by Donald Wood
Last updated: 9:45 AM ET, Fri June 23, 2023
Royal Caribbean International announced that its Icon of the
Seas ship reached the next construction milestone after successfully completing
its initial round of sea trials and sailing the open ocean for the first time.
Icon of the Seas spent four days at sea to allow hundreds of
workers on board to conduct preliminary tests on a lineup of its latest
technologies and equipment, including the hull, brake system, steering and noise
and vibration levels.
The ship then returned to the Meyer Turku shipyard, where construction
will continue.
In total, the preparations and trials for Royal Caribbean’s
new vessel involved more than 2,000 specialists, hundreds of miles traveled,
four 37- to 67-ton tugboats and more than 350 hours of work.
Icon of the Seas will endure another set of sea trials later
this year before its scheduled debut in Miami in January 2024. The ship will sail
seven-night Eastern and Western Caribbean vacations from Miami all year.
Passengers on board will visit destinations like Royal
Caribbean’s private island destination, Perfect Day at CocoCay, The Bahamas;
Cozumel, Mexico; Philipsburg, St. Maarten; and Roatan, Honduras.
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