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‘Icon of the Seas’ developed by Royal Caribbean International is all set to become the world’s biggest cruise ever. The construction of the ship was recently completed at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland. Following that, the ship ventured into the open sea for trial runs before its potential delivery in October, and will potentially set sail on its maiden voyage in January 2024.
The President and CEO of Royal Caribbean International Michael Bayley had spoken during an on-site press conference in Turku, Finland earlier this year. He said that the world's largest cruise was set to join the Royal Caribbean fleet on October 26, 2023, ahead of its long-anticipated January 27, 2024, debut.
More recently, the company issued another statement and confirmed to CNN that the construction of the 'Icon of the Seas' was completed. They also said that the ship had successfully passed its first set of trials as of June 22, 2023.
“During her first set of sea trials, Icon of the Seas traveled hundreds of miles, during which the main engines, hull, brake systems, steering, noise, and vibration levels were all tested. Everything was done on time as outlined in the schedule, despite her departure being delayed due to wind conditions,” the statement said.
The news of the completion of the ship was shared by multiple news outlets and accounts across social media and led to a number of hilarious comments from people. When @pubity shared the same on its Instagram account, people took to the platform to make comments not just about the ship but also about the Titanic, with one person saying:
People drew references to the Titanic because just like the new ship, it was deemed to be the world's largest ship during its time. Additionally, since the Titanic had a fatal accident during its maiden voyage, netizens fear that the same might happen to the 'Icon of the Seas.'
Currently, the title of the world’s largest cruise is held by another of Royal Caribbean’s ships named ‘Wonder of the Seas.’ It made its maiden voyage in 2022. As per sources, it’s 6% smaller than the ‘Icon of the Seas.’
Netizens have hilarious reactions to the ‘Icon of the Seas’ being ready
The company is busy promoting 'Icon of the Seas' as the ultimate futuristic cruise experience built on the latest technology and state-of-the-art amenities following 50 years of lessons. Meanwhile, netizens can't seem to stop making fun of the ship and making Titanic references. As mentioned earlier, @pubity shared the news on its Instagram account while @PopBase did so on Twitter.
People took to both these platforms to share their thoughts and make hilarious comments. While some had concerns about the cruise ship's fate on its maiden voyage, others made jokes about how people haven't seemingly learned anything from the original Titanic.
‘Icon of the Seas’ has already generated record-breaking advance sales from around the world with its first cruise already sold out. In fact, Royal Caribbean International has said that it’s “literally the best-performing new product launch we’ve ever had.”
The cruise will have a number of amenities and luxuries including waterslides and a free-fall slide
The ‘Icon of the Seas’ is a whopping 365 meters long, and weighs roughly 250,800 tonnes. It can comfortably carry over 5600 passengers and 2350 crew, as per CNN reports. It promises to redefine luxury and adventure on open waters through its main attraction Category 6.
The ship is nothing but the world’s largest waterpark at sea and will have six record-breaking water slides. It also includes the first open free-fall slide on the sea called Pressure Drop, the tallest waterslide, Frightening Bolt, and several other family raft slides, along with mat-racing slides.
In addition, the cruise will also have seven pools (including Royal Bay, the largest pool ever on sea), one family aqua park, a swim-up bar, and nine whirlpools. It will also have 20 decks to explore alongside 8 neighborhoods.
The goal of Royal Caribbean International is to attract all kinds of travelers, be it young couples, old people, children as well as large groups of family and friends. It will also have the world’s first dueling pianos bar for adults on a cruise.
There will also be more than 40 ways to drink, dine, and be entertained onboard, with arcades, live music, and other entertaining shows. All of this will be included in the cruise fare, which starts at $1700 per person. It also has 28 different kinds of accommodations catering to all kinds of vacationers.
What’s even more interesting is that the ‘Icon of the Seas’ will be the company’s first-ever cruise to run on LNG (liquified natural gas) and fuel cell technology. It is part of Royal Caribbean International’s sustainable and clean-energy goals for the future.
For those curious, ‘Icon of the Seas’ will have many annual voyages starting from Miami. As of now, its seven-night Eastern and Western Caribbean package has been revealed. It has popular beach destinations such as the Bahamas, Honduras, St. Maarten, CocoCay, and The Hideaway as its major attractions.
