Video Cruise ship trapped in Antarctic ice freed by US Coast Guard Footage provided by a U.S. Coast Guard member shows the heavy icebreaker Polar Star maneuvering through dense Antarctic ice to free the Scenic Eclipse II after the expedition cruise ship became immobilized near McMurdo Sound.
Vacationers can soon merge land and sea with a startling new tree house suite on the Royal Caribbean — as long as they cough up six figures. Online debate is already robust about the offering.
The Hero of the Seas vessel is rolling out the "Ultimate Family Treehouse" suite, which has a private whirlpool, game room and rooftop terrace.
The triple-deck suite can sleep up to 12 guests with four full bathrooms, according to the Royal Caribbean website.
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The tree house can cost families over $200,000 for a week’s stay, according to the Royal Caribbean blog.
In the "r/royalcaribbean" forum on Reddit, one user shared a post about "tree house suite pricing" — sparking lots of discussion.
The Hero of the Seas vessel has announced the "Ultimate Family Treehouse" suite, which has a private whirlpool, game room and rooftop terrace. (Royal Caribbean)
"Shocking to me," said one user in response. "I feel like people with this kind of money would charter a yacht instead of doing this."
Another person wrote, "Clearly, this isn’t meant for 99.99% of cruisers."
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Another user said, "I’m wondering how often it will sit empty [and] what their break-even is for providing the elevated services/cleaning time, etc., vs. just letting it sit empty for a sailing."
One user called the new cruise offering "shocking." The person added, "I feel like people with this kind of money would charter a yacht instead of doing this." (Royal Caribbean)
A different Redditor added, "I am sure it will still be booked. Absolutely bananas, though. There's more and more of the travel industry taking aim at fat wallets. Everything is pay to play now."
Said another person, "Good on you if you can afford this. But I’d like to travel the world [for] that price."
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One person chimed in with this comment: "I would rather buy an actual house."
"That pricing feels correct, and honestly, if I could afford it, I would potentially book this over a yacht, especially with family of all ages," said another person. "I could also potentially see it as worthwhile for a bucket list trip. … Doesn't matter because I can't, but someone out there can, and good for them."
Nearly 22 million Americans are expected to go on an ocean cruise this year. (Royal Caribbean)
This year, 21.7 million Americans are expected to go on an ocean cruise, according to AAA.
Stewart Chiron, a Miami-based cruise industry expert known as "The Cruise Guy," told Fox News Digital that cruising continues to gain in popularity.
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"Cruise lines are constantly desiring to push the limits of ship designs to increase interest in cruising and wanting to come up with new features," he said. "Constant tweaking of cabin and suite designs is always being considered."
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He added, "Royal Caribbean's upcoming three-story tree house will be talked about for years to come. What will they think of next?"
Ashley J. DiMella is a lifestyle reporter with Fox News Digital.
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