Icon of the Seas completes sea trials, prepares for January 2024 debut

Royal Caribbean International’s new ship, Icon of the Seas, is in shipshape.

The all-new vessel reached its next construction milestone after successfully completing its initial round of sea trials and sailing the open ocean for the first time. 

Icon then returned to the Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland, where it is under construction, after four days of preliminary tests on a lineup of its latest technologies and equipment. 

From the main engines to the hull, to the brake system, to steering as well as noise and vibration levels, the hundreds of workers onboard covered an extensive check list of key technical areas, the cruise line said. 

READ MORE: On Location - “The largest cruise ship in the world” – unpacking Icon of the Seas’ construction in Finland

Between preparations and the trials, the important step in the journey to bring Icon to life involved more than 2,000 specialists, hundreds of miles traveled, four 37 to 67-ton tugboats and more than 350 hours of work. 

Next up will be a second round of sea trials later this year, which will be when the first Icon Class ship is pushed to its limits ahead of its debut in Miami in January 2024.

The megaship will house more 7,600 passengers at maximum capacity, and is set to become the largest cruise ship in the world, overtaking its sister ship, Wonder of the Seas, which launched in March 2022.

Icon will feature eight neighbourhoods, over 40 restaurants, seven pools, and 28 types of accommodation – 14 of which are new for the brand.

READ MORE: A look at Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas, debuting in 2024

As well, more than 75 per cent of staterooms on Icon can accommodate families of three or more, which is 60 per cent more than any other ship in Royal Caribbean’s fleet.

The ship will sail 7-night Eastern and Western Caribbean vacations from Miami all year. 

Vacationers on board will island hop from destinations like Royal Caribbean’s award-winning private island destination, Perfect Day at CocoCay, The Bahamas; Cozumel, Mexico; Philipsburg, St. Maarten; and Roatan, Honduras. 

More details about Icon can be found here. 

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