Icon OTS Media outlets in Finland reported that a small fire had broken out on the next-largest cruise ship in the world, currently under construction at On October 10, 2016, Meyer Turku Oy (Finland) and RCG-Royal Caribbean Group signed the MoU agreement (memorandum of understanding) and officially announced the building order for two vessels under the project name "ICON". In the period March 10 - April 4, 2023, RCI launched the new "Artist Discovery Program" allowing artists from around the world to submit original works to be later displayed on Icon OTS. It really is too early to say whether Wonder of the Seas or Icon of the Seas is the better ship. Both Wonder and Icon have a multi-storey suite that offers incredible accommodations for families. CRUISE HIVE LTD 2008-2023. All Itineraries Current Position Specifications of Icon Of The Seas Itineraries Review Wiki Icon Of The Seas Itineraries In the evening, AquaDome transforms into a "nightlife zone" housing RCI's signature entertainment venue AquaTheater (redesigned, smaller-sized and indoor/glass-covered on ICON ships) hosting high-diving aquatic and aerial acrobatic shows. The 2-level wellness complex (decks 12-14) consists of Vitality Spa, Vitality Cafe (open for breakfast and lunch), and To Dry For (blow-dry bar for quick beauty fixes/hairstyling, with a beverage service). Norwegian Cruise Line, however, has refurbished ships that were built in the 1990s. In late-June RCI's President (Michael Bayley) called the big white ball "The Pearl". While the Soft Ice Cream station is complimentary, the candy shop Sugar Beach sells gourmet ice cream and sweets. Both ships have a large ice rink where guests can skate during the day, and enjoy live shows at night. The Royal Promenade is one of the main hubs of the ship, home to speciality dining restaurants, bars and shops galore. Guests will visit the private resorts of Labadee and CocoCay, as well as explore Basseterre and Nassau. Both are full-length production shows with professional performances (singing, dancing, acting, live band music) by the ship's resident entertainment staff. A really simple one the staff on the ship need to be paid. Improve earnings, maximize rewards and track progress toward dream trips. The arrival of the Icon class is one of the biggest stories in the cruise world in more than a decade. Additionally, cruise ships are foreign flagged. But how do they compare, and ultimately, which is best? Surfside houses family-type staterooms as well as a swimming pool (Water's Edge/infinity pool), a carousel, Splashaway Bay (kids' aquapark with a slide), Baby Bay (waterpark for toddlers, with a splash pool), Adventure Ocean (children's clubs/indoor facilities for age-appropriate supervised activities), Social020 (teen-only complex hosting activities like playing video games, watching movies, dancing, various classes, fun contests), Challenger's Arcade (classic and new games), The Lemon Post Bar (family bar with a great selection of both alcoholic and non-alcoholic cocktails), soft ice cream station (complimentary), Sugar Beach (candy shop, gourmet ice cream), plus three dining venues - Surfside Bites (open 11 am-5 pm/offers grab-and-go fast food - burgers, popcorn chicken, cinnamon sugar donuts), Surfside Eatery (family buffet for breakfast and lunch, buffet+sit-down venue in the evening/ offers pancakes with chocolate chips, fresh fruits, pasta with various sauces) and Pier 7 (Supper Club/specialty restaurant). The voyages' call ports include Philipsburg (St. Maarten), Basseterre (St Kitts), Charlotte Amalie (St Thomas, US Virgin Islands), Coxen Hole (Isla Roatan, Honduras), Mexico's Cozumel and Costa Maya. These all need special insurance too, so thats covered in this section of expenses. 2023. March 2023 Creating unrivaled water experiences for the worlds best family vacation comes with a unique set of challenges, an unprecedented amount of water and weight. And if you wanted a post-Disneyworld cruise, Wonder of the Seas sails from the nearer port too. Most cruise ships cost in the region of $100,000 to $350,000 per passenger to build, but there are a few anomalies below and above that range. The ICON shipbuilding order with Meyer Werft Turku was contingent upon the completion of contractual conditions, including documentation and financing. With so many passengers onboard, cruise lines need to ensure they are building enough cabins, dining venues, and entertainment spaces to satisfy all customers. Markets never sleep, and neither does Bloomberg. Icon of the Seas, shown in this rendering, launches in January. 2023 Construction Cost Inde for Quarter 1 (PDF) 2022. There are six main areas of expense for cruise ships: This is a broad area that covers everything to do with getting passengers onto a ship. As cruise ships became even bigger in the 2000s, the average cost exceeded $500 million. See what a point or mile is worth with our appraisals of a loyalty programs currency, based on redemption values. As well as the Swim & Tonic pool with swim-up bar, the Royal Bay Pool (the largest pool in the fleet) and Cloud 17, an adults-only pool, it also has four Lime & Coconut bars. Of course, this is something thats varied a lot in recent years, especially during the shutdown, but lets take a look. As previously announced, the first sailings of Icon of the Seas will be seven-night voyages to the Caribbean out of Miami, starting in January 2024. Early estimates of the build are around $2 billion, but an exact number is not yet known. From here, guests will be able to enjoy 7-night cruises to Palma de Mallorca, Marseille, Florence/Pisa, Barcelona and Naples/Capri. (Chill Island Neighborhood/Deck 17) Cloud 17 Pool (adults-only, max 250 people, starboard-positioned, with a whirlpool) is open between 8 am and 7 pm. The initial voyage will be on the ship's Eastern Caribbean routing that stops in St. Kitts. When you compare the two ships, were only talking marginal differences from a percentage perspective overall Icon of the Seas is around 5% bigger than Wonder of the Seas in terms of gross tonnage. The design includes shoreside power capabilities allowing the main engines to be shut down while the boats are docked/berthed in ports fitted with such equipment. Most people