20 decks, a skywalk, a water park: Inside the world’s biggest cruise ship

globalnews.ca:

cruise ship.Put simply, Royal Caribbean International‘s Icon of the Seas is a monster. At 365 metres long and weighing approximately 250,000 tonnes, it’s the biggest cruise ship ever built.

(According to Royal Caribbean, it’s about six per cent bigger than the current record holder, their own Wonder of the Seas.)The vessel made its foray into open waters this month, completing its first round of sea trials following its construction in Finland’s Meyer Turku shipyard.Icon of the Seas marks the first of Royal Caribbean’s Icon Class cruise ships and the first new type of vessel created for the company since 2014.The countdown to the maiden voyage has begun: if all goes well in the second round of sea trials later this year, the Icon of the Seas will welcome its first paying passengers next January in Miami, Fla.Here’s a look at some of the most impressive (and, sometimes, over-the-top) features of the Icon of the Seas.There’s no shortage of space on the Icon of the Seas. The 20-deck vessel includes eight “neighbourhoods” to explore and can accommodate 5,610 passengers and 2,350 crew.The so-called neighbourhoods are designed to cater to every type of vacationer, the company says, with areas for young families and adult-only areas.Attractions on the ship are meant to mimic various land vacation experiences, with a six-slide waterpark, seven full-size pools, a dueling pianos bar, an indoor aquatic theatre and more.In case you’re worried about not seeing a waterfall, you can put those fears to rest — the company says the Icon will include a 55-foot-tall waterfall, making it the tallest waterfall at sea.The ship will also include a greenspace, called Central Park, which will have lots of live plants, live music and a walk-up