The latest cruise ship in the Royal Caribbean fleet is going to be the biggest in the world and packed with more waterslides than a child could ever dream of.

The Icon of the Seas will set sail in early 2024, with capacity for more than 5600 people onboard, plus some 2000 crew members.

The ship is under construction in Turku in Finland, and will sail out of Miami, Florida.

“As the first-of-its-kind combination of the best of every vacation, Icon will introduce a new era of vacations for years to come,” a spokesperson for the Royal Caribbean said in a written statement.

“From the resort getaway to the beach escape and theme-park adventure, every type of family and kind of adventurer can make memories together … [and there are] more than 40 ways to dine, drink and be entertained.”

This is also the Royal Caribbean first international ship that runs on  liquefied natural gas and fuel cell technology, CNN reported.

‘Monstrosity’

However, not everyone is keen: The cruise ship has been branded a “monstrosity” online.

Tweet from @Raymodraco

What’s on Icon of the Seas?

On the ship is Category 6, the “largest water park at sea”, with six slides that break records.

“Like the Frightening Bolt, the tallest waterslide to sail. And the Pressure Drop, the first open free-fall waterslide on a cruise,” Royal Caribbean said.

There are seven pools, promising to complement “every mood”, as well as a “kid-approved” aqua-park and a pool for adults called Cloud 17.

Tweet from @RoyalCaribbean

The company claims its Royal Bay is the largest pool at sea, with “next-level views” and an “array of infinity edges to keep you connected to the ocean”.

The Hideaway will also be the first-ever suspended pool to take to the sea, plus the Swim and Tonic, the largest swim-up bar in the Royal Caribbean fleet.

Additionally, there will be more than 20 dining options onboard.

In additions to the slides, pools and restaurants, there’s are 15 “buzzing spots”, like karaoke bars, a sports bar and arcade, a casino and live music venues.

Tweet from @RoyalCaribbean

The rooms and where you’re going

The Icon of the Seas has rooms designed for families, to ones with sprawling views.

There is a family townhouse spread out over three levels with a slide  into the living room.

The ‘Ultimate Family Townhouse’ sleeps eight people, has its own kitchenette, an ensuite, cinema room and a patio with a table tennis set-up.

There’s a family “townhouse” on the cruise ship. Photo: Royal Caribbean

Access to the pools and waterslides are inclusive in the price, as is the rock-climbing wall, the mini-golf course, and many more attractions.

Several restaurants offer complimentary meals for passengers.

Icon of the Seas will travel to eastern and western Caribbean locations, stopping at a few beautiful islands such as the Bahamas and the US Virgin Islands.

A ‘floating birthday cake of a vessel’

While some might jump at the chance to get a suite on Icon of the Seas, not everyone is too eager hop onboard.

Someone said it was “hideously, intricately tacky and vulgar” and it made them “nauseous looking at it”.

One person said the ship looked like “the Candy Crush version of the dystopian underground world in Silo.

Others thought it was a metaphor for everything that is wrong with the world.

“The Icon of the Seas launches in 2024 while desperate migrants set sail from North Africa daily, risking their lives in pursuit of simple safety & security,” someone said on Twitter.

“If this bloated, floating birthday cake of a vessel isn’t a perfect metaphor for what’s wrong in our world, what would be?”

Tweet from @PWB_writer1