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

• I tried the newest ships from Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, and Norwegian. Here’s how they compare
• Norwegian Prima (Norwegian Cruise Line)
• Why Royal Caribbean isn't going all in on massive cruise ships despite the wild success of its new Icon of the Seas
• Icon of the Seas, biggest cruise ship ever, arrives in Florida for first sailings
• Major Differences Between Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL)
• Royal Caribbean Suspends Calls on Labadee
• The surprising reason Carnival expects your cruise ship to visit less ports

Since Royal Caribbean announced this newest ship last year, it has helped to boost the company’s sales with high demand for advanced bookings. Even so, it gives the first real glimpse at how Icon of the Seas looks in real life after only seeing renderings for months and years. Still, there is plenty of work to do as the ship won’t begin passenger voyages for roughly another six months.

I tried the newest ships from Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, and Norwegian. Here’s how they compare

Carnival Cruise Line also expanded its stateroom offerings with more suites than ever and uniquely-themed staterooms for families, Havana Club goers and spa lovers. One of the most exciting features of the Excel Class of ships was the unveiling of Bolt - the first rollercoaster at sea. Starting in 2027, Carnival Corporation plans to expand its fleet capacity with one to two ships per year. Considering the financial distress caused by the global pandemic in 2020, Carnival’s strategy is hardly surprising.

Norwegian Prima (Norwegian Cruise Line)

It's a city at sea, accommodating up to 7,600 passengers in 2,805 staterooms and nearly 10,000 people, including the crew. The ship offers different experiences that include seven pools — one is the largest on any ship — the world's first onboard water park with six water slides, theaters, a casino and over 40 dining and drinking spots. When you choose to apply (and are approved) for a new credit card through our site, we may receive compensation from our partners, and this may impact how or where these products appear.

Why Royal Caribbean isn't going all in on massive cruise ships despite the wild success of its new Icon of the Seas

Following the success of Mardi Gras, Carnival Cruise Line built Carnival Celebration in 2022 and Carnival Jubilee in 2023. The exciting announcement of Carnival’s expansion comes on the heels of the debut of the latest Excel Class ship, Carnival Jubilee. The highly anticipated cruise ship officially entered service for Carnival Cruise Line in December 2023 and offers sailings from Galveston, Texas.

Thrill Island is an immersive experience that's themed after a lost island. Details include distressed wood, a sunken boat, and even small artifacts left from prior explorers. Emily Rodriguez, Senior Product Owner and Product Development, said that they really took into consideration the excitement that they were seeing guests display for their thrilling experiences. They knew that those were the kinds of things that they were looking for. A fifth, even bigger Oasis Class vessel -- Wonder of the Seas -- is expected to debut in 2022. All four of the vessels, moreover, currently are open for bookings well into 2022.

Major Differences Between Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL)

Some can’t wait to climb aboard, with rooms already selling out for the ship’s first voyage. But others have criticized its size and bright colors, calling it a “monstrosity.” One critic called an artist’s rendering a “Candy Crush version of the dystopian underground world” from science-fiction series “Silo” on Apple TV+. When the Icon of the Seas sets sail early next year, it will take some time to disappear from the horizon. Whether you cruise multiple times per year or you're new to cruising, the goal of Royal Caribbean Blog is for it to be a useful resource for keeping up to date with what's new and exciting with Royal Caribbean. It is not just about the thrills themselves; it is about how the neighborhood can create memories for everyone onboard.

Royal Caribbean Suspends Calls on Labadee

Toward the back of the ship you can see some of the slides that are part of the all-new Category 6 waterpark in the Thrill Island area of the ship. Started in 2010, Royal Caribbean Blog offers daily coverage of news and information related to the Royal Caribbean cruise line along with other relevant topics of cruising, such as entertainment, news, photo updates and more. Thrill Island is one of eight neighborhood that will be found onboard Icon of the Seas. It is not the only new concept, either, as families with young children will love the brand-new Surfside Neighborhood. Thrill Island was designed to ensure that the multigenerational family is able to have a great vacation together.

