The World's Largest Cruise Ship Explained: Royal Caribbean's Icon Of The Seas

Table Of Content

• Utopia’s short itineraries contrast against Icon of the Sea’s week-long inaugural sailings this year.
• Sailing the Eastern and Western Caribbean Starting January 27
• Oceania Cruises
• Watch: Inside the world's biggest cruise ship that just set sail
• Icon of the Seas Docks at First Caribbean Port
• Does MSC World Europa have a kids area?
• Regent Seven Seas Cruises

MSC Grandiosa also has all the deck-top pizzazz that we've come to expect from MSC Cruises, including a sprawling waterpark with multiple waterslides called the Wild Forest Aquapark, and a stunningly large main pool area. The ship also harbors race car simulators, a flight simulator and exclusive shows created in partnership with Canada's famed Cirque du Soleil. MSC World Europa will debut in December in the Persian Gulf with sailings that include a visit to Saudi Arabia — a destination rarely visited by cruise ships. The ship will sail weeklong Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries, and each will visit Royal Caribbean's private island, Perfect Day at CocoCay, with its multiple beaches and Thrill Waterpark, home to 13 waterslides.

Utopia’s short itineraries contrast against Icon of the Sea’s week-long inaugural sailings this year.

I could not understand English well enough then to catch the nuances of that seafaring program, but I knew that there were differences in the status of the passengers, and that sometimes those differences made them sad. Still, this ship, this plenty—every few steps, there are complimentary nachos or milkshakes or gyros on offer—was the fatty fuel of my childhood dreams. This is a large, multichandeliered room where I attended my safety training (I was shown how to put on a flotation vest; it is a very simple procedure). But the maître d’ politely refuses me entry in an English that seems to verge on another language. “I’m sorry, this is only for pendejos,” he seems to be saying. Meanwhile elderly passengers stream right past, powered by their limbs, walkers, and electric wheelchairs.

Sailing the Eastern and Western Caribbean Starting January 27

No. 3 Regent Seven Seas moved up the list one spot, with a strong score above 92 points (out of 100). No. 6 Oceania Cruises also got a better score this year, rising two places, as numerous voters mentioned the high quality of the line's onboard cuisine. "In our experience with eight different cruise lines," said one well-traveled voter, "Oceania consistently has the best food." With a length of 1,086 feet, MSC Grandiosa is a stretched version of MSC Meraviglia and MSC Bellissima – the previous size leaders at the line. Like the two earlier ships, its most notable feature is a massive interior promenade lined with bars, eateries and shops covered with a dazzling "digital sky" made with LED screens. But the version of the promenade on MSC Grandiosa is even more, well ...

Oceania Cruises

Icon of the Seas: World's largest cruise ship sets sail from Miami - BBC.com

Icon of the Seas: World's largest cruise ship sets sail from Miami.

Posted: Sun, 28 Jan 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]

Utopia's 2024 and 2025 itineraries will soon sail from Port Canaveral — just outside Orlando — to Nassau, Bahamas, and Royal Caribbean’s private island, Perfect Day at CocoCay. Royal Caribbean hasn't revealed much about the new Royal Railway restaurant but said the dining experience will use tech "to travel to any place and time." Don't plan on boarding the ship if you want to diet because the choices are overpowering — with over 20 different places where a guest can have a bite to eat. At the Dining Room, set under a towering chandelier, diners can take a tour of the world's cuisines, with meals that celebrate the tastes of the Caribbean, flavors from the continent of Asia, and many places in between.

The line also has one more Oasis-class ship on order for delivery in 2024. However, Icon of the Seas will only have 2,805 cabins compared to Wonder's 2,867 — despite carrying more people when all berths are filled. That's because Royal Caribbean is targeting this ship to families and planning for the ship to sail with more cabins carrying more than two passengers.

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Which European cities are trying to cut back the number of cruise ship visits?.

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How many restaurants does MSC World Europa have?

So far, most of the megaships' scheduled sailings are in the Caribbean. Royal Caribbean’s leaders say they view liquified natural gas as a “transitional fuel,” and that they hope to continue to reduce the environmental impact of their ships moving forward. Icon of the Seas will also be the first ship in the cruise line’s fleet to run on liquefied natural gas and fuel cells, which are similar to batteries but do not need to be recharged. Water is the main byproduct of fuel cells—which combine oxygen and hydrogen to produce energy—which should help the ship reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. “They asked me three times if I needed medication,” he says of the security people who apparently interrogated him in full view of others having breakfast. ” kids are singing outside the AquaDome, while their adult minders look on in disapproval, perhaps worried that Mr. Washy Washy is grooming them into a life of gayness.

