2023-07-14 15:02:00
The images, high in flashy colors, are almost reminiscent of Barbie’s boat. But the future cruise ship of the Royal Caribbean would almost pass the Titanic for a pedal boat of the Eau d’Heure lakes, as its measurements are gigantic. Successfully tested in recent days in Finnish waters, where the shipyard is located, l’Icon of the Seas became the largest cruise ship to ever sail the waters of the globe.
A Barbie boat that relegates the Titanic to the rank of pedal boat of the Eau d’Heure lakes. ©Royal Caribbean
Next January 27, she will leave Miami for a cruise in the blue waters of the Caribbean for her maiden voyage. A cruise in which up to 7600 passengers and 2350 passengers might take part. Almost as many as the number of spectators allowed at Canonnier, the Mouscron stadium.
An anthill on the sea which inevitably has insane measurements: the Icon of the Seas measures no less than 365 meters. More than three football pitches placed end to end. More also than the Eiffel Tower, which makes it 35 meters. The liner is 65 meters wide with 20 floors. Only supertankers and container ships are even longer. It would overtake the Symphony of the Seas (362 meters), already owned by Royal Caribbean, and would become the 15th largest ship in the world, all categories.
“An ecological aberration”: highly criticized, the Icon of the Seas has passed its first tests
For a total weight of 250,800 tons. That is the equivalent of 290,000 Twingos, or the weight of 3.17 million people combined. More than a quarter of the Belgian population!
This ultra-modern marine vessel will also be impressive with its equipment. It’s very simple: imagine everything you would like to have in a cruise, it has it. Would you like a swimming pool? There are. Seven in total, including one with overflow!
The Icon of the Seas will have no less than 7 swimming pools on board, including one with overflow. ©Royal Caribbean
Would you like a water park? He owns one. With six slides.
The liner will have its own water park, with six slides. ©Royal Caribbean
Would you like a wide variety of restaurants? He has it. With around twenty restaurants and bars available, including one by the swimming pool. Would you like to exert yourself physically? Does it offer gyms and a rock climbing wall? Would you like activities to entertain you and the children? The Icon of the Seas has a cinema, games rooms, mini golf, roller coaster, tree climbing, a casino, an ice rink, an escape room, a show and concert hall,…
The Icon of the Seas goes beyond excess and will have its own ice rink. ©Royal Caribbean
The Icon of the Seas also has a gigantic canopy and a waterfall, the largest ever installed on a boat.
Some dreamed of a waterfall on a boat, they did it. ©Royal Caribbean
Of course, all this luxury comes at a cost: fares for an eight-day cruise range from €2,000 to €40,000 per person. For the maiden voyage, a family suite has been booked for $94,000according to the revelations of the senior vice-president of international sales, Bert Hernandez to our colleagues from TravelWeekly.
A paradise for tourists, a hell for the environment
A paradise for some, a hell for those who flee mass tourism and prefer mountain hikes to overcrowded cruises. A hell also for the defenders of the environment. Because the liner, expensive for the wallet, will also have an insane impact on the environment. “It’s ecological nonsense”, asserts François Gemenne, main author of the studies for the IPCC and researcher at the city of Liège, on BFM TV. “Its footprint per passenger is the highest in the world. In this context, this type of transport is used for simple tourism. We are faced with excess where this boat represents a symbol of overconsumption. This is overtourism obesity.”
The Icon of the Seas, an environmental aberration for this sea monster
According to the account Yacht CO2 Tracker estimated the ship’s carbon footprint: 108 kg of CO2 per day per person. That is the equivalent of 450 kilometers covered in a petrol car, with an average consumption of 6L/100 km. A calculation that obviously does not take into account the carbon cost of passengers to go, most often by plane, to the port of embarkation.
According to estimates, the ship would have a gargantuan consumption of 175,000 liters of LNG per day.
To see this boat, it will be necessary to go to the Caribbean, not all European ports being able to accommodate this monster of the seas due to a draft exceeding ten meters.
1689352023
#insane #measurements #Icon #Seas #arouses #controversy #obesity #overtourism
