TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — The world’s largest cruise ship, Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas, successfully completed its initial round of sea trials and sailed the open ocean for the first time.
The massive 1,198-foot ship is almost ready to start sailing from Florida early next year.
The ship returned to the Meyer Turku, Finland shipyard, where it’s under construction.
Later this year, the ship will be pushed to its limits in a second round of sea trials, Royal Caribbean said.
In addition to 18 guest decks and 2,805 staterooms, the ship features the largest water park at sea — with six record-breaking waterslides and seven pools. The ship’s Frightening Bolt will be the tallest waterslide to sail and Pressure Drop will be the first open freefall waterslide on a cruise.
The ship is equipped to hold a maximum of 7,600 guests, according to Royal Caribbean.
The first Icon class ship is expected to debut in Miami in January 2024, where it will sail seven-night Eastern and Western Caribbean vacations all year.
Royal Caribbean said the ship will arrive in late 2023 and be the “first-of-its-kind combination of the best of every vacation.”
