The world’s largest cruise ship is the Icon of the Seas, owned by Royal Caribbean Group. It weighs about 250,800 tonnes with a length of nearly 365 meters (1,198 ft). That’s about five times larger than the Titanic and sailed from Miami Florida on it’s maiden voyage on the Saturday January 27, 2024.
It’s 365m-long (1,197 ft) length allows it to have 20 decks. It can house a maximum of 7,600 passengers and 2,350 crew members. It cost $2bn (£1.6bn) to build and has more than 40 restaurants, bars and lounges.It also has seven swimming pools, six water slides, an ice skating rink, a theater, and a funfair on the top deck.
The vessel is powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG), which burns more cleanly than traditional marine fuels, but also leaks harmful methane into the air.
The Icon of the Seas is a remarkable feat of engineering and design, but also raises environmental concerns.