The largest cruise ship in the world, which embarked on its first public voyage from Miami last Saturday, was launched amid a fanfare of superlatives. Longer than the Eiffel tower is tall, the Icon of the Seas towers 20 decks above the waves, can accommodate 10,000 passengers and crew, and, at a quarter of a million gross tonnes, could swallow five Titanics for breakfast.
Coloured slides on the upper deck of the Icon of the Seas mark out "Thrill Island", the largest waterpark at sea, and it boasts a 17-metre indoor waterfall. The president of Royal Caribbean, Jason Liberty, told reporters it was the "biggest, baddest ship on the planet", though it quickly became known on social media as "human lasagne".
This story is from the February 02, 2024 edition of The Guardian Weekly.
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This story is from the February 02, 2024 edition of The Guardian Weekly.
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