Royal Caribbean's new Icon of the Seas will be world's biggest cruise ship, with room for nearly 10,000 people

Table Of Content

• Royal Caribbean Blog is your ultimate source for Royal Caribbean coverage.
• Water slides, spas, ice rinks on the world's largest cruise ships — in pictures
• Design
• RCI-Royal Caribbean's ship Icon of the Seas conducts boat rescue operation
• Current itinerary of Icon Of The Seas
• How Big Is ‘Icon Of The Seas’?

The same yard also built RCI's first two OASIS-class boats - Oasis OTS (2009) and Allure OTS (2010). The ship is currently scheduled to operate alternating Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries (7-day roundtrips from Miami), all visiting CocoCay Bahamas. The voyages' call ports include Philipsburg (St. Maarten), Basseterre (St Kitts), Charlotte Amalie (St Thomas, US Virgin Islands), Coxen Hole (Isla Roatan, Honduras), Mexico's Cozumel and Costa Maya. There is also a Messhall (multipurpose room/entertainment venue) where can be hosted crew training sessions as well as celebrations and dance parties. The Pearl is a unique kinetic art sculpture providing multi-sensory experiences and housing special "sound and sight" events. It has height 14 m (45 ft), diameter 16 m (52 ft), and is constructed from ~3000 computer-driven kinetic tiles.

Royal Caribbean Blog is your ultimate source for Royal Caribbean coverage.

10 cruise ships to book right now instead of Royal Caribbean's Icon of the Seas - Cruise Blog

10 cruise ships to book right now instead of Royal Caribbean's Icon of the Seas.

Posted: Wed, 14 Feb 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]

For Broadway enthusiasts, the ship also hosts a rendition of "The Wizard of Oz." As an anti-cruise, anti-musical cynic, the musical was, I hate to admit, impressive and entertaining. Hard not to be childishly delighted by the sight of Dorothy and Toto flying around the theater in a large suspended bed. Icon's shows include an ice skating performance and a water-based spectacular with nine-foot-tall robotic arms and high divers. Royal Caribbean assigned me an ocean-view balcony cabin during the three-night cruise.

Water slides, spas, ice rinks on the world's largest cruise ships — in pictures

During the drydocking in Cadiz Spain (Dec 5-23, 2023), the Central Park received 10,000+ live plants. The drydocking was also for final adjustments and technical works, including on the boxcoolers (heat exchangers) and sea chests (recesses in the hull), as well as repairs to the propulsion system (an ABB Azipod). ROYAL CARIBBEAN CRUISES LTD is registered as the shipowner and management company. Curiously, Icon OTS is RCI's first vessel with a Chief Dog Officer - the "family dog" Rover (5-month-old female golden retriever) who boarded the ship in Ponce (Puerto Rico) with Alison Hubble (Chief of Staff).

Design

Metalcolour Group has subsidiaries/production plants in Sweden, Denmark and Singapore. In May 2021, the first hull blocks of Icon OTS (fabricated at Neptun Werft Shipyard, Rostock Germany) were loaded onto barges and shipped to Finland for drydock assembly (welded together). Meyer Turku also constructed RCI's mega-liners Oasis OTS (2009) and Allure OTS (2010). All blocks (hull+superstructure sections/201 total) were made in Germany (at Neptun Werft in Rostock), then transported/tugged on heavy-lift barges to Finland for assembly. The vessel's construction officially started on June 14, 2021, with the steel-cutting ceremony (yard/hull number 1400) held at Meyer Turku Shipyard in Turku Finland. The ceremony was attended by Richard Fain (RCG's Chairman and CEO), Michael Bayley (RCI's President and CEO), and Tim Meyer (Meyer Turku's CEO).

Photos of Icon Of The Seas

Leaving roundtrip out of Miami, before the official inaugural sailing (Jan 27th), Icon OTS had several shakedown/test cruises. During the passenger-free voyages, company employees (crew and service staff) acted as guests, to test/adjust the onboard procedures. The last test cruise (Jan 20-23) was attended also by Royal Caribbean executives, VIP guests, travel agents and media representatives.

Absolute Zero (decks 4-5) is an Ice-Rink Arena and RCI fleet's largest ice-skating stadium (complimentary show lounge/theater). Daily, Absolute Zero is operated with 45-min sessions (max 50 guests per session) for ice-skating, ice games, hockey, demonstrations, adult scavenger hunts. In the evenings, there is a live RCI original production show (professional ice show). Absolute Zero is a complimentary venue (equipment is provided) and reservations are not required but tickets must be obtained in advance. The "Ultimate Family Townhouse" is a 3-deck/level suite designed for families. The stateroom is with private access to Surfside Neighborhood and features an indoor dry slide, media room/cinema, karaoke room, huge terrace.

Icon of the Seas, the world's largest cruise ship, arrives at PortMiami - NBC 6 South Florida

Icon of the Seas, the world's largest cruise ship, arrives at PortMiami.

