World’s biggest cruise ship finally sails into view
Icon of Seas boasts waterslides, rock climbing, eateries
The first thing passengers entering the Icon of the Seas and its central walkway, the Royal Promenade, notice is a gigantic orb structure.
Called the Pearl, it is a five-deck tall glass surface supported by steel and lined on the inside with more than 3,000 tiles.
Under it is a majestic staircase, one reminiscent of an Italian palace, that takes guests up to the Pearl Café on one side and a Latin nightclub on the other.
The Pearl structure allows the ship to have a more open design and layout, which results in more natural light and exposure to the sea when compared to other vessels owned by Royal Caribbean International.
“One reason the Pearl exists is to get ocean views at the heart of the ship,” said Jay Schneider, chief product innovation officer. “It feeds the energy of the royal promenade.”
After much anticipation and hype, the 1,198-footlong vessel with a capacity of 5,610 guests reached PortMiami in Florida on Jan. 10. It will be based there year-round, focusing on weeklong or shorter trips to the Caribbean.
It boasts more than 40 restaurants and drinking establishments, including two dueling piano bars, three-story townhouses for large families, and over 33,000 plants in what it dubs Central Park, one of its neighborhoods.
Inside the ship
The Icon of the Seas is the first new class of ships from Royal Caribbean in nearly a decade. With 2,850 staterooms; 18 guest decks; seven pools, each with two lifeguards; and 2,350 crew, it is considered by cruise industry experts the largest cruise ship in the world at the moment.
Schneider said there were multiple goals in creating this new class of ship. One was making it easier to get around.
“We’ve heard over the years challenges guests have had with movement around the ship,” he said. “Our focus has been to dramatically improve that.”
The Pearl is one of their solutions. The open structure permits passengers to go from Deck 2 to Deck 8 without having to find an elevator.
The company also sought to open up its venues. For example, it has the Latin nightclub on its other ships but with a closed facade. On the Icon, the facade was removed.
Another main objective with the Icon is to provide what the Royal Caribbean executive called “unrivaled water experiences,” or to surround passengers by water or the ocean as much as possible.
That means pools facing the sea and beds that can be adjusted to ensure they face the ocean.
“You are going to have this whole sense that you are part of this ship but also
part of the sea,” said John Lovell, president of Travel Leaders Group.
On Chill Island on
Deck 16 is a swim-up fullservice bar called Swim & Tonic. Guests can order and imbibe drinks while seated in chairs partially immersed in the pool or hot tub. Whichever option one chooses, there’s a great view of the sea.
Thrill Island, also on Deck 16 and one of the eight neighborhoods, offers six waterslides, a surfing area, a rock-climbing wall facing the ocean and a mini-golf course.
Royal Caribbean also wanted to up its game in catering to families and in providing food and entertainment, Schneider said.
At the highest end is the Empire Supper Club, which offers eight-course
meals, including caviar and wagyu. Every dish is paired with a drink.
Most eateries, though, are more casual, like a family-style Italian restaurant and Izumu, which offers Japanese street food and taiyaki ice cream. Guests can buy fresh sandwiches, ready-made salads and desserts at Pearl Café.
The café’s importance stems from feedback the company received, saying passengers want more food that they can take out or grab and go when in a hurry, especially those with children who are on the move.
Final details
Little about the Icon has been rushed. It’s been a long time in the making, going back to at least 2017.
The general plan for the ship and arrangement of decks were locked in by 2018. The design of the interiors was finalized by 2019. Construction broke ground June 2021.
Still, in recent weeks and months, work has not stopped. After construction at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Turku, Finland, there were sea trials last June, October and November.
In 2021, the ship possessed four waterslides and one tower. It also had a rock-climbing wall farther away. But it was an awkward fit, so company decided to bring them all closer together.
It also added a second tower. The goal is now, at full capacity, if every kid wants to go on a ride, wait times would be under 20 minutes, Schneider said.
Meanwhile, at the Pearl Café, as of November, it had a glass barrier between the coffee barista and customer. The original idea was that the guest would order coffee and then receive it at the other end of the counter on the assumption he or she bought other items like sandwiches or pastries.
But on one of the several walk-throughs the company conducted, the food and beverage team objected to the glass barrier, saying it impeded the flow of guests.
“It looked great designed this way but as we started to operationalize, the team said it’d be really helpful if we didn’t have the glass panel over there,” Schneider said.
The barrier was immediately removed.