Royal Caribbean International has reached a essential milestone with its largest, most bold, and most modern ship ever, as Icon of the Seas has been floated out on the Meyer Werft shipyard. This occasion brings the ship one step nearer to completion and its January 2024 debut.
Icon of the Seas Floated Out at Shipyard
Icon of the Seas has formally touched water for the primary time, because the ship was floated out on the Meyer Werft shipyard in Turku, in southern Finland. This marks the completion of the ship’s exterior hull, and the vessel now strikes to the following section of development.
“The float out of a new ship is a defining moment, and in the case of Icon of the Seas, it marks the next step in the start of a new era of vacations,” mentioned Michael Bayley, president and CEO of Royal Caribbean International. “That is now a reality more than ever as Icon touches water for the first time.”
The ship’s new design, together with shore energy connections, waste warmth restoration programs, underwater hull lubrication to enhance effectivity, and engines powered by liquefied pure gasoline (LNG), make it an engineering masterpiece and a nice step towards additional sustainability within the cruise business, nice accomplishments by the shipyard.
“Icon of the Seas is a state-of-the-art ship that challenges the know-how of our shipyard and raises the entire Finnish shipbuilding industry to a new level,” mentioned Tim Meyer, CEO of Meyer Turku.
“We are proud to be responsible for the design and construction of Icon of the Seas in cooperation with the customer and all our partner companies. This is also a significant step for the sustainable development of the shipbuilding industry.”
Next Construction Phase
To proceed constructing the already extremely anticipated vessel, the ship will likely be moved to the outfitting dock, the place inside work will proceed to deliver the ship, with its eight distinctive neighborhoods, to life. For Icon of the Seas, it is a large enterprise with many never-before-seen options.
“We set out to create the world’s best family vacation more than five years ago, the culmination of 53 years of Royal Caribbean firsts and favorites that combine the best of every vacation,” mentioned Bayley.
Icon of the Seas will just do that with an astonishing number of new and record-breaking options, such because the “Thrill Island” waterpark, the most important ever waterpark at sea, with six totally different waterslides. The ship may also function the 40,000 gallon Royal Bay pool, the most important pool ever on a cruise ship.
The “Crown’s Edge” rope’s course will embody a excessive plank skywalk, and the traditional Royal Caribbean favorites – the Flowrider surf simulator and mountaineering wall, may also be onboard for thill-seekers.
The large AquaDome over the ship’s bow is one other phenomenal first, and can function a transformative area with cutting-edge expertise to take the cruise line’s signature AquaTheater reveals to the following stage.
“Icon of the Seas is going to take our already best in the industry entertainment to a whole new level,” mentioned Nick Weir, Senior Vice President, Entertainment, for Royal Caribbean International. “This is going to be the best entertainment ever seen.”
Not solely is Icon of the Seas breaking data for its superb options and total dimension – at 1,198 toes lengthy and weighing in at roughly 250,800 gross tons, she would be the largest cruise ship ever constructed – however curiosity in her debut can be breaking data.
When reservations for the ship opened in late October, the cruise line noticed the highest single-day reserving data ever in its 53-year historical past.
Icon of the Seas will set sail in January 2024, and is scheduled to be homeported from PortMiami. Stay tuned to Cruise Hive within the coming months as additional particulars of this superb ship are revealed!