At 365 meters long — nearly 1,200 feet — and weighing 250,000 tonnes, Royal Caribbean International’s Icon of the Seas is the largest cruise ship on the planet. While it’s not quite ready to invite vacationers onboard, the gargantuan cruise ship reached a major milestone last month.
On June 22, the Icon of the Seas successfully completed her initial round of sea trials, a four-day journey culminating in the ship’s return to Finland’s Meyer Turku shipyard.
“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,” Royal Caribbean International reported on June 23. “Everything was done on time as outlined in the schedule, despite her departure being delayed due to wind conditions.”
The ship is set to welcome passengers for Caribbean cruises in January 2024. It can hold 5,610 passengers, as well as 2,350 crew members. Onboard, the Icon of the Seas will feature the world’s largest waterpark at sea, Category 6, which will feature six different water slides.
“There’s roughly seven months to go until this record-breaking ship departs on her first voyage out of Miami, Florida on January 27, 2024,” the cruise liner reported. “This is where she will be based through at least April 2025, where she will make 7-night cruises to the Caribbean.
“When she is completed, Icon of the Seas will be 6% larger than Wonder of the Seas, which means that she will steal the title for largest cruise ship in the world.”
A second set of sea trials is currently scheduled for later this year.
“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,” Royal Caribbean International president and chief executive Michael Bayley told CNN.
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