Business
Icon of the Seas made its first call at Philipsburg on 13 February 2024
Royal Caribbean's Icon of the Seas, then the world's largest cruise ship, made its inaugural call at Port St. Maarten on 13 February 2024, with a fireworks send-off at departure.
By SXM Daily ยท
Reported 13 February 2024.
Royal Caribbean International's Icon of the Seas, described by the port as the largest cruise ship in the world, made its inaugural call at Philipsburg on Tuesday 13 February 2024, according to the Port St. Maarten Group (PSG) in a release published by the St. Maarten Tourism Bureau.
Photo: MARELBU / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0, illustrative
The ship was scheduled to arrive at 6:30 am and leave at 7 pm, and PSG planned a fireworks display near departure time to give passengers and crew a send-off. PSG said the call showed cruise opportunities for the destination were growing in 2024.
The news site Writeups 24 reported that the ship docked at 6:30 am with about 7,600 passengers, and that PSG and Royal Caribbean officials welcomed it with government officials and stakeholders to mark the inaugural visit.
For the cruise pier and what is close to it, see our guide to Philipsburg.
Sources
- https://www.visitstmaarten.com/fireworks-display-to-mark-largest-cruise-ship-in-the-world-icon-of-the-seas-inaugural-call/
- https://writeups24.com/news/icon-of-the-seas-docks-on-shores-of-st-marteen-with-7600-passengers