A Ship that's Like a Floating City

The largest cruise ship in the world, Icon of the Seas (launched in 2024), can carry over 7,600 passengers and 2,300 crew members—more people than many small towns. It’s 1,198 feet long, which is almost the length of four football fields.

So how do you feed a population that size… at sea?

On a typical 7-day cruise, Icon of the Seas serves up more than 150,000 meals. That’s breakfast, lunch, dinner, and every snack in between for nearly 10,000 people, every single day.

To pull it off, the ship’s 37 kitchens and 425 cooks operate around the clock. The onboard bakery alone turns out 40,000 pastries daily.

And it's not just quantity, passengers dine on lobster tails (about 3,500 per trip), 2,500 pounds of prime rib, and even 20,000 pounds of rice over the course of a week. Whether you’re craving sushi, tacos, or a towering burger, there’s a spot on board that serves it.

Want to keep it sustainable? Royal Caribbean installed a system that converts food waste into energy—enough to help power parts of the ship like its water park.

Next time you're wondering what it takes to run a cruise ship, just imagine a floating city with a better buffet than Vegas and smarter energy systems than some neighborhoods!