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Yet another record-size cruise ship is about to debut — this time in Europe.
Dubbed Legend of the Seas, the 20-deck-high Royal Caribbean vessel will sail from Civitavecchia, Italy, on Saturday on a maiden voyage that will take it to Marseille, France; Barcelona and Palma de Mallorca, Spain; and La Spezia, Italy before a return trip to Civitavecchia.
Built at the giant Meyer Turku shipyard in Turku, Finland, Legend of the Seas is the latest ship in Royal Caribbean's much-ballyhooed Icon Class series , which is setting new records for ship sizes.
Two earlier vessels in the two-year-old series — Icon of the Seas and Star of the Seas — each are about 6% bigger than the previous size leader among cruise ships, Royal Caribbean's four-year-old Wonder of the Seas .
Like both of its sisters, Legend of the Seas measures about 248,660 gross tons. But it's a foot longer than the two earlier Icon Class vessels, making it the new world's largest cruise ship — if only by a tad.
Room for nearly 10,000 people
Like its sisters, Legend of the Seas is able to hold up to 7,600 passengers with every berth full — a record-breaking number that tops any other vessels afloat by a significant amount.
Add in 2,350 crew members, and Legend of the Seas, like its sisters, can sail at times with nearly 10,000 people on board — also a record for a cruise vessel.
Legend of the Seas is loaded with top deck amusements. ROYAL CARIBBEAN As is typical for the world's largest cruise ships, both Icon of the Seas and Star of the Seas debuted in Florida, the cruise capital of the world. But Legend of the Seas will sail in the Mediterranean through late October, when it will reposition across the Atlantic to Fort Lauderdale's Port Everglades .
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That makes it by far the largest cruise vessel ever to debut in Europe.
Legend of the Seas' Mediterranean sailings, mostly seven nights in length, will begin in Civitavecchia (the port for Rome) and Barcelona.
After repositioning to Florida, it'll operate alternating six- and eight-night sailings to the Western Caribbean and Southern Caribbean with calls at some ports such as Falmouth, Jamaica and Willemstad, Curacao that haven't traditionally seen Icon Class ships .
All Legend of the Seas voyages will also feature calls at Perfect Day at CocoCay , Royal Caribbean's hugely popular private island in the Bahamas.
Designed for families
Like the two other vessels in the Icon Class series, Legend of the Seas has been designed with families in mind.
The Icon Class series of ships boasts more cabins offering extra bunks to accommodate families with children than earlier Royal Caribbean vessels. They also have more amenities geared to families, including new-for-the-line outdoor "neighborhoods" called Surfside that are dedicated to families with young children.
A merry-go-round for young kids at the Surfside area. ROYAL CARIBBEAN The Surfside areas, notably, feature splash areas for babies and kids, pools and lounge spaces for parents, family-friendly eateries and shops.
The Icon Class ships also feature seven pools and the largest water parks ever built on a cruise ship, with a record six waterslides each. No other vessels come close to such extensive water attractions on a cruise ship.
Related: Royal Caribbean ships ranked from newest to oldest
Among new features on Legend of the Seas are a Hollywood-themed Supper Club and new food venues at the top-of-the-ship AquaDome Market.
New entertainment offerings include a version of Roald Dahl's "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory", which played on Broadway and London's West End.
Initial fares for seven-night sailings on Legend of the Seas in the Mediterranean start at $1,480 per person, based on double occupancy. Fares for sailings out of Florida start at $1,582 per person, based on double occupancy.
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