Icon of the Seas: All You Need to Know About World's Largest Cruise Ship that Sets Sail from Miami

Miami – On a fine Saturday afternoon, the world's largest cruise ship commenced its maiden voyage from the port of Miami. According to The Independent, the cruise ship is a 1,198-foot (365-meter) vessel that has 20 decks with a maximum capacity of 10,000 people. The cruise ship called the Royal Caribbean's Icon of the Seas, left the port of the South Florida city and will embark on a seven-day island-hopping voyage through the tropics. The name of the ship also has a special meaning behind it since it was officially christened on Tuesday with the help of soccer legend Lionel Messi and his Inter Miami teammates.

"Icon of the Seas is the culmination of more than 50 years of dreaming, innovating and living our mission – to deliver the world's best vacation experiences responsibly," Royal Caribbean Group President and CEO Jason Liberty said earlier this week.  “She is the ultimate multigenerational family vacation, forever changing the status quo in family travel and fulfilling vacation dreams for all ages on board,” Liberty furthered. According to CBS News, the Icon of the Seas was first revealed in October 2022 and the ship spurred the single-largest booking day and the highest volume booking week in Royal Caribbean's history. After it was first revealed, the pictures of the beautiful cruise became viral instantly. 

What are the key features of the giant ship? 

As the world's largest cruise ship embarks on its adventurous journey, here's a look at some of the key features of the luxurious vessel: 

• The ship is divided into neighbourhoods across 20 decks and includes six waterslides, seven swimming pools, an ice-skating rink, a theatre and more than 40 restaurants, bars and lounges, CBS News reported. 
• The ship also comes with a 55ft indoor waterfall and is even longer than France's Eiffel Tower. 
• The Royal Caribbean President has referred to the giant vessel as the “biggest, baddest ship on the planet”. 
• However, the ship has received considerable backlash on social media with many describing the vessel as “human lasagne.”
• While the vessel is being run on the “cleanest-burning marine fuel” its parent company still came in second place on Friends of the Earth’s list of polluters in the cruise industry in 2022. 
• The ship's departure will follow several European cities imposing restrictions on cruise ships in their ports.
• These cities include Venice, Barcelona, and Amsterdam.