Luxury

The $1 Billion Cruise Ship, the World’s Largest Just Set Sail

BYTravel + Leisure
May 17, 2016, 2:30 PM UTC
FRANCE-SHIPYARD-TOURISM-INDUSTRY
Crew members of the Harmony of the Seas cruise ship are pictured at the STX shipyard of Saint-Nazaire, western France on May 12, 2016 as they attend the delivery ceremony of the boat. With a capacity of 6.296 passengers and 2.384 crew members, the Harmony of the Seas, built by STX France for the Royal Caribbean International, is the world's largest ship cruise. / AFP / JEAN-SEBASTIEN EVRARD (Photo credit should read JEAN-SEBASTIEN EVRARD/AFP/Getty Images)
Photograph by Jean-Sebastien Evrard—AFP/Getty Images

This article originally appeared on TravelandLeisure.com. The ship arrived in the United Kingdom on May 17.

Two months after a successful first-run, the world’s largest cruise ship took its maiden voyage on May 16, less than a week ahead of the inaugural voyage on May 22 to Barcelona. Thousands came out on Sunday to watch it set sail to the U.K. after 32 months in a French shipyard.

Harmony of the Seas largest cruise shipPhotograph by Jean-François Monier—AFP/Getty Images

Since construction began in 2013, Royal Caribbean’s Harmony of the Seas has one of the most highly anticipated cruise ships of all time. The estimated $1.5 billion ship boasts 16 decks, measures 1,187 feet long, and is bigger than the Eiffel Tower. It also holds the record for being the widest cruise ship ever built, and can hold 6,360-passengers.

FRANCE-SHIPYARD-TOURISM-INDUSTRYPhotograph by Jean-François Monier—AFP/Getty Images

The ship houses 2,500 staterooms, 20 dining venues, 23 swimming pools, a park, a water park for kids, and robot bartender. It will also be home to the tallest slide at sea called “Ultimate Abyss,” and will also feature a casino, a movie theater, and an ice skating rink. Stay tuned for more details.