NEWS

Icon of the Seas: Advanced media technology brings city-at-sea experiences to life

Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas, the world’s largest cruise ship, offers a class of its own cruise experience with state-of-the-art media technology solutions throughout the ship. The whole broadcast system is designed, built, and powered by TV Tools, including the heart of it all, the broadcast center.

The giant cruiser, with a worth of $2 billion and a gross tonnage of 248,663 GT, embarked on its maiden voyage from Miami in January 2024. This monumental journey follows meticulous consulting and planning since May 2018, with TV Tools’ initial pre-installations of media technology commencing at the beginning of the year 2022 at the Meyer Turku shipyard, Finland.

Fully booked until 2026, Icon of the Seas boasts 20 decks and accommodates up to 7,600 passengers. The ship stands out with seven pools, the largest onboard water park, theaters, a casino, and more than 40 dining and drinking spots.

Notably, it is Royal Caribbean’s pioneer ship that utilizes liquefied natural gas (LNG) as its fuel source.

Icon of the Seas stands out with the largest onboard water park.

Iconic experiences demand iconic media technology

Royal Caribbean has been known for introducing innovative media and entertainment technologies on its ships, enhancing the overall cruise adventure for passengers. Icon of the Seas is no exception!

The ship features concepts such as the Aquadome, a glass-domed diving and performance arena. Additionally, you’ll also find the Pearl, a dynamic art installation on the Royal Promenade, and Absolute Zero, an ice skating rink and entertainment venue. All these exceptional high-tech performance arenas demand dependable media technology solutions to seamlessly operate.

The naming ceremony at AquaDome on Icon of the Seas—an event oasis with ocean views and vibrant nightlife.

TV Tools’ comprehensive media technology and broadcasting solutions for Royal Caribbean covers the following:

  • Broadcast Center and other broadcast equipment to all major venues completely integrated with entertainment systems
  • Ship-wide video and audio routing for both broadcast and entertainment
  • Production network for both broadcast and entertainment
  • IP-based intercom system for both broadcast and entertainment
  • RF routing and TV satellite reception
  • TV cameras (PTZ and ENG)
  • Two production galleries with video and audio mixing and monitoring
  • Ingest and playout servers
  • Video post-production
  • Graphics creation
  • KVM matrix for all computers
  • Broadcast Control system
  • Mon Tool monitoring service

From the consulting and planning all the way to the installation and monitoring, the project has encompassed numerous different phases:

Consulting

Design

Detailed design

Pre-installation

Configuration

 

Factory acceptance test

On-site installation

Commissioning

Site acceptance test

Training

Delivery

Support & Monitoring

Now sailing the seas!

The ship was successfully delivered to Royal Caribbean International in November 2023. And now the passengers are making the most of every moment onboard.

Appreciation goes out to our dedicated Shipbuilding Team along with the invaluable support from other TV Tools teams. They have executed another outstanding job on this massive nearly six-year-long project, earning highly positive feedback from the customer.

Even though the project has been successfully completed, and the ship has started to sail the seas, the massive equipment and systems are constantly monitored and supported by TV Tools to ensure its longevity and functionality.

Icon of the Seas’ arrival at MiamiPort.

Read more about the world’s largest cruise ship at Royal Caribbean’s official website here.