20 decks, a skywalk, a water park: Inside the worlds biggest cruise ship National
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It made its maiden voyage in 2009, offering 18 total decks (16 guest decks) along with 2,801 staterooms, almost 2,000 of which have balconies. This is the first world-class vessel from the fast-growing MSC Cruises and was built at the popular Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard in St. Nazaire, France. Since her delivery in October 2022, she has been the largest MSC cruise ship ever. While Royal Caribbean has a lock on the largest ships, the title of largest cruise ship from outside that cruise line goes to MSC World Europa. The ship that started the trend of truly mega ships is also the namesake of the Oasis class — Oasis of the Seas.
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Built in 2016, Harmony of the Seas features 18 decks, more than 225,000 gross tons (about 10% smaller than Icon of the Seas) and can carry nearly 6,700 passengers when completely full. That’s good enough to make it the fourth-largest cruise ship in the world. When it comes to the largest ships, Royal Caribbean is the undisputed leader with the six biggest cruise ships in the world. But the king of the fleet — and the largest cruise ship in the world — is Icon of the Seas. The market for cruisers is rife with competition, and operators are constantly tweaking and upgrading their products to pull in new customers.
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The group now runs a number of cruise lines, including Silversea, Celebrity Cruises, and Royal Caribbean International (which is widely referred to as Royal Caribbean and will be the focus of this story). The vessel first arrived in the US on February 20 with huge anticipation and received a warm welcome in Florida. Since then, the ship has been preparing for the maiden voyage by doing a short sailing to Royal Caribbean’s private island Perfect Day at Cococay in the Bahamas for the crew and family members. It was Fain who realised that the cruise industry’s image problem was in fact an opportunity. Convince sceptical land-lovers that cruise ships aren’t outdated, boring and, as an industry joke put it, full of “the newlywed and the nearly dead”, and Royal Caribbean could lock up customers for life. MSC Meraviglia is the first ship in MSC's Meraviglia-class and received the "8 Golden Pearls" award, which recognizes sustainable and environmental stewardship.
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In 2019, The Royal Caribbean cruise ship underwent a massive $165 million upgrade, which did not just add new water slides, but also The Ultimate Abyss aft slide, new dining venues, and a refreshed look. The amplification increased the ship’s gross tonnage, and she now overtakes sister ship Allure of the Seas in the list of the world’s top 10 largest cruise ships. Since being delivered from the shipyard to the cruise line in November 2023, Icon of the Seas overtook Wonder of the Seas as the world’s largest cruise ship. The new-class Icon of the Seas is an impressive 250,800 gross tons and can hold 5,610 passengers at double occupancy.
The Icon of the Seas features 20 decks (two of those are set aside for the crew) with a total of 2,805 staterooms spanning over 28 unique cabin categories. When it starts sailing into the Caribbean early next year, the cruise ship will be able to carry a staggering 5,610 passengers at double occupancy, and thousands more if each room is pushed to its capacity limit. Regarding cruise accommodations, this class of vessels has some of the largest suites at sea - measuring 150 m2 (over 1600 ft2, balcony included).
MSC Grandiosa
Royal Caribbean’s Wonder of the Seas was previously the world’s largest cruise ship in most of 2023. The Oasis class vessel is 236,857 gross tons and has a passenger capacity of 5,734 at double occupancy, but that goes up to 7,084 at maximum capacity. The giant cruise ship also has a crew capacity of 2,204, and there are a total of 18 decks.
Royal Promenade is the hub of social activity on the ship and will be lined with restaurants and lounges. The Pearl Cafe will have floor to ceiling windows at the center of the ship that will make this area feel more open. The second level of the Promenade will have a 360 walk around area, something Oasis class ships do not have. As mentioned earlier, sales have certainly been swift, and some dates have already sold out.
Another noteworthy feature is Category 6, which will be the largest waterpark at sea when Icon of the Seas sets sail. Taking the crown as the 10th-largest cruise ship in the world is Arvia from P&O Cruises. Measuring just under 185,000 gross tons, it offer a similar design to ships like Costa Smeralda and Carnival Celebration, but don’t think these ships are all the same. In essence, the ship is a like a floating city, and guests will never find themselves lacking for things to keep them entertained.
