On November 28, 2023, the new world's largest cruise ship was finally delivered to Royal Caribbean after spending over 900 days under construction at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland.
Shortly after, Icon of the Seas, which measures an astonishing 250,800 gross registered tons, began sailing to Cadiz, Spain, where she's set to receive some final touches before officially entering service.
While en route to Cadiz, Icon of the Seas had to pass under Denmark's 11-mile Great Belt Bridge.
According to a video posted on Royal Caribbean's YouTube page, "The entire crew contributed their expertise in innovation and engineering to ensure the ship cleared the bridge safely."
Those who work in anything from operators to meteorology were assisted in this endeavor.
Related: Royal Caribbean takes delivery of the new world’s largest cruise ship
Thanks to Icon's retractable funnels, she was able to pass underneath the Great Belt Bridge with only feet to spare
To barely squeeze past the 11-mile Great Belt Bridge on December 1, the 20-deck high mega-ship had to have her funnels retracted. This feature isn't brand-new and is also found on Oasis and Quantum Class ships.
Icon of the Seas' time in Cadiz is one of the final steps before she's able to begin sailing from Miami, Flordia in January 2024.
Upon her arrival in North America, she'll offer 7-night cruises to the Eastern and Western Caribbean, all of which include a scheduled stop at Perfect Day at CocoCay, Royal Caribbean's private island in The Bahamas.
The last Oasis Class ship to pass underneath the Great Belt Bridge was Allure of the Seas in 2010
In October 2010, Allure of the Seas sailed underneath the Great Belt Bridge with less than 20 inches of clearance while en route to Fort Lauderdale, Florida for her maiden season.
According to Captain Hernan Zini in a video posted to Cruise Guy's YouTube channel, the normal height of a cruise ship is roughly 73 meters. In order to safely pass underneath the bridge, the entire height of the ship from the water level can be no more the 65 meters, or 213 feet.
Like Icon of the Seas, Allure of the Seas, along with all other Oasis and Quantum Class ships, were all built with retractable funnels.
The crew also had to ensure that Allure's draft was 9.14 meters by placing 4,000 tons of weight on the ship.
While Odyssey of the Seas did not have to sail past the Great Belt Bridge, she did make her way down the Ems River backwards while sailing from the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenberg, Germany to the North Sea
This 20-mile journey took Odyssey of the Seas over 10 hours to complete, as she could only sail 2-3 knots per hour. The faster Odyssey sailed, the deeper the hull pushed into the water.
Not only did Odyssey have to clear the Weener Bridge, but further down the river, she also had to successfully clear the Leer Bridge. Neither bridge were of the same size as the Great Belt Bridge, though.
For a ship of Odyssey's size, the Ems River can be considered both narrow and shallow. To help safely manuevur her to sea, Odyssey of the Seas was pulled backwards by two tugboats, each with 9,000 horsepower.
The conveyance was precisely planned around weather and time, meaning that she could only be moved during a full or new moon with wind speeds at 20 knots or less without guests.
Icon of the Seas' early legacy on the cruising industry
Despite not having welcomed any guests onboard, there's no denying the impact that Icon of the Seas has already had.
From numerous brand-new innovations, such as the largest waterpark at sea with six recording-breaking slides to the family-oriented Surfside Neighborhood, Icon is poised to offer one-of-a-kind vacations that rival the experience you might have at a theme park or other active land-based trip.
While her construction story is nearing the end, there's a lot to look forward to with Star of the Seas.
Construction on the second Icon Class vessel began in February 2023 when the keel was laid at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland. Once completed, she will sail from Port Canaveral (Orlando), Flordia starting in August 2025.
