Set to enter service in late January, the Icon of the Seas is getting ready to welcome its first paying guests.
After being delivered by the Meyer Turku shipyard in November, the new Royal Caribbean International vessel is currently undergoing final adjustments in Cádiz, Spain.
According to local news, the work includes the installation of over 10,000 natural plants at the ship’s Central Park. With a better climate, the plant installation is more ideally suited for Spain than Finland, where the ship was built.
Returning after first being introduced in Oasis Class vessels, Central Park onboard the Icon of the Seas was described by Royal Caribbean as “lushier and livelier” than its predecessors, with 20 percent more plants.
While in drydock, the Icon also underwent technical work including updates to its box coolers and sea chests, and repairs to one of its azipods, Diario de Cádiz said.
After arriving at the shipyard on Dec. 5, the LNG-powered vessel is set to depart Cádiz on Dec. 23, the newspaper added. The Icon is then set to visit Algeciras before heading to North America.
Set to spend its inaugural season in the Caribbean and the Bahamas, the 5,610-guest ship is scheduled to kick off its first cruise on Jan. 24, 2024.
Based in PortMiami on a year-round basis, the Icon of the Seas will offer a series of week-long cruises to popular destinations in the region, including Cozumel, St. Maarten and St. Thomas.
The ship is also set to visit Royal Caribbean’s private island destination Perfect Day at CocoCay, which will be part of all of the ship’s itineraries.
