MIAMI – Wednesday marked a big day for PortMiami as the one and only Icon of the Seas pulled into its new home port there for the very first time.
Her owner, Royal Caribbean, is marking the occasion by holding a huge welcome home rally at the Perez Art Museum Wednesday, giving their shoreside workers the chance to see the brand new ship for the very first time.
Not only is Icon the latest ship to claim the title of “biggest cruise ship in the world,” but’s she’s also promising to offer more experiences for cruisers than ever before.
“Not only is it a new ship, that’s always exciting. But this is the next evolution in new cruise ships,” said Matt Hochberg, who runs Royal Caribbean Blog, which exclusively covers the line and its fleet of 27 ships.
Icon is the culmination of years’ worth of design and engineering, with the ship being constructed over in Finland.
“To have a ship that is so monumental like this, it’s going to benefit the entire industry and is going to continue to get a buzz,” industry expert Stewart Chiron said.
Icon of the Seas is the first ship for Royal Caribbean that will be powered by LNG, or liquefied natural gas, which is a cleaner burning fuel type, but she will also be equipped with a shoreside power connection, allowing it to plug into the electric grid while docked in port, eliminating the need to constantly run the engines.
Hochberg says the innovations included on Icon, from running on cleaner fuel to having the world’ first water park at sea, will impact the entire industry.
“This sets the bar now for what other cruise lines are going to hold themselves against for when they build their ships,” he said.
After being delivered to Royal Caribbean late last year, Icon has spent the last several weeks making her journey across the Atlantic.
Hundreds of workers and cruise enthusiasts watched her arrive in Miami Wednesday morning.
It’s a major moment that promises to have huge ripple effects for South Florida and the Port of Miami.
“PortMiami reported 7.3 million cruise passengers last year. You can only imagine what they’re going to do this year,” Chiron said.
The company accepted the delivery of the Icon of the Seas in Turku, Finland on Nov. 27.
According to a news release by Royal Caribbean, the 20-deck high ship comes in at 250,800 tons and will be more than six percent bigger than Wonder of the Seas and able to hold up to 7,600 passengers. Icon of the Seas will also be 10 feet longer than Wonder of the Seas.
The ship took 900 days to build.
“The Icon of the Seas will be the first of Royal Caribbean’s Icon Class cruise ships when she launches, marking the first new type of vessel for the cruise line since 2014,″ said Royal Caribbean International.
This all comes at a crucial time for the cruise industry, which has really rebounded since the COVID shutdown.
Nearly all of the cruise lines are reporting record demand, with people taking to the seas in record numbers.
Icon of the Seas will visit Royal Caribbean’s private island, Perfect Day at CocoCay, as well as Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, and San Juan, Puerto Rico.
The Icon of the Seas sets sail from PortMiami for the first time on Jan. 27.
For more information about the ship, click here.