Posted: Wed, 10 Jan 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]

RCI-Royal Caribbean's ship Icon of the Seas conducts boat rescue operation

Like all RCI boats, Icon also has a FlowRider (surfing simulator positioned aft-starboard on top deck), an island-themed Mini-Golf Course (Lost Dunes) and Rock-Climbing Walls (at Adrenaline Peak), Ice-Rink Arena (Absolute Zero/fleet's largest). At over 250,000 tons and a capacity of 5,610 guests, the newbuild will be significantly larger than its fleet mate Wonder of the Seas, the 227,625-ton vessel that currently holds the title. However, Icon of the Seas will only have 2,805 cabins compared to Wonder's 2,867 — despite carrying more people when all berths are filled. That's because Royal Caribbean is targeting this ship to families and planning for the ship to sail with more cabins carrying more than two passengers.

On the new Icon of the Seas℠, where you stay is just as thrilling as how you play. From expansive balconies that invite the sea breeze to our most over-the-top family accommodations — our range of spacious rooms is designed with family comfort in mind. Crossing a 1,198-foot-long, 20-deck ship takes time, especially with the crowds of up to 7,600 guests, slow elevators, and inevitable distractions. Ahead of its January 27 debut, Royal Caribbean invited me on a complimentary, three-night preview sailing.

The new Surfside zone, for instance, was designed for young families, focusing on adults and kids ages six and under. Located at the stern of the vessel, the area features pool areas for both adults and children, as well as dining options, a bar, a carousel, an arcade, and more. Icon of the Seas℠ is not just another cruise ship, it is an extraordinary new class of adventure built with technological innovation in mind.

Both are full-length production shows with professional performances (singing, dancing, acting, live band music) by the ship's resident entertainment staff. Signature shows are "Hairspray" (musical comedy / original Broadway production themed on humor and commentaries on early 1960's race relations) and "Flight" (themed on the history of flying). Specifically for Icon OTS was developed "The Wizard of Oz" (2011-created musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber) presented on the ship 3-4 times weekly. Other theater entertainment options are the rotating Headliners (tribute band show) and popular game shows (like "Love and Marriage"). Royal Theater has its own bar for refreshments (waiter service during the shows).

From performances that push the bounds of bravery to mixology magic against a background of wraparound ocean views — icons don’t just steal the show, they change the way you see it forever. This is a whole new kind of adventure with new thrills that change the way you play for good. Like six record-breaking waterslides and an all-out test of courage dangling high above the ocean. With spacious balconies, extended ocean side escapes, and floor-to-ceiling panoramic windows, there’s so much to see at sea. Max out memories like never before on 7-night adventures to the Eastern Caribbean onboard Icon of the Seas℠.

RCI's ICON liners run primarily on LNG but also on distillate fuel (MDO/marine diesel oil), in order to accommodate itineraries with call ports without LNG-support infrastructure. The design includes shoreside power capabilities allowing the main engines to be shut down while the boats are docked/berthed in ports fitted with such equipment. During the port stay, all the electricity needed for onboard operations/hotel services is provided by the city's power grid. On the Royal Promenade is hosted RCI's traditional family-themed parade "Ships Ahoy!". Unlike on all previous RCI ships with a Royal Promenade, Icon OTS' Royal Promenade has a dog statue instead of a classic car/vintage automobile.

Even though Meyer Turku's time with Icon has come to an end, they're hard at work building Star of the Seas. The AquaDome Neighborhood is home to an enclosed AquaTheater, as well as a food hall featuring five different food vendors where you can choose from options ranging from mac and cheese to handcrafted Mediterranean bowls. Icon of the Seas measures an astonishing 250,800 gross registered tons and can carry a maximum of 7,600 passengers, making Icon roughly 6% larger than Wonder of the Seas. Icon of the Seas is part of Royal Caribbean's first new class of ship since Quantum of the Seas launched in 2014. Your browser is outdated and does not support many of the modern features of this website, please click here to update it. A family vacation doesn’t get any more VIP than in the first-ever Ultimate Family Townhouse — a sprawling adventure-filled pad with three levels of incredible surprises.

Reprieve from the army of screaming children can be found in no-kid zones like the DJ-helmed Hideaway. Here, adults can luxuriate in a beach club-like suspended infinity pool with a cocktail in hand and no kids in sight. It turns out I can't walk the length of the world's largest cruise ship in two minutes. Cruise ships' cabins are modular (prefabricated and later assembled at the shipyard) and made by the subsidiary Piikkio Works Oy, which has a factory in Piikkio Finland (approx 20 km / 13 mi to the east of Turku City). Cruise ships' public spaces are also prefabricated (and later drydock-assembled) and made by the subsidiary Shipbuilding Completion Oy (in Turku). Technology design and engineering services are provided by the company ENGnD Oy (Rauma Finland).