Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Psychologist Explains Why That Viral Photo Of A Massive Cruise Ship Is Freaking People Out

Psychologist Explains Why That Viral Photo Of A Massive Cruise Ship Is Freaking People Out
Royal Caribbean International; @Raymodraco/Twitter

Royal Caribbean recently revealed a rendering of their new 'Icon of the Seas,' which has 20 decks and can hold 5,610 passengers—and the internet is understandably nervous about it.

It's the biggest and brightest in Royal Caribbeans' line of super mega cruise ships, and it's been freaking people out.

Royal Caribbean recently announced their new 'Icon of the Seas,' a cruise ship that boasts 20 decks and can hold over 5,600 passengers with 40 bars, 2,350 crew members and more. Along with the announcement was a rendering of the back of the ship, and the latter had people concerned by the image.


Huffington Post talked with a psychologist about why the picture of the ship was disturbing so many people.

The psychologist chalked it up to identifying possible scenarios and threats that might come with being one human on such a large vessel.

They stated:

“As human beings, we are hard-wired to pay attention to our safety."
"We intuitively want to feel that we could escape from a threat if we needed to, and there are lots of identifiable threats to our safety that might be triggered by this image...."
"What would it be like to be a tiny being on such an enormous, floating vessel—the vast majority of which is fully enclosed, some of which is submerged beneath the surface of the ocean?”

Far from the psychological analysis, some people pointed out that it's just too darn big.

Dangerous, others said.

Others were more visceral with their descriptions.


Folks commented on the climate concerns that the ship brought up for them.


A large focus for many commenters was about the sheer amount of people on the ship.

The 'hell is other people' crowd.




Many people were concerned about public health measures on board such a large ship.

Some had more moral fears about it.


Finally were those making some future predictions.

The 'Icon of the Seas' is set to make its first public voyage sometime in 2024.

More from Trending

The golden Oscar statue as seen at The Academy's 96th Oscars .
Angela Weiss/AFP/Getty Images

Oscar voters skip films, upset fans

Remember to press play… then put it on MUTE?

That’s the loophole that certain Oscar voters revealed after the Academy announced that members must now watch all films nominated in each category.

Keep Reading Show less
Ilona Maher
Julian Finney/Getty Images

Olympian Ilona Maher Shows Off Bikini With Inspiring Message—And Fans Are Applauding

Even incredibly powerful Olympic rugby star Ilona Maher sometimes worries about her body size and shape, but she continues to advocate for body positivity and self-defined femininity and beauty.

Maher, a U.S. Women's National Rugby Team Olympic Bronze Medalist, was featured on the digital cover of the Sept. 2024 Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue.

Keep Reading Show less
Robert De Niro
Cindy Ord/Getty Images for SiriusXM

Robert De Niro's Daughter Publicly Comes Out As Trans In Powerful New Interview

Airyn De Niro, 29, daughter of actor Robert De Niro, has publicly come out as a trans woman in a new interview with Them.

Though parts of her journey have been previously reported, Airyn says this is the first time she’s truly felt “seen.”

Keep Reading Show less
Howard Lutnick
MSNBC

Commerce Secretary Ripped For His Dystopian Vision Of Generations Of Families Working At U.S. Factories

MAGA Republican President Donald Trump's Commerce Secretary, Howard Lutnick, spoke on MSNBC about the Trump administration's version of the American dream.

It doesn't involve universal healthcare, a living wage, and access to food and housing.

Keep Reading Show less
Pete Hegseth
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Hegseth Gets Hit With Awkward Fact-Check After Bragging About Ending 'Woke' Program

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was swiftly fact-checked after he claimed in a post on X that he'd ended the "woke" Women, Peace & Security (WPS) program because it was an initiative created by the Biden administration.

For the political right, "wokeness" or "wokeism" generally refers to a left-leaning perspective that acknowledges the widespread existence of racism, sexism, and other forms of discrimination in American society.

Keep Reading Show less