World’s biggest cruise ship launches this month – with 7,600 guests, record-breaking waterpark & first at-sea promenade
THE WORLD’S largest cruise ship, which is due to set sail later this month, has been spotted at a port in Puerto Rico.
Royal Caribbean‘s Icon of the Seas is preparing to welcome passengers aboard.
The huge vessel was recently spotted at a port in Pounce in Puerto Rico, as part of its trial voyage.
Icon of the Seas is due to set sail from Miami on January 27, 2024, taking passengers on a seven-night hop around the Caribbean.
The week-long trip will even feature a stop at Royal Caribbean’s private island in the Bahamas.
Icon of The Seas will be able to hold 7,600 passengers across its 20 decks.
More than 40 bars and restaurants will be spread across eight unique “neighbourhoods” onboard the giant ship.
There will be a one-of-a-kind promenade featured at the heart of the ship complete with floor-to-ceiling windows that will give guests sea views.
The promenade’s sea views have only been made possible by the Pearl – a sphere-shaped steel structure that acts as a weight-bearing device.
Standing taller than the Hollywood sign and weighing more than a Boeing 787, the Pearl physically helps to support and anchor the ship.
Despite being used to support the ship, passengers will also be able to walk through the Pearl.
Spanning across three decks, holidaymakers will be able to watch the walls move and change colour in the Pearl.
There will also be 15 bars and restaurants located in the promenade area surrounding the Pearl.
Among the bars and restaurants, there will be familiar favourites like Giovanni’s Wine Bar and Kitchen and Spotlight Karaoke.
New venues are also set to open, including a dueling piano bar where guests can battle it out over the keys.
The promenade area will also feature a space called Absolute Zero – the largest at-sea ice skating rink.
Other features in the promenade area will include a laser tag arena, full-scale theatre productions, and designated spaces for children and teenagers.
There are plenty of other exciting features on the Icon of the Seas too, including Thrill Island – the largest waterpark at sea.
Inside the at-sea waterpark, there will be six waterslides, including the Frightening Bolt, which is said to be the cruise ship’s tallest drop-slide.
The waterpark will also have the first at-sea family raft slides called Hurricane Hunter and Storm Surge.
Other features inside the waterpark include an obstacle course where guests are suspended 154ft above the ocean.
Firm favourites like a surf simulator and a mini golf course will also be on board.
Guests can also experience the world’s first suspended infinity pool, with floating sun loungers and jaw-dropping ocean views.
There will be 28 different cabin options for passengers to choose from, including the Ultimate Family Townhouse.
Spanning across three decks, the Ultimate Family Townhouse will feature a slide, a white picket fence, and even a mailbox.
Meanwhile, Infinite Balcony rooms will feature a retractable window turning floor-to-ceiling glass into a balcony.
Guests in the new Sunset Corner Suites will enjoy vast terraces overlooking the rear of the ship.
The announcement of its construction was made in 2016, and the first steel cutting took place in 2021.
Over 3,000 engineers and workers spent thousands of painstaking hours to get Icon of the Seas ready, using 12,000km of onboard cables and enough wiring to wrap around the world twice.
Icon of the Seas cost an estimated £1.5billion to build.
TV host Daniel Ashville, 41, went behind the scenes of its construction in Finland with his National Geographic show Building Impossible.
He told The Sun: “When I heard about it I was like, how are they going to do that? I was trying to break it down myself. If they’re making this big structure, are they going to build it in situ?
“Where are they going to build it and if they aren’t going to, how will they lift it without damage? My mind went into overdrive. So when I landed there, I had loads of questions.
“Every one of them was answered and every answer started another question.”
And this man revealed he bought an apartment onboard a cruise ship because it is cheaper than living in San Diego.
Austin Wells said it made sense for him because it was a way for him to travel the globe without “upending his daily routine.”