When Titanic hit the world’s oceans in 1911, it was one of the biggest ships in the world, a floating palace which sank after it hit an iceberg in 1912.
Since its demise, cruise ships have continued to grow in size to the point where modern behemoths would cast a shadow over their ill-fated ancestor.
The latest creation to hit the waves is, like its sunken counterpart, the largest ever built. In fact, the Icon of the Seas is a staggering five times the size of Titanic.
Built by Royal Caribbean, the Icon is 365 metres long, weighs 250,800 tonnes, and can comfortably host 5,610 passengers served by 2,350 crew.
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Built in Finland and now nearing completion, the Icon of the Seas is so vast that it has 20 dining options, a water park, a wraparound balcony, and even its own beach.
According to Royal Caribbean, the ship will feature Category 6, the largest waterpark ever taken to sea with six slides.
Furthermore, according to CNN Travel, it has 28 different types of accommodation and is powered by liquified natural gas and fuel cells.
The ship is nearly finished and is due to embark on its maiden voyage in January 2024 and set new records as one of the world’s largest cruise ships.
Despite the high number of people who have signed up to travel on the vessel, it hasn’t been universally loved.
When the first photos of the ship were posted on social media, it divided users.
One person wrote: “As visions of hell go, that’s pretty much the most hellish.” Another person said: “I’m sorry but this is a nightmare.”
Another person said: “The world’s largest monstrosity of a cruise ship, Icon of the Seas. 7,600 max capacity, 20 decks, five times larger than the Titanic. That does NOT look relaxing…at all.”
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What’s more, the Independent reported that some people didn’t even believe the ship existed.
One user said: “For a second I was like ‘No, the Icon of the Seas is not real, it can’t hurt you’ because some wacky giant cruise ship sea steading scheme goes viral every 10 months. But I looked it up and it turns out they actually built this one.”
Ahead of its launch, chief executive of Royal Caribbean Michael Bayley said: “We are positioning it as the ultimate family vacation and when you step back and look at all the energy and time that has gone into creating this ship it is mind-blowing.”
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