Americans like small towns. What if a small town was always on the water? The world’s new biggest cruise ship will carry a sizable number of people:

Royal Caribbean’s luxurious new vessel Icon of the Seas is nearing completion in the Turku shipyard on Finland’s southwestern coast, its maiden voyage scheduled for January 2024…

Resembling a village more than a ship, the mammoth vessel boasts colourful waterparks, more than 20 decks and can carry nearly 10,000 people…

Papathanassis noted that “there are obvious economic benefits” to mega-sized ships, reducing the cost of individual passengers.

With its seven pools, a park, waterslides, shopping promenades, ice skating rink and “more venues than any other ship”, larger vessels like the Icon of the Seas also offer more options for spending money on board.

Here is a breakdown of who will on the ship/floating village:

Royal Caribbean International’s Icon of the Seas is a mammoth 365 meters long (nearly 1,200 feet) and will weigh a projected 250,800 tonnes. For comparison, that’s like trying to keep two CN Towers afloat.

When it sets sail on Caribbean waters in January 2024, it will comfortably hold some 5,610 passengers and 2,350 crew.

Imagine a large American small town or a small suburb floating on the ocean around the world. What might take up several square miles on the American landscape can be packaged on one boat. The density is a lot higher and it has a lot of recreational amenities in a small space. Besides space, what else is missing?

I am reminded of the ideas of floating communities outside of international waters and/or apocalyptic scenarios where humans do not have access to land. Could a ship this sized be turned into a permanent settlement and how would this alter what is on board?