Watch: World’s Largest Cruise Ship ‘Icon Of The Seas’ Crosses Short Bridge By Lowering Its Funnel

Retractable funnels are a little-known innovation that allows the largest cruise vessel in the world to sail under shorter bridges.

Royal Caribbean introduced the Icon of the Seas into its 28-ship fleet in late November with an inaugural event at the Meyer Turku shipyard based in Finland. Soon after, the 250,800-gross-ton, 1,198-foot-long ship began sailing to Cádiz, Spain, for final preparations before its maiden voyage in 2024.

During its voyage from Finland to Spain, the 20-deck ship encountered one major stumbling block: Denmark’s 11-mile Great Belt Bridge.

An iconic journey always begins with an epic feat. 😏 Tap to watch the #IconoftheSeas crossing. 🔗 https://t.co/fzBUqQtwGh pic.twitter.com/5ssUENMUFo

— Royal Caribbean (@RoyalCaribbean) December 4, 2023

Video Credits: Royal Caribbean/X

Most small-ship operators do not hesitate to cruise beneath such infrastructure. However, because it is the world’s largest cruise ship, the Icon of the Seas necessitated a collective engineering effort.

Royal Caribbean’s crew had to “lower and secure” Icon of the Seas’ funnels ahead of the tunnel, enabling it to clear the Great Belt Bridge on 1 December with barely a few feet to spare.

While historic, passing under this structure was nothing new for the cruise line. According to a Royal Caribbean spokeswoman, Allure of the Seas and the Oasis of the Seas — both nearly as tall as this new ship — have previously done so.

The Icon, Oasis, and Quantum-class ships of the cruise line have retractable funnels.
Following its stay in Spain, the Icon of the Seas will sail to Miami for an array of seven-night Caribbean cruises beginning in late January 2024.

Royal Caribbean has been boasting onboard facilities like 40-plus food and beverage spots and seven pools, including a water park with six water slides since the ship’s unveiling in 2022. However, getting to this floating resort is expensive: the cheapest 2024 itinerary begins at $3,023 per person, which equates to over $430 a day.

Royal Caribbean has increasingly prioritized the construction of larger ships. Its previous biggest cruise vessel, Wonder of the Seas, was launched in 2022, while the next equally massive icon-class ship, Star of the Seas, is planned for launch in 2025.

Reference: Business Insider

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