Monday, April 1, 2024

Photos: See the New Worlds Largest Cruise Ship Icon of the Seas Sail for the First Time

new giant cruise ship

These rooms will have an extended living area with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the bow and out across the ocean. And if all that isn't enough, there will be four Royal Suites with a Sleeping Beauty theme — two of which feature an insane two-story floorplan. If it does (and we're sure hoping so), it'll be a notable event in the cruise world, marking the entry of one of the luxury hotel world's most famous brands into cruising. In some cases, the new ships will be arriving months behind schedule due to pandemic-related construction delays at the shipyards that are building them. Thanks to such delays, the arrival of a few ships that had been scheduled for delivery in 2022 will be pushed to 2023. Royal Caribbean's Wonder of the Seas will touch water for the first time as it's "floated out" from a dry dock at the Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard in St. Nazaire, France, where it has been under construction for more than a year.

Major Differences Between Royal Caribbean and Carnival Cruise Line

What started as a yearly vacation with family quickly turned into a passion for travel, cruising and adventure. She even studied abroad on Semester at Sea, sailing the world on a ship while taking courses for college and visiting 4 continents. Carnival Cruise Line announced today that the company has finalized an agreement with German shipbuilder Meyer Werft to build another giant cruise ship. The new ship is scheduled to debut in spring 2027, according to the cruise line.

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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. In June, the Icon of the Seas successfully completed its initial round of sea trials and sailed the ... For a seven-night trip to the eastern Caribbean, rooms with an exterior view start at $2,061 for a September voyage and go up to $4,119 for a March voyage; rooms with a balcony start at $2,249 in September and increase to $5,245 in March.

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For instance, the pool deck is still obscured, as are several new neighborhoods like the family-friend Surfside that sits in the split of the ship at the back. Elizabeth graduated from New York University's Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute with her M.A. Growing up, she had the privilege of traveling frequently with her family and fell in love with cruising after sailing on the Oasis of the Seas her freshman year of high school. She wanted to pursue a career that highlighted her passion for travel and strengths as a writer. While Thrill Island is chalked full of brand-new experiences, the cruise line is also bringing back some fan-favorites, including the FlowRider surf simulator and rock wall.

The Best New Cruise Ships of 2023

Among the most notable newcomers will be Royal Caribbean's Wonder of the Seas, the biggest cruise ship ever built (and by big, we're talking about a ship that can hold nearly 7,000 passengers). Originally set to debut in 2021, it's now scheduled to begin sailing in March. Earlier this year, guests at Royal Caribbean's Perfect Day at CocoCay private island were the first to revel at the historic sight of the world's largest cruise ships, Icon of the Seas and Wonder of the Seas, docked side-by-side. While megaships are standard for the cruising industry today, Carnival Cruise Line only built its first giant cruise ships starting with Mardi Gras in 2021. In fact, the cruise line had years of stagnant ship design and innovation.

new giant cruise ship

But Norwegian Prima still will pack a lot of over-the-top amenities, including a go-kart track that spreads over three decks (a cruise industry first). Like other expedition ships, Viking Octantis also sails with a large and seasoned "expedition team" that includes biologists, botanists, geologists, glaciologists and ornithologists who lecture regularly. Royal Caribbean is set to launch four more megaships by 2028 — representing about a third of its total fleet. Cruising fans are particularly excited about the arrival of Icon of the Seas as it will mark the first time in 15 years that a cruise line has launched a new class of ship that will eclipse all others in size and amenities.

The biggest cruise ship ever built is about to touch water for the first time

The line until now has resisted the trend among major brands to build ever-bigger vessels. 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. "It means more people can experience something. It means that there's a lot more amenities and activities onboard the cruise ship," McDaniel said. "The more people they can put on a cruise ship, of course, the better business they do, the more money they make." One of 15 restaurants, cafes, bars and lounges along the ships promenade, Coastal Kitchen will be a ...

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This all changed with the debut of Mardi Gras, which was the flagship vessel of the Excel Class. The brand-new class would be home to Carnival Cruise Line’s most advanced cruise ships in the company’s history. Mardi Gras was built to be around 36% bigger than anything Carnival Cruise Line had built before. This giant new Carnival ship isn't in operation yet, but it will be soon, and it'll be like nothing Carnival fans have ever seen.

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new giant cruise ship

Also noticeable is the ship’s vertical hull, enormous name along the side, and the introduction of “infinite balconies” along the mid-section of the ship. The unique balconies feature a large windowed wall that closes to give more space in the cabin or drop down halfway to create a balcony space for the entire room. Base Camp is the dining venue in Thrill Island that will offer complimentary options, as well as some available for an additional charge. With a 46 foot drop and 360 degree loop, it will be the tallest waterslide at sea that will begin with you inside of a capsule waiting for the trap door to release. According to Michael Bayley, President and CEO of Royal Caribbean, "It is a thrill at every single turn. No matter what your age, you can have a great time on Thrill Island."

But as the sister ship to what will soon be the world's largest cruise vessel, we could expect the Star to be another mammoth cruise liner. The vessel will undergo another round of sea trials later this year before officially launching in Miami early next year, according to Royal Caribbean. Icon of the Seas will primarily take cruisers to the islands of the eastern and western Caribbean on seven-night itineraries.

The new ships are coming even as many lines have yet to resume sailings with all the vessels in their existing fleets. While lines have been permanently retiring some older ships in recent months in anticipation of a slow restart to cruising, the leaders of the biggest cruise companies have said they have no plans to cancel orders for new ships. They've said they would rather keep the new ships and eliminate older ships if they need to cut capacity in the short term.

The cruise line also confirmed that the new vessel will also feature cutting-edge innovation, as it will be powered by LNG, or liquified natural gas. Norwegian Encore is big enough to have room for an entire go-kart track and laser tag area on its top deck -- yeah, these are now things on cruise ships. And there's plenty of room to spare for pools, waterslides and a kiddie splash zone.

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