The aforementioned gangway opens up directly onto a thriving mall (I will soon learn it is imperiously called the “Royal Promenade”), presently filled with yapping passengers beneath a ceiling studded with balloons ready to drop. Crew members from every part of the global South, as well as a few Balkans, are shepherding us along while pressing flutes of champagne into our hands. By a humming Starbucks, I drink as many of these as I can and prepare to find my cabin. I show my blue Suite Sky SeaPass Card (more on this later, much more) to a smiling woman from the Philippines, and she tells me to go “aft.” Which is where, now? As someone who has rarely sailed on a vessel grander than the Staten Island Ferry, I am confused. It turns out that the aft is the stern of the ship, or, for those of us who don’t know what a stern or an aft are, its ass.

There’s some Mayan theory squaring science stuff with religion. There is so much more to life on Earth.” We all nod into our Red Stripes. I usually tan very evenly, but something about the discombobulation of life at sea makes me forget the regular application of sunscreen.

"Excellent service, attractive ship with plenty of open space, and cabins are nicely appointed," said one voter about the Seabourn Encore. "Undoubtedly the best cruise line ever," said another, who traveled aboard the Seabourn Ovation. "Great food, service, and large suites on small, intimate ships." Fast-growing MSC Cruises has been rolling out ever bigger ships in recent years, culminating last November with the unveiling of the appropriately named MSC Grandiosa. The "grand" new flagship of the line is the biggest MSC Cruises ship ever at 181,543 tons -- and the seventh-largest cruise vessel ever from any line. The vessel will initially sail a four-night Persian Gulf voyage from Doha, Qatar, to Dubai on Dec. 20.

Royal Bay Pool in the new Chill Island neighborhood on Icon of the Seas will be the largest pool at ... The true public test, of course, is yet to come — that will be revealed when the first passengers complete the maiden journey in 2024. Later, I look him up, and it appears that on land, he’s a financial adviser in a crisp gray suit, probably a pillar of his North Chicago community. THERE ARE BARELY 48 HOURS LEFT to the cruise, and the Icon of the Seas’ passengers are salty. They understand that the chicken gyro at “Feta Mediterranean,” in the AquaDome Market, is the least problematic form of chicken on the ship. And now I understand what the maître d’ was saying to me on the first day of my cruise.

To put it another way, these are ships that aren't for people who like intimacy in a vacation. 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). Of 20 or so ships currently on order, seven – including the Icon of the Seas – are due to be powered by greener liquid natural gas, which cuts CO2 emissions by about 25%, and contains little sulphur and nitrogen oxide.

Finally, I visit a comedy revue in an enormous and too brightly lit version of an “intimate,” per Royal Caribbean literature, “Manhattan comedy club.” Many of the jokes are about the cruising life. “I’ve lived on ships for 20 years,” one of the middle-aged comedians says. “I can only see so many Filipino homosexuals dressed as a taco.” He pauses while the audience laughs. He segues into a Trump impression and then Biden falling asleep at the microphone, which gets the most laughs. As I fall asleep that night, I realize another connection I have failed to make, and one that may explain some of the diversity on this vessel—many of its passengers have served in the military. Instead of trying to impress with my choice of T-shirts, I have decided to start wearing a robe, as one does at a resort property on land, with a proper spa and hammam.

The best large-ship cruise lines, according to Travel + Leisure readers, prove that, when it comes to entertainment on the high seas, bigger is definitely better. The line until now has resisted the trend among major brands to build ever-bigger vessels. Carnival Panorama doesn't even crack the top 40 list of biggest ships. The watery offerings will include an Aquapark with multiple waterslides that MSC Cruises says will integrate virtual reality technology.

The previous world’s largest cruise ship was also a Royal Caribbean vessel, Wonder of the Seas, which spanned 1,188 feet long and featured 18 decks. After breakfast, I explore the ship’s so-called neighborhoods. There’s the AquaDome, where one can find a food hall and an acrobatic sound-and-light aquatic show.

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