"Icon"of the Seas cruise ship sets sail

[Barbara]

Besides being quoted as 5 times longer than the Eiffel Tower is tall and 5+ times larger than the ill-starred Titanic, Icon of the Seas does have an interesting new feature :

"When cruise ships are docked at ports, their engines and diesel generators are often running on fuel, emitting carbon dioxide into populated areas. Icon of the Seas has been built to run on shore power electricity in ports, a cleaner alternative to fuel, and hopes to become one of the first cruise ships to plug into the local power grid at Port Miami when shore power facilities are set to become available in the spring."

Three ships can plug in safely and simultaneously at the port on any given day, including Icon of the Seas, a spokeswoman for Port Miami said."

- New York Times

[Barbara]

If anyone is interested to hear what the cruising experience is like aboard Icon of the Seas, pictured above, this review appeared in Business Insider.
The summary of the reviewer's conclusion is in the words of the link if you don't have time to read the article.

The topic may seem irrelevant or frivolous. But who knows when one might be sitting at a trapeza overhearing someone at the next table talking about their experience aboard this ship.

Now, all readers of Euphrosynos Cafe will be generally informed enough to contribute to the discussion !

https://www.businessinsider.com/royal-c ... th-kids-29

[Barbara]

Clip of Icon of the Seas arriving at Miami port

https://x.com/i/status/1953832014756401476

[Barbara]

On the Feast of the Dormition of St Anna 2025, an acrylic panel broke in a water slide on this vessel

[see video if care what THAT was about (!) https://x.com/i/status/1953790003353387446 - if want to understand what happened.
Recommend turn off volume
15 MILLION Views]

This mishap sparked heated discussion about whether it's useful or not to embark on journeys by cruise ship.

One negative view was :

"I would much rather have my feet in the sand or in the ocean, than to stare out at the ocean from a ship.

The rooms are tiny. The food is disgusting on any cruise ship. I just don’t get why people go on a cruise."

Actually, that remark probably describes a trip aboard one of the flashy, glitzy lines like Royal Caribbean.

On nicer lines, the food is superb [all the smoked salmon you can eat, etc] It HAS to be, or no one would pay the high price demanded for a top-of-the line cruise.

A positive view echoes my own feeling about these way-over sensationalized cruises aboard a behemoth :

"I actually like to cruise but I can’t stand these floating amusement park ships. They are over crowded, they are plagued with “incidents/fights”, and to me they are not relaxing.

I go with cruise lines more in line with the old style of cruising. Quiet, relaxing, with a touch of elegance.

Who is inspecting the rides and attractions ? I never use them"