World
Set sail on world’s largest cruise ship, which can accommodate over 7,000 guests per voyage
Have you ever wondered what it’s like to set sail on the world’s largest cruise ship? In order to cross that item off your bucket list, you’ll need to book a trip on Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas, which currently holds the record for the largest cruise ship in the world.
Icon of the Seas was built at the Meyer Turku Shipyard in Turku, Finland, according to Royal Caribbean’s Press Center Fact Sheet, and set sail on its first voyage on Jan. 27, 2024.
The ship has 20 decks, 18 of which are accessible to guests, with 2,350 crew members, 2,805 staterooms and the capability to hold 5,610 guests at double occupancy on each trip, according to the fact sheet. At maximum capacity, the cruise ship can hold 7,600 passengers, per the Economic Times.
Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas is the world’s biggest cruise ship. (Getty Images)
PASSENGER REFLECTS ON 9 MONTHS AT SEA AFTER EMBARKING ON CRUISE THAT WENT VIRAL ON TIKTOK
The Royal Caribbean ship weighs 248,663 gross tons and is 1,196 feet long, per the fact sheet.
Icon of the Seas departs out of Miami and offers both Western and Eastern Caribbean seven-night vacations for guests.
There is one Western Caribbean option for guests who wish to travel on Icon of the Seas. The itinerary for this vacation is a departure from Miami, a day at sea, followed by the first stop in Puerto Costa Maya, Mexico, immediately followed by Roatan, Honduras, and Cozumel, Mexico. The sixth day of the vacation is spent at sea, and then the ship stops at Perfect Day at CocoCay, Bahamas, Royal Caribbean’s private island.
Icon of the Seas stops at Perfect Day at CocoCay in the Bahamas, a destination exclusively for Royal Caribbean guests. (Richard Tribou/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
CRUISE PASSENGERS GO WILD HIDING RUBBER DUCKS ON SHIPS IN VIRAL GAME OF HIDE-AND-SEEK
There are five different Eastern Caribbean options guests can choose to set sail on, varying slightly in the stops made.
Stops of the Eastern Caribbean Icon of the Seas cruise include Labadee, Haiti, San Juan, Puerto Rico, Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, Perfect Day at CocoCay, Bahamas, Philipsburg, St. Maarten, and Basseterre, St. Kitts and Nevis.
Not all the Eastern Caribbean cruises stop at all these destinations. Some vacations are filled with more destinations, while others are filled with more days spent at sea.
For those full days at sea and hours spent on the ship after exploring a stop, there is so much for guests to do.
Surfside is one of the neighborhoods on Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas. (Saul Martinez for Washington Post via Getty Images)
6 CRUISE SAFETY TIPS TO KEEP YOU PROTECTED AND AT EASE DURING YOUR VACATION AT SEA
Guests certainly won’t be hungry while traveling, with 13 dining options included in the price of your vacation.
Complimentary dining options include Royal Caribbean favorites like Windjammer for breakfast, lunch and dinner, Sprinkles for a soft-serve ice cream cone whenever you desire and Sorrento’s for a late night slice of pizza.
There are also new complementary dining options on Icon of the Seas, such as Aquadome Market, The Pearl, Basecamp, Surfside Bites and The Grove.
If you want specialty dining while on board, there are, again, Royal Caribbean stables like Izumi and Chops Grille, as well as new places to dine, like Celebration Table and Pier 7.
Sorrento’s is a Royal Caribbean favorite, where guests can grab a complimentary slice of pizza. (Pedro Portal/El Nuevo Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
HOW TO PROTECT YOUR ONLINE PRIVACY AND SECURITY ON YOUR NEXT CRUISE VACATION
For days spent lounging in the sun, guests can relax at one of Icon of the Sea’s seven pools, including Royal Bay, which is the largest at sea, containing over 40,000 gallons of water, according to Royal Caribbean’s website.
Icon of the Sea’s also broke a record for the largest swim-up bar at sea, with Swim & Tonic, according to Royal Caribbean’s website, which is the only swim-up bar on any Royal Caribbean ship.
The Hideaway Pool is an adult-only area, which features the first ever infinity pool at sea, according to Royal Caribbean.
Cloud 17 is another adult-only area, featuring a more secluded pool overlooking the ocean on the top deck of the ship.
Icon of the Seas features six waterslides. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
TRAVEL EXPERTS REVEAL BEST TIME TO FLY BEFORE A CRUISE AND WHY
The Cove Pool is another option guests can spend time in, with plenty of loungers and daybeds to ensure a relaxing experience.
For the kids, there’s an aqua park, as well as record-breaking watersides that can be enjoyed by kids and adults alike.
Among the six watersides on Icon of the Seas are Frightening Bolt, the tallest at sea, according to Royal Caribbean’s website, as well as Pressure Drop, which is the first free fall waterside on a cruise ship.