The surprising reason Carnival expects your cruise ship to visit less ports

The other 21 smaller vessels tend to have more specialized itineraries, Patrick Scholes, the managing director of lodging and leisure-equity research at Truist Securities, told Business Insider. Surfside, notably, features splash areas for babies and kids, pools and lounge spaces for parents, family-friendly eateries and shops, and a bar with "mommy and me" matching mocktails for kids and cocktails for grownups. Still, the ship's biggest difference may be in the number of passengers it holds. Its maximum capacity of 7,600 is about 7% higher than Wonder of the Seas' maximum capacity of 7,084 passengers. Every sailing of Icon of the Seas also will include a stop at Royal Caribbean's private island in the Bahamas, Perfect Day at CocoCay. Icon of the Seas was built over nearly three years at the sprawling Meyer Turku shipyard in Turku, Finland — one of the only shipyards in the world big enough to construct a vessel of Icon of the Seas' size.

The biggest cruise ship ever built is about to touch water for the first time

Another noteworthy feature is Category 6, which will be the largest waterpark at sea when Icon of the Seas sets sail. In addition, MSC World Europa will have six pools and 14 hot tubs, making it one of the most pool-covered ships at sea. The watery offerings will include an Aquapark with multiple waterslides that will integrate virtual reality technology. The latest in the line's groundbreaking Oasis Class of vessels, Wonder of the Seas will measure 236,857 tons, making it the biggest cruise ship ever built. The giant vessel is, notably, more than 6% bigger than the current size leader among cruise ships, Royal Caribbean's 1-year-old Wonder of the Seas.

“We are thrilled about the expansion of the Princess fleet and know that homeporting Sun Princess in Ft. Lauderdale offers a convenient option for guests to explore the most elevated experience ever from the Love Boat,” said John Padgett, Princess Cruises president. At more than 250,000 gross tons, Icon of the Seas’ size in these photos is staggering. The ship will carry more than 5,600 passengers at double occupancy, and more than 7,500 when completely full. But there is still plenty aboard the ship that we will have to wait a little longer to see.

If you're that kind of traveler, you probably should stop reading right here. But if you're a fan of big, bustling resorts with every sort of amusement known to humans, and you're open to the idea of cruising, these vessels just might be a new contender for your vacation dollar (or your points and miles). Every one of the vessels can hold more than 5,000 people with every berth filled.

World's largest cruise ship 'Icon of the Seas' pulls into PortMiami - WKMG News 6 & ClickOrlando

World's largest cruise ship 'Icon of the Seas' pulls into PortMiami.

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

The vessel and its sisters resemble megaresorts on land with dozens of restaurants and bars, Broadway-style entertainment, casinos and lots of deck-top attractions. Symphony of the Seas has three pool areas, giant waterslides, rock climbing walls, surfing simulators, a miniature golf course and even an ice skating rink. Think of the Mediterranean, Alaska, and South Pacific itineraries — the latter are especially important as the cruise line continues to ramp up business in Asia. The cruise line released photos of Icon sailing for the first time as the ship departed the Meyer Turku shipyard to begin multiple days of sea trials.

Once it’s completed, the ship will measure in at 20-decks high, 1,200 feet long, and 250,800 gross tons. This floating mini-city is expected to sail year round and offer seven-night Eastern and Western Caribbean cruises out of Miami. In addition to the above, newcomers for 2022 also include several more small expedition ships and other small vessels from such cruise operators as Silversea Cruises, Emerald Cruises and Atlas Ocean Voyages. There also are two new ships debuting for start-up line Virgin Voyages and new ships coming for Princess Cruises, Carnival Cruise Line and Celebrity Cruises — all sisters to previously unveiled vessels. Norwegian also says Norwegian Prima will offer the most outdoor deck space of any new cruise ship including more total pool deck space than any other ship in the brand's fleet.

Cruise lines may have canceled many of their sailings over the past two years due to the coronavirus pandemic. The early stages of the construction of a cruise ship take place in a dry dock facility. Once the exterior of a vessel is complete, the dry dock is flooded and the ship is floated to a wet dock facility where construction continues. The 18-deck-high vessel -- the latest in the line's giant Oasis Class of ships -- will transfer to a "wet dock" where finishing work will continue into next year. "The reality is, families want to go on vacations not just in the Western and Eastern Caribbean where a ship like Icon can get into," Schneider said.