World's largest cruise ship 'Icon of the Seas' unveiled by Royal Caribbean

It will be home to a 16-metre-high waterfall, the biggest water park at sea and a gravity-defying infinity pool

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  Royal Caribbean unveiled further details about 'Icon of the Seas', which is expected to be the biggest cruise ship in the world when it sets sail in 2024. All images: Royal Caribbean

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  The enormous liner will be packed with amenities, attractions and entertainment.

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  Bookings for stays in January 2024 will go live later this month.

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  It's 365 metres long — surpassing the previous largest cruise ship in the world by three metres.

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  It will be able to accommodate 7,800 passengers.

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  Crown’s Edge will suspend travellers 45 metres above the waves.

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  Perched at the top of the ship, the new AquaDome is set to be a transformational neighbourhood.

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  Unwind and catch some rays at Chill Island.

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  Swim and Tonic in the new Chill Island is set to be Royal Caribbean’s first swim-up bar at sea.

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  Families of up to four can travel in a Surfside Family Suite.

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  Central Park will be filled with thousands of live plants, walkways and more.

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  The ultimate family townhouse will span three levels and have a slide, cinema and karaoke system.

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  The townhouse will have a private entrance to the family-friendly Surfside neighbourhood.

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  The Hideaway beach club will have the first suspended infinity pool at sea, according to the company.

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  Panoramic Ocean View suites and rooms will have floor-to-ceiling windows.

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  Cloud 17 in the new Chill Island neighborhood.

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  The family-friendly cruise will have children's alcoves, tucked away from the main bedroom.

Royal Caribbean has unveiled details of the world’s largest cruise ship, the Icon of the Seas.

With the largest water park at sea and the first suspended infinity pool on a cruise ship, the first Icon Class vessel will set sail in January 2024.

It will also be home to a 16-metre-high waterfall, a rock-climbing wall, the company's first swim-up bar and its very own "Central Park" neighbourhood, inspired by New York City's famed urban park.

Sailing on seven-night journeys around the Caribbean from its port city of Miami, the megaship will open for bookings next Tuesday.

At 250,800 tonnes, the new ship is more than five per cent larger in volume than Royal Caribbean’s Oasis class vessels, making it the largest cruise ship in the world. Spanning more than 365 metres in length, the vessel clocks in three metres longer than the Wonder of the Seas, the current largest ship in the world.

With 2,805 staterooms, the ship's focus is family-style holidays and it has a capacity for 7,800 passengers and 2,350 crew members.

The ultimate family townhouse spans three levels and has a slide, cinema and karaoke system. Photo: Royal Caribbean

Accommodation includes an array of family staterooms, suites and the first Ultimate Family townhouse. Spanning three levels, this spacious retreat includes a slide, cinema, karaoke, huge balcony and a private entrance to the ship's Surfside family neighbourhood.

“With each new ship, we raise the bar in the travel industry while enhancing what our guests know and love,” said Jason Liberty, president and chief executive at Royal Caribbean Group.

“From the moment they step on board, every experience is specifically designed to give them the best vacation anywhere on land and at sea. With Icon of the Seas, we’ve taken this to a new level and made the ultimate family vacation.”

Six water slides and an over-the-edge rope course

Dare to walk Crown’s Edge on 'Icon of the Seas'. Photo: Royal Caribbean International

Spread across eight different neighbourhoods, each of which has themed entertainment, restaurants, bars and experiences, there are five new destinations on board, plus three zones that passengers will be familiar with from other Royal Caribbean ships.

Thrill Island is where passengers will find the largest water park at sea, with six water slides including Pressure Drop, the industry’s first open free-fall slide and the 14-metre-high Frightening Bolt, which the company claims is the tallest slide on the high seas. Travellers can also tackle Crown’s Edge, part skywalk, part rope course and part thrill ride, travellers dangle on a rope 45 metres above the waves.

On the opposite end of the scale, Chill Island is where four of the ship's seven pools are found, and it's the place to unwind and catch some rays. Here, there's the cruise line's first swim-up bar, plus an adults-only pool and Cove Pool which has comfy dome daybeds and uninterrupted ocean views.

Open-air Central Park and an Instagram-friendly beach club

Central Park will be filled with thousands of live plants, walkways and more. Photo: Royal Caribbean International

Central Park, an open-air neighbourhood filled with live plants, is also back on the world's largest cruise ship and, perhaps unsurprisingly, is bigger than ever.

Families will be able to make a beeline to Surfside where Splashaway Bay and Baby Bay await alongside a carousel, arcade and children's clubs. The Hideaway neighbourhood will be home to an Instagram-perfect beach club and the first suspended infinity pool at sea, hovering eight stories high.

On top of the world’s largest cruise ship is AquaDome — which by day will have its own waterfall and wraparound ocean views; by night, it will transform into the ship’s social hub with restaurants, bars and aqua shows where athletes and artists will perform in transforming pools, robotic arms and cutting-edge technology.

The ship is set to be unveiled in the UK later next year and start sailings from the US in 2024. Icon of the Seas will offer itineraries inclusive of a stop at Royal Caribbean’s private-island retreat, Perfect Day at CocoCay and the soon-to-open adults-only island Hideaway Beach. Rates have still to be announced. It is set to be larger than the cruise line's Utopia of the Seas, also set to arrive in 2024, though it is an Oasis-class ship.

Water slides, spas, ice rinks on the world's largest cruise ships — in pictures

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  1. The world’s biggest cruise liner is Royal Caribbean’s Wonder of the Seas. Photo: Royal Caribbean International

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  2. The second largest cruise ship in the world, the 362-metre-long Symphony of the Seas. Reuters / Jon Nazca

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  3. Named after a module on the International Space Station, Harmony of the Seas is the third-largest cruise ship. Reuters

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  4. Royal Caribbean International's Allure of the Seas accidentally surpassed its sister ship Oasis of the Seas in length by five centimetres. Reuters

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  5. Oasis of the Seas was the first Oasis-class ship from Royal Caribbean. EPA

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  6. The entertainment onboard Costa Smeralda, the sixth-largest cruise ship in the world. Photo: Costa Cruises

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  6. Costa Toscana shares sixth place in a ranking of the world's biggest cruise liners, with its sister ship from the Italian cruise line. Photo: Costa Cruises

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  7. MS Iona from P&O Cruises is the world's seventh-largest cruise liner. EPA

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  8. The newly built cruise giant Aidacosma is 337 metres long. Photo: TNN

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  9. The Aidanova rounds out a list of the world's biggest cruise liners. EPA