MIAMI - Celebrations are in full swing in the waters off Miami for the maiden voyage of the Icon of The Seas, the newborn Royal Caribbean cruise ship, which is the largest of all the numerous giant sisters of the American company and is undoubtedly the most colossal never seen in the world.
More than 250 thousand tons of tonnage (5 times the weight of the Titanic), approximately 365 meters long (two entire Meazza stadiums or 3 football fields), 70 meters wide and 80 meters high, 8 neighborhoods (one designed for families with small children), a water park, 6 slides and 7 swimming pools, over 40 options for dining and drinking, a small Central Park full of plants and birds, but above all the capacity to accommodate up to 7,600 passengers, 10 thousand if we also consider the 2350 people who make up the crew come from 80 countries around the world.
In short, capable of welcoming the inhabitants of a town like Alassio.
And to act as godfather to a Guinness ship, the Royal leaders could only choose a record-breaking sportsman, namely Lionel Messi.
After more than seven years from the idea and 900 days of design and construction, the delivery of the Icon of The Seas to Royal Caribbean took place on November 27 from the Meyer Turku shipyard in Turku, Finland, and - after the maiden voyage with authorities, VIP , travel agents and journalists from all over the world - will depart on its first official cruise on January 27.
There is also a nice piece of tricolor on the Icon.
The senior superintendent of architecture outfitting newbuilding & Innovation was in fact the Venetian with a master's degree at the Polytechnic of Turin Chiara Favaron who during the construction works in Turku had explained how "with 62% water, Icon of The Seas is conceived as the most largest swimming pool ever built in the sea".
On board there are absolutely surprising elements such as the AquaDome, the largest glass and steel structure ever placed on a cruise ship, where you can admire a 55 meter waterfall and above all The Pearl, an immense steel sphere (which alone weighs like a Boeing) internally mutant with music, background for videos and selfies.
The first photos of Icon that went viral in August had sparked some controversy from environmentalists and some users had called it "monstrous".
"The negative responses - explained cruise expert Stewart Chiron to CNN - evidently come from non-cruise passengers. The positive responses far outweigh the others".
As for the environment and sustainability of the Icon, Royal Caribbean highlights how it is the first ship "that can be powered by liquefied natural gas" and how "the dual-fuel engines will work together on a number of energy efficiency initiatives."
Furthermore, she will be the first to host Furthermore,
The group's goal is to introduce a zero-emission cruise ship by 2035.
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