Following the Covid epidemic, cruise bookings have increased, and Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas is expected to surpass all previous records for size.
The ship, which resembles a hamlet more than a ship, has over 20 decks, colorful waterparks, and seating for up to 10,000 passengers. One distinguishing element of the spacecraft is its glass dome.
Industry rebound
The Cruise Lines International Association forecasts that in 2023, there will be 31.5 million more passengers than there were before the epidemic, reflecting the revival of the cruise sector.
Icon of the Seas will surpass Royal Caribbean’s current flagship, Wonder of the Seas, in terms of gross tonnage, surpassing it by 250,800. Alexis Papathanassis, professor of cruise management at Bremerhaven University of Applied Sciences, pointed out that large ships provide advantages for the economy, such as lower costs for individual passengers.
- Covid surge boosts cruise bookings, Icon of the Seas surpasses records.
- Cruise sector’s revival predicted for 2023, 31.5 million passengers.
- Environmentalists oppose LNG use for the Icon of the Seas, citing potential methane leakage concerns.
The port overpopulation and other particular difficulties faced by larger vessels, however, are also among them. Popular cruise locations like Longyearbyen in Norway’s Svalbard archipelago have expressed concerns over the lack of infrastructure to handle such huge crowds as passenger numbers have increased.
Cruise lines attempt to improve passenger capacity while decreasing the personnel-to-passenger ratio, which can provide problems in the event of unforeseen circumstances.
It’s more challenging to handle evacuations on larger ships. Some contend that one large ship is more energy-efficient than multiple tiny ones from a climatic standpoint.
Environmentalists, though, are not persuaded. Liquid natural gas (LNG), which has fewer emissions than conventional marine fuels but raises questions about possible methane leakage, will be used to power the Icon of the Seas. Utilizing LNG as a maritime fuel promotes the growth of the gas sector, which may hurt the environment.
