Pieter De Boer
- The Icon of the Seas and Wonder of the Seas were docked at Royal Caribbean's private island, Perfect Day at CocoCay.
- The Icon of the Seas is the new world's largest cruise ship, a title previously held by the Wonder.
- See the two giant vessels side-by-side.
The bigger the better, the more the merrier: The world's two largest cruise ships have finally met.
On January 15, the Royal Caribbean's Wonder of the Seas and the newest vessel to join the company's fleet, the Icon of the Seas, were docked side-by-side at Perfect Day at CocoCay, Royal's $350 million private Bahamas island.
Sharon Yattaw
Until recently, the 235,600-gross-ton Wonder of the Seas was the world's largest cruise ship, spanning 1,188 feet long and 18 decks tall. The 9,288-person floating resort debuted in March 2022 with 2,867 guest cabins and amenities like a boardwalk at sea.
But in late 2023, its "world's largest" title was stripped away and given to the 20-deck Icon of the Seas, a 1,198-foot-long, 250,800 gross-ton behemoth.
The highly anticipated 9,950-person newcomer has been fitted with 2,805 cabins, a waterpark-at-sea, and a whopping 40 restaurants, bars, and lounges.
Royal Caribbean International
The Icon of the Seas is set to begin its first year of revenue cruises on January 27.
Ahead of its public debut, Royal Caribbean sent the vessel on an "employee shakedown cruise," or a test cruise, with a stop at its private island, a spokesperson told Business Insider.
Meanwhile, its predecessor was docked at Perfect Day as part of that ship's ongoing seven-night Caribbean cruise.
The Icon is now back at PortMiami, while the Wonder arrived at its next port of call in Cozumel, Mexico, on Wednesday.