There are several different pools on Icon of the Seas, with plenty of relaxing and thrilling spaces for guests to utilize during their vacation. (Eva Marie Uzcategui/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
NEW CRUISE SHIPS SETTING SAIL IN 2025 AS EXPERTS SEE ‘MASSIVE BOOM’ IN TRAVEL TREND
Throughout the day, there is often live music and other entertainment at the pools for guests to enjoy.
After a day in the sun, there is plenty to do going late into the night with over 15 bars and lounges for guests to visit while onboard Icon of the Seas, like Boleros, Schooner Bar and Spotlight Karaoke. New bars and lounges on Icon of the Seas include Bubbles, Dueling Pianos and The Lemon Post.
Additionally, there are several different shows, including Broadway-style productions, ice shows in the Absolute Zero rink, as well as water shows in the Aquadome (Icon of the Seas’ version of Royal Caribbean’s popular AquaTheater), that guests can see during their vacation.
There is a plethora of stateroom and suite options on Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas for a comfortable stay. (Saul Martinez for The Washington Post via Getty Images)
As for accommodations, there are many options to choose from, including interior state rooms, ocean view rooms, balcony rooms and large family suites, such as the two-bedroom, three-level Ultimate Family Townhome fit for eight cruisers.
Pope Leo XIV left the Canary Islands for Rome on Friday in a Falcon plane offered by Spanish King Felipe VI after his original aircraft suffered a technical glitch, according to reporters at the scene.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
The flight took off just after 6:00 pm and is expected to arrive in Rome at around 11:00 pm. The pope wrapped up a week-long visit to Spain on Friday.
The pontiff’s departure from Tenerife was delayed earlier on Friday by a technical problem with the plane which led him to disembark, according to an AFP reporter at the scene.
Spain’s King Felipe VI, who had just said goodbye to the pontiff on the runway, boarded the Iberia airline plane and both disembarked and returned to the terminal.
About 80 journalists remained on the jet, along with Vatican officials and members of the clergy.
“The departure of the papal flight has been delayed by half an hour due to a technical problem with the aircraft,” the communications service for the papal trip in Spain said in a brief statement.
The pilot initially told passengers there was a technical fault but later specified a “startup failure of the engine,” which he said was likely caused by wind conditions.
“Our maintenance team suggests towing the aircraft, positioning it into the wind, and attempting a new engine start,” the pilot told those on board.
“We will try this. If it is successful, we can depart.”
The glitch marked an unusual end to an otherwise successful trip to Madrid, Barcelona and the Canary Islands.
Pope Leo XIV pressed his migration message and also inaugurated the new tower of the Sagrada Familia basilica.
It was the first time in decades that a papal flight had experienced a problem so serious that it required the pope to change planes.
Veteran Vatican reporters, some of whom were on the Iberia plane, recalled a few plane-related incidents during the pontificate of St. John Paul II.
During a 1986 return trip from India, John Paul II’s plane was forced to land in Naples because of a snowstorm in Rome. The passengers and pope took a special train back to Rome.
In 1988 en route to Lesotho, bad weather forced the late pope’s plane to land in South Africa, a country he had excluded from his African trip at the time because of apartheid. He was later driven into the kingdom.
Typically on papal trips, the Italian national carrier ITA Airways brings the pope to his destination and that country’s national carrier brings him home, with ITA sometimes doing the round trip if the voyage is particularly long or to a place that doesn’t have the capacity.
The flights are charters, with the pope, Vatican delegation and security occupying the front of the plane and the 70 or so journalists seated in coach.
Iberia had proudly provided video earlier in the trip of Pope Leo XIV seated in the cockpit, smiling broadly as the plane carried him from Madrid to Barcelona and then Barcelona to the Canary Islands.
In both cases, Spanish military aircraft provided an airborne escort, a sign of respect for visiting dignitaries and in one clip of the video the pope is seen waving to the escorting pilot.
Additional sources • AP, AFP
World
War, latest news. Trump: agreement with Iran to be signed soon. Tehran media: approval likely from top officials
Oxfam: ‘Over 540 settler attacks in the West Bank in the first few months of 2026’
A new analysis by Oxfam highlights the exponential rise in attacks by Israeli settlers and military forces in the occupied West Bank: in the first few months of 2026 alone, there were over 540 incidents and “in three years, the number of Palestinian civilians killed has exceeded that of the previous 17 years”, mainly children. According to the report, based on an analysis of data provided by the United Nations, “it is clear that Israel’s annexation plan is accelerating, with mass forced displacements, increased restrictions on Palestinians’ freedom of movement and an unprecedented escalation of violence by settlers and the army”. A plan of ethnic cleansing and annexation that, since 2023, has caused over 46,000 people to be displaced, the construction of over 925 barriers that impede the movement of 3 million people, and an unprecedented wave of violence that has claimed over 1,200 lives, including nearly 270 children. In particular, between 2006 and 2022, Oxfam points out, there were 1,036 victims, including 225 children, whilst since 2023 alone, 1,244 have been recorded, with 268 children killed. This means that, over the last 20 years, one in five killings involved a child, around 22 per cent. By contrast, in the first 17 years under review, 86 Israeli settlers were killed by Palestinians, including 12 children, whilst there were 43 victims, including 10 children, between 2023 and 2025. “The massacre of civilians we are witnessing is painful and disturbing,” said Paolo Pezzati, spokesperson for humanitarian crises at Oxfam Italia – “Whilst the eyes of the world were rightly focused on the genocide committed by Israel in Gaza, following the atrocities committed by Hamas and other armed groups in 2023, an unprecedented wave of violence was unfolding across the West Bank, which has now escalated into a systematic plan of ethnic cleansing. In this context, we are therefore launching an urgent appeal for all necessary diplomatic pressure to be brought to bear on Israel to halt the ongoing annexation plan,” concludes Pezzati.
