The world’s largest cruise ship, Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas, set sail from Miami on its maiden voyage Saturday, carrying what amounted to the population of a small city. The ship, built over 900 days at a shipyard in Turku, Finland, is a monument to enormity, longer than the Eiffel Tower is tall, with 20 decks and room for more than 5,600 passengers (7,600 at maximum capacity) and a crew of 2,350. To ensure […]
Tag: Royal Caribbean
World’s largest cruise ship to set sail as industry rebounds
With cruise bookings seeing a resurgence after the Covid pandemic caused luxury liners to mothball, a Finnish shipyard is putting the final touches on what will be the world’s largest cruise ship. Royal Caribbean’s luxurious new vessel Icon of the Seas is nearing completion in the Turku shipyard on Finland’s southwestern coast, its maiden voyage scheduled for January 2024. “This ship is as of today, as far as we are aware of, the biggest cruise […]
Royal Caribbean delays trip after 8 crew test Covid-19 positive
NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Royal Caribbean is pushing back the maiden voyage of a new ship by a month after eight crew members tested positive for Covid-19, the company’s chief executive said. “Two steps forward and one step back!” Chief Executive Michael Bayley said in a Facebook post Tuesday night that announced the delay for the inaugural trip of “Odyssey of the Seas.” “During routine testing, eight crew members received a positive test […]
Virus crisis leaves thousands of cruise ship crew stuck at sea
by Leila MACOR Agence France Presse The cruise industry has taken a beating during the coronavirus crisis — on-board outbreaks, refusal of port access and now no clear idea of when ships can sail once again. While the passengers have headed home, the journey drags on for tens of thousands of crew members who are stranded at sea aboard their vessels, with no end in sight. Many are no longer being paid because […]





