The world鈥檚 largest cruise ship hasn鈥檛 welcomed a single passenger aboard yet, but it鈥檚 already set the internet on fire.
The Icon of the Seas 鈥 which recently completed its first set of sea trials in preparation for its maiden voyage in January 2024 鈥 has amazing credentials: 1,198 feet long (316 feet longer than the Titanic), 159 feet wide, 20 total decks and a maximum capacity of almost 10,000 people including all passengers and crew.
But when an image of its stern section went in July, it polarized opinions, eliciting passionate reactions on all sides. The artist鈥檚 impression depicted the fully laden ship in vibrant colours, emphasizing its massive water park 鈥 featuring record-breaking water slides 鈥 and conveying the ship鈥檚 extraordinary size and density.
Not everyone interpreted it as a delightful vision of lavish fun and relaxation at sea. It got billed as a 鈥溾 a 鈥,鈥 and one user suggested a better name for it would be 鈥.鈥 It was called 鈥溾 and compared to 鈥溾 or 鈥.鈥
Many juxtaposed it to visions of hell, with one commenter suggesting, a Dutch Renaissance artist known for his intricate infernal landscapes. Another gave a more contemporary cultural reference, saying the ship looks like the Candy Crush version of the dystopian ,鈥 a TV show in which humanity survives the apocalypse by retreating to a subterranean city, hundreds of levels deep.
But what is it about the image that provokes such strong emotions?
The Icon of the Seas 鈥 which recently completed its first set of sea trials in preparation for its maiden voyage in January 2024 鈥 has amazing credentials: 1,198 feet long (316 feet longer than the Titanic), 159 feet wide, 20 total decks and a maximum capacity of almost 10,000 people including all passengers and crew. (Royal Caribbean International)
鈥淚 found the rendering oddly unusual as well,鈥 Tom Davis, a professor of psychology at the University of Alabama, tells CNN. 鈥淎fter looking a bit more closely, I think I find the unsettling nature an interesting combination of the artistic perspective chosen and post-pandemic personal space/social distance training that鈥檚 been drilled into all of us.鈥
Davis says the fact that this is a rendering, not an actual photograph, plays a crucial role. 鈥淚t almost gives the impression of a short, over-tall, stacked vessel that is on choppy seas, but in reality this may be a trick of perspective, as the actual vessel is apparently three to four times longer than the idea I get by looking downward at the rendering. The images I鈥檝e seen that are more in profile add a more reasonable, I think, sense of the height in context to the overall length.鈥
He adds that the reaction may be down to a lot of variables, including personal anxieties and phobias as well as personal experiences with resorts and cruises. 鈥淔or some, a vessel this size with so much packed on it likely represents a lot of fun with ongoing activities and freedom from boredom. For others, they may have never been on a cruise and think this is too much to take in all at once,鈥 he says.
鈥淭he choice will come down to one鈥檚 own experiences and personal makeup 鈥 are fears of social situations, the open water, small spaces a problem? Then this picture will trigger memories of everything from news stories of viruses to movies like 鈥楯aws,鈥 鈥楾he Poseidon Adventure鈥 and 鈥楾itanic.鈥
鈥淔or others, their experiences with cruises and the numerous successful trips provide corrective information that leads them to view the situation differently.鈥
According to Adam Cox, a psychologist and phobia expert, the common description of the Icon of the Seas as 鈥渇ive times larger鈥 than the Titanic may suggest the idea of a potentially larger disaster: 鈥淓ven more so after the recent tragedy with the Titanic submarine,鈥 he says. 鈥淭his provokes a protective desire to prevent a similar tragedy.鈥
The levels on the ship also create a feeling of claustrophobia in some people, he continues, as they will perceive the ship to be a place where thousands are trapped, rather than enjoying a cruise holiday. 鈥淎nd for others, the candy colours make the ship seem like a toy, creating questions over safety that wouldn鈥檛 be there if the ship were in more neutral colours,鈥 he adds.
Jonathan Abramowitz, a psychologist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, thinks the image comes across as quite harried and confusing: 鈥淢aybe it鈥檚 the idea of so much going on at once and the fact that it鈥檚 all taking place at sea, with nowhere to go if there was any sort of emergency.鈥
But Ross Klein, a sociologist at the Memorial University of Newfoundland and a cruise expert, says the ship鈥檚 design is a natural progression for Royal Caribbean, the Miami-based cruise line that owns the ship. 鈥淚t is a bit comic-like, something with a mystical overtone. But it鈥檚 an extension of where they have been going in the past 25 years with their ship design.鈥
He believes the reactions are mostly based on previous experience with cruises. 鈥淚 think the Royal Caribbean enthusiasts are going to look at this and go 鈥榃ow, something new! This is pretty exciting, I can鈥檛 wait to get out and see what鈥檚 going on there!,鈥 he says.
鈥淏ut the people who don鈥檛 cruise, or people who perhaps like a different style of cruising, such as smaller ships, ultra-luxury ships or the even something in between, they will see this as just a monstrosity and go, 鈥榃hy would you ever do that?鈥欌
Cruise expert Stewart Chiron agrees. 鈥淚mages of Royal Caribbean鈥檚 ships have often elicited strong responses,鈥 he tells CNN. 鈥淭he negative responses to Icon of the Sea are evidently from non-cruisers. The current image is quite colourful and depicts a ship with lots of options. The positive responses far outweigh the others.鈥
A Royal Caribbean spokesperson, when contacted by CNN, did not comment on the feedback to this specific image but said that since the Icon of the Seas was revealed in October 2022 there has been an 鈥渋ncredible reaction,鈥 which has led to the highest volume booking week in the company鈥檚 history when sales opened.
With some sailings already sold out 鈥 and prices starting at around $2,000 per person for a seven-day cruise 鈥 the ship is likely to become a money-maker, according to Ross Klein. 鈥淩oyal Caribbean is notable for exceeding 100% capacity on their ships. And part of that is they give people something to want to come on board for and spend lots of money once they鈥檙e there,鈥 he says.
鈥淭hat ship鈥檚 gonna take in (US)$10 million a week.鈥
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