Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Royal Caribbean taps Lionel Messi for role in Icon of the Seas
Royal Caribbean is calling on who some contend is the world’s greatest soccer player by giving Lionel Messi godfather duties for the world’s largest cruise ship Icon of the Seas.
The new class of ship that’s due to begin sailing from Miami next month took over the title from Royal’s five existing Oasisclass ships. The cruise line isn’t actually calling Messi the ship’s “godfather.” Instead, it’s referring to him as the ship’s “Icon,” and as such will perform the traditional naming duties given to a ship’s godmother or godfather.
The ship will make its transatlantic voyage from Cadiz, Spain, on Dec. 23 and arrive in Miami for preview sailings ahead of its normal spate of seven-night Caribbean itineraries beginning Jan. 28.
Messi helped his country, Argentina, win the World Cup late last year and joined Major League Soccer franchise Inter Miami CF in 2023. He has won the Ballon d’Or award given to best soccer player of the year a record eight times, including this year. Royal Caribbean is an official partner with Inter Miami.
“I’m thrilled and honored to join the Royal Caribbean family to celebrate the arrival of the game-changing Icon of the Seas,” Messi said in a press release. “Icon is beyond anything else that’s out there for family vacations, with incredible never-before-seen features, all designed for making memories together.”
Messi will take part in the naming ceremony in January being the one who wishes the ship and all who sail on it safe travels.
The cruise line’s president and CEO Michael Bayley said choosing Messi and switching up just what the line calls its godfather to “Icon” was apropos for the groundbreaking ship.
“It’s that ability to make such a widespread impact and change the status quo that the Icon of Icon must personify,” Bayley said in the release. “Lionel Messi has proven to be the perfect example of that for years in the world of sports and most recently in introducing a new era of excitement and passion for fútbol in Miami and the U.S.”
The cruise line took possession of the 250,800-gross-ton, 1,198-foot-long, 20-deck vessel during a ceremony at the Meyer Turku shipyard last month.
Icon of the Seas is about 15,000 gross tons larger than Wonder of the Seas, the most recent Oasis-class ship that currently sails out of Port Canaveral and is now bumped to No. 2 on the list of world’s largest cruise ships.
Icon actually has less passenger capacity based on double occupancy — 5,610 compared with Wonder’s 5,734. The size of the cabins and suites, though, gives Icon a maximum capacity of 7,600, which exceeds Wonder’s 7,084.
Icon of the Seas also becomes Royal’s first ship to use liquefied natural gas as fuel, a cleaner burning fuel that’s part of the cruise industry’s efforts to reduce emissions.