World's largest cruise ship departs from Miami on its first voyage

He largest cruise ship in the world, the 'Icon of the Seas' (Icon of the seas), left the port of Miami on Saturday on its maiden voyage.

The Royal Caribbean ship set sail from South Florida for its first seven-day voyage to the tropics, a tour that will include Perfect Day at CocoCay (a private island in the Bahamas exclusively for Royal Caribbean guests); Puerto Plata, in the Dominican Republic, and San Juan, in Puerto Rico.

"Icon of the Seas sets sail for the first time! Will you be there next time?" asked a Twitter user who shared a video of the ship on the Only in Dade account, in which people are seen saying goodbye.

"It's been a great weekend in Miami! This was the largest cruise ship in the world leaving on its first trip yesterday! How beautiful! Do you like cruises?" commented the author of another video shared on the account. from lifestyle miami Instagram.

The cruise arrived last Wednesday, January 10 in Miami, his new home port, after several weeks traveling across the Atlantic, and was received with a large welcome demonstration at the Pérez Art Museum.

The 1,198-foot-long, 20-deck-high ship can accommodate up to 9,950 people, of which 7,600 are guests, with 2,805 cabins Designed for families of three, four, five and more members.

Built in a Finnish shipyard over 900 days, Icon will offer incredible experiences to passengers, as the largest water park at sea, as well as seven pools, including the largest pool on a cruise ship or the first infinity pool suspended at sea.

It has a park for lovers of heights, with a route full of challenges and ropes, suspended more than 150 feet above the water, and options for lovers of sports such as surfing, with a wave simulator; a climbing wall, an ice rink and a mini golf course.

It has 40 restaurants, bars and lounges, and cultural entertainment options such as concerts and theaters like the AquaDome, which performs water shows.

It is the first Royal Caribbean ship to run on cleaner-burning liquefied natural gas. In addition, it is equipped with an electrical connection on shore, which will allow it to connect to the electrical grid while docked, so it will not need to keep its engines running.

Rates to stay on this cruise start at $1,910 per person for an inside stateroom. Guests must purchase special dining and beverage packages to enjoy the entire dining experience.

"Not only is it a new ship, which is always exciting. But this is the next evolution in new cruises," he told Local 10 Matt Hochberg, who runs the Royal Caribbean Blog, which exclusively covers the line.

Hochberg said these innovations will have an industry-wide impact.

"This sets the standard now for what other cruise lines are going to face when they build their ships," he said.