Icon of the Seas: World's largest cruise ship begins its maiden voyage

The world's largest cruise ship, Icon of the Seas by Royal Caribbean, is embarking on its first journey from the Port of Miami on Sunday. (Photo: Agencies)

Royal Caribbean's Icon of the Seas, which runs nearly 1,200 feet (365 metres) from bow to stern, is leaving South Florida for its first seven-day island-hopping voyage through the tropics. The ship was officially christened Tuesday with help from soccer legend Lionel Messi and his Inter Miami teammates. (Photo: Agencies)

The Icon of the Seas is divided into eight neighborhoods across 20 decks. The ship includes six waterslides, seven swimming pools, an ice-skating rink, a theatre, and more than 40 restaurants, bars, and lounges. (Photo: Agencies)

The ship can carry up to 7,600 passengers at maximum capacity, along with 2,350 crew members. The ship is officially the biggest cruise ship in the world, with Royal Caribbean’s Wonder of the Seas, new in early 2022, trailing close behind at 1,188 feet long and 235,600 gross tons. (Photo: Agencies)

When the $2 billion ship sailed into the Port of Miami with music blasting on January 10, after crossing the Atlantic from the shipyard in Turku, Finland, where it was built, it was greeted with a cacophony of fireboat salutes and a banner flag flyover. The commotion brought traffic to a halt along the causeway to Miami Beach that parallels the cruise ship channel. (Photo: Agencies)

Some 50 musicians and comedians keep passengers entertained with ensembles that include the largest orchestra at sea (16 pieces) as well as the first at-sea performance of “The Wizard of Oz,” complete with flying monkeys. (Photo: Agencies)

Long before it arrived in Miami, social media images of Icon of the Seas generated online buzz from eager vacationers as well as heavily polarized opinions about the over-the-top ship, in particular about the potential environmental impact of such a large ship. (Photo: Agencies)

The new ship’s most anticipated offering for families might be Surfside on Deck 7. Geared toward families with kids 6 and younger, it centers around a Seussian-looking carousel for which kids made the ultimate call on the ride-on characters (a rainbow-toothed narwhal and a pool floatie-style flamingo, among other whimsical creatures). (Photo: Agencies)

The ship is built to run on liquefied natural gas (LNG), which burns more cleanly than traditional marine fuel but poses greater risks for methane emissions. Environmental groups say methane leakage from the ship's engines is an unacceptable risk to the climate because of its short-term harmful effects. (Photo: Agencies)