US: third Iranian oil tanker breaching the blockade neutralised
The US Central Command stated on X that it had intercepted an oil tanker, the third in a week, accused of violating the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. US Central Command says it struck the M/T Jalveer, flying the flag of Guinea-Bissau, “as it attempted to transport oil from Iran through the Gulf of Oman”. “A US aircraft fired two Hellfire missiles at the ship’s engine room after the crew repeatedly refused to obey orders from US forces,” Centcom said.
Meloni: the Council should reflect on the direction of relations between the EU and Israel
“Not only because of what is happening in Lebanon, but also given the situation in Gaza and the West Bank, it is clear that the European Council will need to reflect on the direction of relations between the European Union and Israel.” This was stated by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in the Chamber of Deputies, in her address ahead of the EU Council meeting. “On this,” she added, “I would like, for once, to see a debate here that goes beyond the emphasis on facile polemics, which certainly yields an immediate return in terms of visibility, but does not reflect the strategic importance that the issue holds for Italia.”
World
Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol sentenced to 30 years over North Korea drone flights
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
A South Korean court sentenced former President Yoon Suk Yeol to 30 years in prison Friday in a case that accused him of ordering drone flights over North Korea in an effort to justify his declaration of martial law.
Yoon, 65, was sentenced alongside former Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun by the Seoul Central District Court.
The ousted president was previously sentenced to life in prison for leading an insurrection following his declaration of martial law in December 2024.
North Korea accused South Korea of flying drones over Pyongyang to drop propaganda leaflets on three occasions in October 2024.
SOUTH KOREAN LAWMAKERS SUPPORT SUSPENDING PRESIDENT’S POWERS AFTER SHORT-LIVED MARTIAL LAW DECLARATION
South Korea’s impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol attends a hearing of his impeachment trial at the Constitutional Court in Seoul on Feb. 11, 2025. (Lee Jin-man/AP)
Then-Defense Minister Kim initially issued a vague denial before South Korea’s Defense Ministry said it could neither confirm nor deny the allegations.
Although tensions between the two Koreas escalated following the incident, the drone flights did not lead to any military clashes.
Prosecutors accused Yoon of attempting to create a crisis with North Korea while plotting an authoritarian power grab aimed at removing political opponents and consolidating control.
SOUTH KOREAN COURT RULES EX‑PRESIDENT YOON SUK YEOL GUILTY IN INSURRECTION TRIAL
Supporters of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol stage a rally outside the Seoul High Court in Seoul on April 29, 2026. (Ahn Young-joon/AP)
Before declaring martial law, Yoon delivered a televised address accusing liberal lawmakers of sympathizing with North Korea.
Yoon has argued that he possessed the constitutional authority to declare martial law and said the move was intended to draw attention to what he viewed as obstruction by opposition parties.
His attempt to impose martial law lasted roughly six hours before lawmakers voted to overturn it amid mass public protests.
Yoon was arrested in July 2025 and continues to face multiple criminal proceedings.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
South Korea’s ousted former President Yoon Suk Yeol arrives at Seoul Central District Court in Seoul to attend his trial on charges related to declaring martial law on Dec. 3, 2025. (Ahn Young-joon/AP)
The insurrection verdict has been appealed by both Yoon and prosecutors, who had sought the death penalty.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
-
Sports7 seconds agoWorld Cup Buzz: Neymar Out For Brazil’s Match Against Morocco On Saturday
-
Technology5 minutes agoGoogle wants to release millions of mosquitoes
-
Business12 minutes agoParamount’s $111-billion Warner Bros. acquisition clears key hurdle
-
Entertainment15 minutes agoESPN’s coverage of 2026 NBA Finals is setting ratings records for ABC
-
Lifestyle20 minutes agoHow to have the best Sunday in L.A., according to Fred Armisen
-
Politics27 minutes agoTrump’s quiet crackdown: Fewer ICE raids, harsher rules push immigrants to leave
-
Sports35 minutes agoShohei Ohtani held out of starting lineup a day after leaving game with knee inflammation
-
World45 minutes agoPope leaves Spain on plane offered by king after technical glitch
