Inside Icon of the Seas: The Mail boards world’s greatest cruise ship

Hello from the world’s greatest cruise ship.

I’ve been busy dashing about filming the brand new 20-deck, 1,198-foot Icon of the Seas – in and out – throughout a preview crusing from Miami to the Bahamas.

The huge vessel value $2billion (£1.5billion) to make, took 900 days to construct and is a ship of many ‘firsts’.

My video takes on the planet’s first suspended infinity pool at sea in addition to the largest-ever water park at sea, with six record-breaking slides. Plus, I panned my digital camera across the showstopper glass-topped AquaDome, which was the only largest glass-and-steel construction ever to be lifted onto a cruise ship and homes a 55ft indoor waterfall.

Royal Caribbean has been pushing boundaries on the planet of cruising for many years, however Icon is on the following degree and its outside decks are so vibrant and vibrant that they are like a cartoon otherworld.

My video begins with the swimming pools and there is a totally different one for every day of the week.

Royal Bay is the largest pool at sea. Then there’s Swim & Tonic, Royal Caribbean’s first swim-up bar whose cocktails share one key ingredient. You guessed it – tonic! Piece de resistance, nonetheless, is Hideaway – the primary ever suspended infinity pool on a cruise ship, which hangs giddily off the facet of the vessel, 135 ft above the ocean.

But if watery thrills are what you are after, then Icon’s Category 6 is the place to be – and that is the place the video heads subsequent.

Meet the biggest water park at sea with a number of record-breaking white-knuckle rides.

Pressure Drop is the primary ever open free-fall slide at sea (it seems terrifying), with a 66-degree incline; and Frightening Bolt is a 46-foot-tall drop slide. Their names alone are sufficient to scare you off.

My footage then strikes to the entrance of Icon, the place you may discover the dazzling glass-topped AquaDome, a first-of-its-kind leisure house that homes the AquaTheatre, whose 4 nine-foot robotic arms have lights on the ends (used for particular results) and price thousands and thousands.

Here’s the place day by day gasp-inducing acrobatic exhibits are held utilizing divers as a substitute of gymnasts. Like Cirque de Soleil on water. 

That 55-foot indoor waterfall turns into a spectacular a part of the set.

Finally, we go into the guts of the ship to discover my cabin in addition to two different Royal Caribbean debuts – the brand new walk-up Bubbles Champagne bar and ‘The Pearl’. 

This is a huge, walk-through three-deck sphere set up with an inventive stairway – Icon’s reply to the extra standard cruise ship atrium.

The finale is a blinding fireworks show earlier than the ship excitingly pulls away, heading for the Bahamas on the primary crusing forward of a maiden January twenty seventh voyage, from when Icon will likely be providing weekly seven-night roundtrip Miami voyages to the Caribbean.

For extra movies from Jo, go to her YouTube channel Go With Jo.