Royal Caribbean Icon of the Seas
Carnival Pinnacle was never built as the project was officially canceled (mainly due to the vessel's incredible cost at that time). However, many of the project's elements and innovative design features were later adapted for other large-sized cruise liners built for rival companies. The ship also features 28 different types of cabins, giving more options for families and group travellers – including twisty slides and bunk beds in some quarters.
There are options squarely aimed at adults, others that will delight kids, and things that will really excite everyone. To build it, he hired Harri Kulovaara, a Finnish naval architect who made a name for himself designing passenger ferries. Kulovaara has a round, boyish face and glasses with such thick upper frames it has the effect of a monobrow. Growing up in the coastal city of Turku, he would watch the ferries sail out of the harbour for Sweden each morning, and spend every moment he could on the water. After graduating in the late 80s, he designed two groundbreaking ferries for Finnish company Silja Line. They included a 150-metre, two-deck-high promenade down the centre, culminating in a huge window at the aft.
Three-course meals change nightly, ensuring variety remains the one constant of the experience. Its state rooms are pre-fabricated en masse and inserted into the ship like huge Jenga blocks. Yrjovuori’s army of outfitters were busy adding mattresses and other finishing touches. Millions are following the journey through the eyes of the passengers, as they live and post their lives aboard a vessel they’ll be on for nearly a year. If it sounds like a reality show, that’s exactly what some watchers have turned it into. The ship is the size of almost four city blocks and runs nearly 1,200 feet (365 meters) from bow to stern.
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The Hideaway is located 135 feet above the water and will have all the vibes of a beach club scene. It will also have the first suspended infinity pool at sea that will offer the best wake views on the ship. Suite Neighborhood is a private area for guests staying in suites that will offer four decks of luxury including a multilevel sun deck.
The ship will have a total of 20 decks, 18 which will be accessible for passengers. It will have seven swimming pools, nine hot tubs, and six record-breaking waterslides. The biggest thing to ever hit cruising is coming in January 2024, when Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas—which will be the largest cruise ship in the world—will debut to passengers for the first time. The world's biggest cruise ship propulsion system guarantees the perfect maneuverability by 3 rotatable Azipod thrusters (suspended under the ship's stern), each with a huge electric motor and a 6 m (20 ft) propeller. And in times of need - there are 18 lifeboats, each with a capacity of 370 people. World's currently largest cruise ship class is produced exclusively for RCI-Royal Caribbean andin 2 sub-series - Oasis-Class (Allure OTS, Oasis OTS) and Oasis-Plus (Harmony OTS, Symphony OTS, Wonder OTS).
The window brought natural light into the centre of the ship – before that, dark, depressing places – and created a natural, street-like hub for passengers. It is powered by six dual-fuel engines, which can be powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG), a fuel alternative that the Cruise Lines International Association says reduces sulfur and greenhouse gas emissions. However, some environmentalists worry LNG-powered ships increase methane emissions. Other say that vacationers generate eight times more carbon on a cruise than they do on land.
The 2020-launched riverboat is China-built, owned by Victoria Cruises China and deployed year-round on Yangtze River. The vessel has the impressive volume of GT-tons, LOA length 150 m (492 ft), width 22 m (72 ft), 7 decks (5 with cabins), 270 staterooms, max capacity 690 passengers plus 195 crew/staff. CruiseMapper's list of biggest cruise ships includes all vessels with gross tonnage/volume over 150,000 GT-tons. These two ships come in at a tie for the eighth-largest cruise ship in the world.
Category 6, the waterpark, will feature the tallest drop slide at sea, an open free-fall slide, family raft slides and two slides dedicated to mat-racing. Icon of the Seas marks the first of Royal Caribbean’s Icon Class cruise ships and the first new type of vessel created for the company since 2014. Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas made its first voyage in 2016, which made it the third ship in the Quantum-class. MSC Grandiosa is a part of the Meraviglia Plus-class, which currently has five sailing ships.
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