I board Royal Caribbean’s Legend of the Seas, hailed as the world’s largest cruise ship, ready to be excited. At 364m long—equivalent to seven Olympic swimming pools—its star attraction is Category 6, the largest waterpark at sea, with six slides and splash zones that make on-land theme parks seem tame by comparison.
For this preview voyage, I travel from Malaga, Spain, to Rome, Italy. The ship spans 20 decks and accommodates up to 5,610 guests. And the first thing I need to do is download the Royal Caribbean app.
It speeds things up at embarkation: I scan my passport, snap a security photo, choose an arrival time, and answer health questions in advance. At check-in, I flash my SetSail Pass and get swiftly ushered aboard.
Lucky me—early boarding gives me time to meet Skipper, the resident golden retriever and official Chief Dog Officer. The adorable eight-month-old greets guests, poses for photos, and boosts morale among passengers and crew, according to Royal Caribbean. She certainly did for me.
It is also important to learn about port and starboard. Port is the left side of the ship when facing forward, and starboard, the right. I found out the hard way after leaving my stateroom and walking towards the wrong end of the ship while looking for the AquaDome Market.
Exclusive to Royal Caribbean’s Icon Class ships, AquaDome Market is a global food hall, and the Legend of the Seas version offers six concepts, from Korean-style rice bowls to hearty New Orleans gumbo. My favourites include the hearty Spanish tapas at La Espanola and the pillowy-soft French pancakes at Creme de la Crepe.
It is one of 28 dining destinations aboard, spanning speciality restaurants and other venues where no payment is required. Where to start? I’d say anywhere, but the DIY burrito bowl with tangy salsa verde and mole sauce at El Loco Fresh quickly becomes my happy place for quick bites between activities.
Eat, Play, Love
Some meals are designed to be an evening’s entertainment in their own right. Hollywoodland Supper Club takes diners on a multi-course journey through Hollywood from the 1910s to the 1950s, pairing food and cocktails with live jazz and storytelling inspired by cinema’s Golden Age.
The menu plays along with the theme, featuring Brown Derby Cobb Salad with a Brown Derby cocktail; lobster with gazpacho and caviar accompanied by a Summer Solstice cocktail; and mains such as Wagyu filet with mushroom and potato cake, paired with a Golden Age Old Fashioned.
Royal Railway – Legend Station is a completely different experience. Guests dine inside a reimagined train carriage on a theatrical journey along the Silk Routes, with technology and storytelling creating the illusion of travelling from one destination to another.
The food follows the route, from a Persian-style coconut milk, lychee and pistachio sorbet to Turkish mains like smoky grilled lamb chops, then an India-inspired family-style spread of potato chop, butter chicken, and palak paneer.
Beyond dinner, themed nights encourage guests to dress up—animal prints for Tropical Jungle, 2000s streetwear for Millennium Mania. Heading into the Main Dining Room on my second night, I feel almost too casual in my summer dress; everyone else is decked to the nines for Dress Your Best.
That the voyage between ports matters as much as the places one visits is what Royal Caribbean wants to convey. “For many first-timers, there’s still a perception that cruising is designed for a particular type of traveller or that the destination is the sole focus of the vacation,” says Ben Bouldin, President of China & Managing Director of Asia at Royal Caribbean.
“Once they board, they quickly realise that the ship is a part of the destination itself. In between ports, some of the most meaningful moments occur—sharing a meal, making new friends, watching a show together, trying something different as a family, or simply enjoying uninterrupted time with the people who matter most.”
Never A Dull Day Aboard
My days begin leisurely in my balcony stateroom, with ocean views and a sense of space I didn’t have on cruises with my family when I was younger. Aboard Legend of the Seas, my room feels more like it’s part of a posh hotel. A seating area, clever use of wall storage, a proper work desk, and fast Wi-Fi let me reply to emails or post a holiday selfie with ease. But apart from sleep, I prefer to get on with the activities outside—there’s too much to do!
A typical day starts with brunch at the Main Dining Room, where breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus change daily—though I return more than once for the bagel and smoked salmon. Then I play pickleball or scale the rock-climbing wall.
One morning, I manage to convince my partner to join me at Category 6, whose six record-breaking slides aren’t for the faint-hearted. Frightening Bolt, the tallest waterslide at sea, drops riders 14m, while Pressure Drop—first introduced aboard Icon of the Seas in 2024—is the first open free-fall waterslide at sea.
As I approach the drop’s 66-degree incline, I almost have to reconsider my enthusiasm. Then gravity takes over. On Storm Chasers, we race down slides on mats, screaming along with the waves.
Emboldened, we conquer Crown’s Edge the next day. Part skywalk, part ropes course, and part thrill ride, it is suspended 46.9m above the ocean. After a safety briefing, we don full-body jumpsuits and harnesses rigged to a pulley system, then make our way through the course and onto X-shaped platforms jutting over the ship’s edge.
My tip: keep looking forward instead of down. The finale is particularly unforgiving on the nerves. The floor drops away, leaving you suspended high above the ocean before you zip back towards the ship. It is a moment of clammy hands and unstoppable grins for us.
Exhilarating Evenings
Despite knowing I deserve some rest in the evenings, it’s impossible to resist the exceptional entertainment. I am thrilled to catch Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory here. Stay for the grand finale, where Willy Wonka and Charlie Bucket are suspended above the stage and over the audience via the flying Great Glass Elevator.
Another highlight is Shockwave at the AquaTheater, a cutting-edge aquatic venue in the AquaDome neighbourhood. This production features high-diving platforms, a deep pool, robotics, synchronised swimmers, aerialists, and a striking 16-m waterfall backdrop. I watch with breathless awe as the divers take turns to do impressive flips
into the water, right on time to the beat of the music.
When I wake up bright and early on the fourth morning, we are already in La Spezia, Italy. Guests can remain aboard or opt for a daytrip to Cinque Terre’s five historic fishing villages of Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza, and Monterosso.
By 9am, we disembark and head straight to this picturesque Unesco World Heritage Site on the rugged Italian Riviera, where colourful villages cling to dramatic cliffs, connected by scenic coastal hiking trails. At 6pm, we walk back to the dock, where a Royal Caribbean tent welcomes us with chilled water and cooling towels.
On our final night, I want to soak it all in. We take our time over dinner at Giovanni’s Italian Kitchen & Wine Bar, enjoying its rustic, family-style dishes. Then, we stroll the Surfside area and hit the arcade for one more round of air hockey before turning in.
For a moment, I almost forget how far we are from shore.
