Is Royal Carribean's New $2 Billion Cruise Ship Icon Of The Seas A Working Man's Attainable Paradise Or Proof Of A Late-Stage Capitalistic Dystopia?

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. RCL  built the largest cruise ship in the world. The boat, named the Icon of the Seas, will set sail from Miami on Jan. 27. The ship will visit a host of eastern Caribbean locations with most cruises being one week. 

The ship’s layout is unlike any other in the world, boasting eight "neighborhoods" for guests to enjoy and explore. Most prominently, the ship has an Aquadome where guests can watch aerialists and acrobatic shows while sitting next to a scenic 55-foot waterfall. 

Central Park is the ship's go-to spot for food and dining, while Chill Island has several relaxing water features. Thrill Island features the only waterpark at sea for those wanting to slide down a 55-foot drop slide or a full-blown raft slide. 

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Looking to stay dry? Crown's Edge has a ropes course that lets guests walk 154 feet above the ocean and a mini-golf course. Surfside is the ship’s kids and family area, while The Hideaway is the ship’s exclusive beach club. Lastly, the Royal Promenade hosts art and engineering feats where guests can enjoy entertaining shows, sculptures and more in a classy atmosphere.

Including crew, the ship will hold roughly 10,000 people in 2,805 staterooms on 20 decks. It has seven pools, nine whirlpools and six water slides — all on a 1,198-foot-long boat. 

By all metrics, the company is a feat of human engineering. Many have taken to social media to praise the craftsmanship that went into the boat. Potentially more notable is the fact that prices for a week-long cruise start at about $1,700 per week. After fees and taxes, that number will be bumped up a little, but it's still cheap compared to comparable options.

Most round-trip flights to the Caribbean, Bahamas or Europe will run you over $500 per person on the cheap end. More exclusive islands like the Maldives often cost close to $2,000 for the flight alone. Guests are transported to exclusive islands with an endless buffet and tons of fun for the price of one or two flights. 

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For many, this sounds like a win. A great vacation that's affordable to the everyday working man? Many did not see it this way. The cruise industry has long been criticized for the CO2 emissions and overall pollution the industry causes.

The boat itself sparked a heated debate on X as user prayingforexits said, "Late-stage capitalism is so absurdly comical at times. This new cruise ship has: 

– 23 restaurants 

– 22 bars/clubs 

– 7 full sized pools + 9 hot tubs

– Full waterpark 

– Rock climbing wall 

– Ice skating rink 

– Surf simulator 

– Golf course 

– Basketball court

– Rooms for 7,600 people"

Many were quick to challenge this idea for many of the reasons stated above. For example, @iowahawkblog gained roughly 750,000 impressions saying, "People who go on cruise ships are vacationing plumbers, nurses and mid-level office managers. People who use the term “late-stage capitalism” paid $200,000 to learn terms like “late-stage capitalism”

User @neontaster gained over 1.3 million impressions with the reply, "Late-stage capitalism” is what rich kid leftists call it when middle-class people get to do fancy [stuff]."

While the controversy rages on, Wall Street has been quick to react to Royal Caribbean’s developments. Royal Carribean's stock is up over 53% since its October lows and up 423% since its COVID-19 bottom. The company has rallied continuously since July 2022. Comparatively, Carnival Corp. CCL has not fared so well. The company has been up about 53% since October but has largely stayed stagnant and flat since April 2020. 

So, is this a working man's attainable paradise or proof of a late-stage capitalistic dystopia? 

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