are awestruck by the size and amenities of todays modern cruise ships, but how much do they cost? She was first built in 1931 as a private yacht and served during World War II as a weather ship for the US Navy. On May 5, 2022, an RCI spokesperson announced that the ICON class will be bigger (as both passenger capacity and volume) than the OASIS class, which makes Icon of the Seas currently the world's largest passenger ship ever constructed. Cruise ships are pretty impressive even the smaller ones are stunning, epic works of engineering genius. Sneak Peek:Icon of the SeasConstruction Tour, May 2023 Construction on Royal Caribbean Internationals, Royal Caribbean's Making an Icon: Creating Surfside, January 2023 The worlds best family vacation is one step closer to its highly anticipated debut in January 2024. Icon of the Seas will boast impressive features, including: Related: Icon of the Seas: Itinerary, features, and more. During the summer months, the ship crosses to the Mediterranean, with Civitavecchia (the port for Rome) becoming its base. A third storey has been added, the slide has been retained, while the balcony area has a cute white picket fence and its own mailbox. Then, contact one with a best-price guarantee and have them beat it! On July 2, 2019, was ordered the third ICON unit, scheduled for delivery in 2025. The Sun Deck (positioned midship) is on two levels and fitted with a large swimming pool surrounded by a sunbathing area. ICON-class are LNG-powered ships, each having two LNG fuel tanks (for storing liquefied natural gas, manufactured at Meyer Neptune) each with capacity 307 tons and length 27,4 m (90 ft). It features an exclusive 2-deck Sundeck and an expanded Coastal Kitchen (suite-only restaurant on 2 levels). Wheelchair-accessible cabins are 50. During the port stay, all the electricity needed for onboard operations/hotel services is provided by the city's power grid. Icon of the Seas will carry 7,600 passengers at maximum occupancy (or nearly 10,000 people when you account for the crew) when it first sets sail with guests Jan. 27, 2024. What If We Had a 15-Minute City for Friendship? There are two such departures. Infinite Balconies are 693 (615x Standard plus 78x Family). Wonder of the Seas has four main waterslides: It also has Ultimate Abyss which is a dry slide, so theres no water, but it is the tallest slide at sea. In comparison, the cruise ships sailing in 2022 that cost the least amount of money to build are SeaDream Yacht Clubs SeaDream I and SeaDream II. Its an exciting time to be a cruise passenger with some of the epic ships on the horizon that will no doubt cost a pretty penny. Pros and Cons of sailing on an older Royal Caribbean cruise ship, 5 real-life places that inspired Royal Caribbean cruise ship design, Royal Caribbean ship classes ultimate guide [2023], Royal Caribbean talks changes to ship design, cultural shifts, millennials and more, I've been on 15 Royal Caribbean cruises, and here are the best 6 cruise ships for adults, Best Royal Caribbean ships and cruise guide. Built as a passenger ship originally, began cruises in the 1960s. Icon OTS has 10x new for RCI dining concepts out of 20x total different venues, of which 11x are complimentary and 9x are at fee. Started in 2010, Royal Caribbean Blog offers daily coverage of news and information related to the Royal Caribbean cruise line along with other relevant topics of cruising, such as entertainment, news, photo updates and more. Seven-night Eastern Caribbean voyages with stops at St. Kitts, St. Thomas and Royal Caribbean's private island in the Bahamas, Perfect Day at CocoCay. This peaceful neighborhood is situated higher up the ship in a quiet corner, ideal as a space for the adults to escape and unwind. The midship-positioned Chill Island Neighborhood spans 3 decks (15-16-17) and houses 4x (of the ship's 7x) swimming pools and is served by the poolside bar "Swim & Tonic" (RCI's first shipboard swim-up bar/capacity 12 people). Many cruise lines choose to refurbish older ships to modernize the vessels activities, amenities, and cabins. This is much less expensive than building a new ship from scratch, so it can be a cost-effective way to improve older cruise ships in order to increase demand and revenue. Jenni Fielding is the founder of Cruise Mummy. We'll run a soft credit check to find special offers, but it wont affect your credit score. The ship carries a number of superlatives: It will be the largest cruise ship in the world, at 250,800 gross tons, with the capacity to carry nearly 10,000 passengers and crew members. This area covers the cost of any facilities or features on the ship that cost money to run. The 2024-built Icon of the Seas cruise ship is RCI-Royal Caribbean's first ICON-Class vessel scheduled for delivery and inauguration in 2024 January, being postponed from 2022-Q2 and 2023-Q3 due to the COVID crisis. Icon of the Seas has taken that concept and pushed it even further. On Wonder of the Seas thats the Ultimate Family Suite, a two-storey room with a slide from the bedroom to the living area, and loads of fun features. Now, she helps over 1 million people per month to plan their perfect cruise holidays. For now, only members of Royal Caribbean's Crown & Anchor Society loyalty program can make reservations. Plus, your own feed of TPG content. Like on all large newbuild cruisers, the hull is fitted with Wartsila's air lubrication system that reduces frictional resistance by creating a coating of microbubbles on the flat bottom. Both Wonder of the Seas and Icon of the Seas have some of the most innovative accommodations youll find on a cruise ship. Cruise ships are often referred to as floating cities. There are 16 such departures. Most major cruise lines launch a new ship nearly every year. "Project Icon" is the name for a passenger ship class ordered by RCG-Royal Caribbean Group/shipowner to Meyer Merf's Shipyard in Turku Finland. The 5 most desirable cabin locations on any cruise ship, The 8 worst cabin locations on any cruise ship, A quick guide to the most popular cruise lines, 21 tips and tricks that will make your cruise go smoothly, 12 best cruises for people who never want to grow up, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information.