Critics have termed the world’s largest cruise ship a “monstrosity” as they claim it has the same buzz as the Titanic on its maiden voyage. The Icon of the Seas under Royal Caribbean International will embark on its maiden voyage in January next year, The New York Post reported.
The ship is five times larger than the Titanic, with an internal volume of 250,800 gigatonnes (GT) compared to 46,328 GT, the publication reported.
The company believes that it will take travelling on the sea to the next level. “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 said in a statement.
The ship will have seven pools, nine whirlpools, the largest water park at sea — named “Category 6” after its record-breaking six slides.
The cheapest ticket for the seven-night cruise from Miami to the western Caribbean in September 2024 is priced at $1,851, while the most expensive is $10,864.
The ship can house around 5,610 passengers and 2,350 crew members on 19 floors, the height of a New York City building.
The vessel completed its first set of tests on June 22, according to a company statement. “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,” the statement said. “Everything was done on time as outlined in the schedule, despite her departure being delayed due to wind conditions.”
Online critics have pointed out that bigger doesn’t mean the ship is better. “As visions of hell go, that’s pretty much the most hellish,” one person tweeted in response to a photo of the new cruise ship, while another said, “I’m sorry but this is a nightmare.”
“Every time I see a picture of the Icon of the Seas cruise ship I am filled with an intense dread,” another wrote.
“For a second I was like ‘No, the Icon of the Seas is not real, it can’t hurt you because some wacky giant cruise ship seasteading scheme goes viral every 10 months.’ But I looked it up and it turns out they actually built this one,” another person tweeted.—Agencies
