What the ‘Icon of the Seas’, the world’s largest cruise ship, looks like, drawing criticism

This Saturday, the cruise will begin its maiden voyage Icon of the seas the biggest he has so far Royal Caribbean Group , the global cruise line incorporated in Liberia and headquartered in Miami, where your tour will begin. Before its departure, the new and enormous ship was filled with reviews by those who do not believe that it can be more environmentally friendly than the rest of the fleet and claim that the ship has done “greenwashing” .

“Longer than the Eiffel Tower, Icon of the Seas rises 20 stories above the waves, can accommodate more than 7,000 passengers and crew and, with a quarter of a million gross tons, I could eat five Titanic’s for breakfast », Writes the English newspaper The Guardian about the ship which measures 365 meters long. It has a capacity of 7,600 passengers in 2,805 cabins and can accommodate a total of nearly 10,000 people, including a crew of around 2,350 members, according to the American channel CBS News.

This “city in the sea” -como is used by the international market- with swimming pools (one of the largest in any barco), the first aquatic park on the edge of the world with six slides, teatros, a casino and more than 40 places to stay there drink. On its highest floor, the colorful slides of the “Thrill Island” water park stand out, the largest in the sea and which has a 17-meter covered waterfall.

The luxurious ship was built in 2023 and is currently sailing under bahamas flag , according to VesselFinder. It is 6% larger than the Wonder of the Seas, Royal Caribbean’s flagship inaugurated in 2022 which measures 362 meters long and has 18 floors. SO, Icon strips Wonder of title of largest cruise ship in the world . The “Icon” will depart this Saturday from Miami, Florida, and will sail until at least April 2026, offering 7-night cruises to the Eastern and Western Caribbean.

Almost all cruise ships will visit Perfect Day in CocoCay nail Royal Caribbean Private Island in the Bahamas. The May 5, 2025 cruise will sail to Labadee, Haiti, instead of CocoCay. Before arriving in Miami on January 10, the ship sailed to Cadiz, Spain, and Ponce, Puerto Rico for some finishing touches. The crew also enjoyed a big party at CocoCay.

Regarding the prices, A week-long Caribbean cruise costs around $3,500 for two people in an average cabin. For those looking for more luxury, the Ultimate Family Townhouse option, which consists of a three-story suite with touch-screen tables and a slide, can cost up to $100,000 per trip. The Royal Loft, aimed at higher-income adults, offers two bedrooms, a private hot tub and a large balcony starting at $40,000, CBS News reported.

Before embarking on its first voyage, the news of the new and enormous ship once again focused attention. attention from the environmental world on the impact of cruise tourism on the planet. According to Royal Caribbean, “Icon” champions environmental responsibility as it works with liquefied natural gas , treats its own waste and produces its own water. It would be the company’s first vessel powered by liquefied natural gas, or LNG a fossil fuel that the cruise industry has touted as a cleaner alternative to commonly used heavy fuel.

But his critics call these statements “greenwashing” , since methane emissions from LNG are a more powerful climate gas than CO2. Bryan Comer, maritime program director at the International Council on Clean Shipping, told the Guardian that the use of the fuel shows an industry that is “investing in false climate solutions “.

“They are doubling down on calling LNG a green fuel even though the engine emits 70-80% more greenhouse gas emissions per trip than if it used regular marine fuel,” he said. he declares. “Icon has the largest LNG tanks ever installed on a ship. “This is greenwashing,” said the maritime program director.

There International Association of Cruise Lines -group that aims to promote and grow the industry-, highlighted in its report on environmental practices and technologies 2023 that LNG “is currently the fossil fuel available on a scale that the better performance in reducing emissions air emissions,” citing an analysis by Sea-LNG, an industry coalition that promotes the benefits of LNG as a viable marine fuel.

However, environmental analysts are concerned about Long-term problems with LNG because even though it emits around 25% less carbon dioxide than conventional marine fuels, it It’s mainly methane a powerful gas that, over time, traps more heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide, they say.

According to a 2020 greenhouse gas study by the International Maritime Organization, the United Nations body that regulates global shipping, the the use of LNG as a marine fuel increased by 30% between 2012 and 2018, leading to a 150% increase in methane emissions from ships.

It would not be the first time that part of the Royal Caribbean Fleet faces incidents and generates controversies. He investment company Global cruise ship faced norovirus outbreaks on board, controversial docking in Haiti after 2010 earthquake, disappearance of passenger George Allen Smith on honeymoon, environmental fine for spill waste, at the eruption of the Whakaari/Island Blanca volcano during an excursion. which led to legal proceedings, the tragic death of 18-month-old Chloe Rae Margaret Wiegand after falling from a cruise ship and the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, with stranded crew members and operational pauses due to the virus.

In July last year, the recently published photos of the Icon cruise ship after carrying out its first sea tests had already sparked reactions among Internet users, who expressed through social networks that the ship was causing them distress. anxiety, especially after Tragedy of the Titans he submersible which in June 2023 had been missing for days and whose implosion cost the lives of its five multimillionaire crew members. Other users of “human lasagna” . Another person called him “the Candy Crush version” of the underworld in “Silo,” a dystopian drama series on Apple TV+.