Royal Caribbean’s ‘Icon of the Seas’ is the largest cruise ship in the world and is currently being finished by a Finnish shipyard. Following the pandemic, which drove luxury lines to close their doors, cruise bookings are increasing. Here’s everything about the ‘Icon of the Seas’ and its completion details.
The ‘Icon Of The Seas’ Near Its Completion!
The Turku shipyard on Finland’s southwest coast is nearly finished constructing the luxurious cruise liner Icon of the Seas. In fact, its inaugural trip is planned for January 2024. According to the sources, this ship is now the largest cruise ship in the world!
Despite some dubbing the massive structure and underlining its significant climatic footprint, others are in awe of the cutting-edge engineering used to create this floating vacation paradise. In fact, they are waiting in line to purchase tickets. The massive vessel has almost 20 decks and resembles a hamlet rather than a ship. Furthermore, it has lively water parks and can hold up to 10,000 passengers.
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The new ship, which began building in 2021 and began sea trials in June, stands out for its enormous glass dome that covers a portion of its front section. The epidemic dealt the sector severe damage, making it uncertain as to whether it would ever recover. And customers are finally returning to cruise lines.
Cruise Market Will Continue To Grow
With 31.5 million passengers, the Cruise Lines International Association forecasts that passenger volume will approach pre-pandemic levels in 2023. According to the CEO, they are seeing that the market is coming back very strong after the restrictions are gone and the situation has eased up.
With a gross tonnage of 250,800, or five times the size of the Titanic, Icon of the Seas will take the position of Royal Caribbean’s current flagship, Wonder of the Seas, as the largest ship in the world. Additionally, Meyer Turku has two additional identically sized Icon-class ships on order. Additionally, cruise lines are working to enhance passenger capacity.
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The crew-to-passenger ratio is being reduced at the same time, which could cause issues in the event of unforeseen events.
Cover Image Courtesy: Wikimedia