See the large record-breaking 367-ton dome Royal Caribbean added to its subsequent megaship

Royal Caribbean simply completed putting in an architectural and engineering feat onto its new cruise ship.

The AquaDome is without doubt one of the signature areas onboard Star of the Seas, which will probably be one of many greatest cruise ships on the planet.

The ship is being constructed on the Meyer Turku shipyard in Turku, Finland, the place Icon of the Seas, Oasis of the Seas, and Attract of the Seas had been additionally constructed.

The set up of Star of the Seas’s AquaDome made historical past as the most important glass and metal construction ever lifted and put in onto a cruise ship, a Herculean job that took 80 hours to finish.

Picture by Niko Alakoski.

The multiple-day course of took months of planning for a single feat of big proportions.

Now, its completion marks the start of the subsequent part of development. 

Royal Caribbean can begin to carry all of it to life, constructing out neighborhood eating places, bars, and leisure venues.

Star of the Seas will debut in August 2025, out of Port Canaveral, Florida.

Even lifting the dome off the bottom was a large enterprise. 

Picture by Niko Alakoski.

Royal Caribbean needed to construct a customized, 155-ton rig to maneuver the dome into place.

1,640 ft (500 meters) of suspension cables linked the rig to the dome. These cables are longer than the peak of the Empire State Constructing!

To finish the elevate, the shipyard needed to depend on the wind to remain calm. If wind speeds reached 10 miles per hour (or 16 kilometers per hour), all the operation would come to a halt.

In the long run, the dome traveled over 1,200 ft (366+ meters) within the air and rested on high of the vessel.

Staff accomplished 6 hours of exact welding and different work to completely connect the dome.

The dome was first constructed alongside Star of the Seas, a course of that allowed it to be constructed in tandem with ship development.

This technique is often utilized in cruise ship constructing to finish a number of aspects of the method on the similar time.

Learn extra: Royal Caribbean unveils adjustments to make Star of the Seas even higher than Icon of the Seas

Cabins, ship blocks, neighborhoods, and different options are sometimes constructed elsewhere, then assembled and added later on the shipyard.

The AquaDome is 82 ft (25 meters) tall, 164 ft (50 meters) broad, and weighs 367 tons (332 tonnes). 

The dome has 12 modules that had been assembled over 8 months, composed of 673 glass panels and 712 aluminum panels.

However putting in the dome is only the start. 

Subsequent, the cruise line will work to carry the AquaDome to life.

Building should add all the inside items, comparable to lighting, bars, lounges, eating places, sculptures, seating, the central waterfall, and the AquaTheater.

The revolutionary, lovely area will function a peaceable gathering place throughout the day and a vigorous, entertaining spot at evening.

As soon as the AquaDome is full, friends will expertise 220-degree ocean views, eating places, bars, nightlife, gorgeous leisure, and a 55-foot-tall waterfall.

The AquaDome was first launched on Icon of the Seas as a very new neighborhood idea that was constructed on the AquaTheater in Oasis-Class ships.

Situated atop decks 15 and 16, the neighborhood consists of revolutionary options just like the brand-new AquaTheater and the cruise line’s first AquaDome Market.

Picture by Mediascope Productions.

Building on Star of the Seas started in February of 2023 when metal was first lower within the shipyard.

As soon as development is full, Star of the Seas will sail to Port Canaveral, Florida.

The ship was initially scheduled to be delivered in mid-August of 2025, however delays in manufacturing and development compelled the cruise line to push again her unique inaugural crusing.

Picture by Mediascope Productions.

The inaugural crusing will now happen on August thirty first, 2025.

Cruisers can count on Star of the Seas to remain across the similar dimensions as Icon of the Seas.

Jay Schneider, Royal Caribbean’s Senior Vice President and Chief Product Innovation Officer has acknowledged that the ship’s points of interest are extra necessary than the full dimension. 

“That is by no means been a spotlight for us,” he mentioned. “The world’s greatest household trip was by no means about dimension for us. It nonetheless is not.”

That locations the cruise ship at round 250,800 gross tons whole, with a capability for five,610 passengers (or as much as 7,600 passengers at most occupancy).

The Icon Class has been particularly marketed to attract within the household trip market, particularly interesting to households with youthful kids.

The cruise line has already ordered one other Icon Class ship, attributable to be delivered in 2026. No additional particulars have been revealed about Icon 3.