Legend of the Seas, Royal Caribbean's third Icon-class ship, is officially in the water and carrying paying guests around the Western Mediterranean. It slipped out of the Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland, became the line's 30th ship at a June 10 delivery ceremony, and set off on its maiden voyage on July 4 from Civitavecchia, the port that serves Rome.

Largest by a rounding error

At roughly 250,800 gross tons and about 1,197 feet long, Legend edges out sisters Icon of the Seas and Star of the Seas by around a foot — which is enough, technically, to crown it the largest cruise ship in the world. A foot. Somewhere a naval architect is very proud and slightly petty about that.

The inaugural run is a seven-night Western Med loop out of Civitavecchia with stops including La Spezia, Palma de Mallorca, Marseille and Barcelona. Royal Caribbean says construction ran ahead of schedule, so it tacked on extra showcase sailings on July 11, 18 and 25 for anyone who wants to say they sailed the world's biggest ship in its first summer.

• Third Icon-class ship, after Icon (2024) and Star (2025).
• A summer of seven-night Western Med round-trips from Rome and Barcelona.
• Repositions to Fort Lauderdale in late October for a winter of Caribbean sailings.

Which is the part that matters for most of you. Come fall, this thing crosses the Atlantic and parks in Florida, putting the current record-holder within a normal person's cruise-booking range. The Golden Crew branding may nod to Carnival's old Golden Fleet days, but credit where it's due: Royal keeps building the biggest toys in the pool.

More on the numbers at Cruise Industry News.