initial round of sea trials for the Icon of the Seas, the world’s largest cruise ship.
Icon cruised the open ocean for the first time, where Royal Caribbean spent four days running preliminary tests on the massive vessel’s main engines, hull, brake system, steering, and noise and vibration levels. Icon measures 1,198 feet long with 250,800 gross tonnage. Its nearly 10,000-person capacity, which includes approximately 2,300 crew members, will be able to partake in the ship’s eight neighborhoods: Central Park, The Aquadome, Royal Promenade, Chill Island, Royal Promenade, Surfside, Suite Neighborhood, The Hideaway, and Thrill Island.
The ship will also feature 20 total decks, seven pools, nine whirlpools, and what Royal Caribbean calls six “record-breaking” waterslides. Prices for interested customers range from $1,876 to $2,675 per person.
According to Royal Caribbean, bringing the Icon to life took over 2,000 specialists, hundreds of miles traveled, more than 350 hours of work, and four 37 to 67-ton tugboats. Following the initial round of sea trials, the Icon returned to the Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland, where the ship’s construction is ongoing. The second round of sea trials is scheduled for later this year.
Royal Caribbean expects Icon to debut in Miami next January and sail seven-night vacations year-round to locations including the Bahamas, Philipsburg, St. Maarten; Cozumel, Mexico; Roatan, Honduras; and Royal Caribbean’s private island, CocoCay.
