My Favorite Amenities on Royal Caribbean Icon of the Seas Cruise Ship
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The cocktails here are on point, and the vibe is on par with what you’ll find at legendary clubs in New York City and my own home city, Chicago. For some, it’s being able to pack every day with new adventures and thrills. As any seasoned traveler will tell you, finding a vacation that caters to all these different preferences can be tough — unless, of course, you happen to be cruising on the right ship. Icon of the Seas℠ brings on the most thrilling Western Caribbean adventures for the whole family. The Royal Promenade measures 362 feet long and will feature ocean views for the first time. As you walk onto the ship, you'll see a giant multi-deck high glass wall that will provide natural light and a way to still see the beautiful ocean that surrounds the ship.
What is (Free) Included in a Cruise on Icon of the Seas?
Most will stop at Perfect Day at CocoCay, Royal Caribbean's private island in the Bahamas. There are a whopping 2,805 staterooms that carry up to 7,600 passengers on Icon of the Seas, and they're spread out over 28 room categories. I was in an Ocean View with Large Balcony room, which I found sufficiently spacious for a party of one, but could see how it might be a little more snug for two — and definitely for four, the max capacity of the stateroom. The decor is delightfully muted (but not boring!) compared to the rest of the colorful ship, creating something of a sensory reprieve after an action-packed day. What stood out most to me, though, was the storage space — there was plenty of it, from closets to shelves to baskets for shoes to a dresser.
Royal Caribbean's Icon of the Seas Ship Review - Travel + Leisure
Royal Caribbean's Icon of the Seas Ship Review.
Posted: Thu, 25 Jan 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]
The largest waterpark at sea
— Staterooms are smartly designed with plenty of storage space, and most interior accommodations have windows, though no ocean views. The public areas of the Icon will comprise eight different neighborhoods which, according to Royal Caribbean, are destinations in themselves. Each of the zones will offer an array of experiences, live entertainment, and ways to grab a bite and a drink, the company added. With 20 decks (18 of them accessible to guests), Icon of the Seas can seem vast and overwhelming. While you’ll have no problem clocking thousands of steps a day, the layout of the decks is smart and convenient, allowing for easy access between adjacent neighborhoods. The variety of rooms onboard Icon of the Seas is impressive, with more than 80% offering beds for three passengers or more.
pools for every mood
The Pearl is the centerpiece of the Royal Promenade and is what you'll see when you walk onto the ship. It's part of the arrival moment passengers have when they walk onboard the ship. LNG and the state-of-the-art ship’s additional environmentally friendly applications, such as shore power connection, will boost energy efficiencies and reduce carbon footprint. More details about Icon’s advanced environmental technologies will be revealed at a future date.
She's traveled extensively around the world, enjoys building unforgettable itineraries and loves introducing readers to lesser-known destinations. A family vacation doesn’t get any more VIP than in the first-ever Ultimate Family Townhouse — a sprawling adventure-filled pad with three levels of incredible surprises. With a kid-approved sprawling aquapark, a pool just for grownups, plus plenty of bites to fuel up for bolder bonding — your whole crew will never want to leave. You can now book Icon of the Seas sailings via the Royal Caribbean website or with a travel agent.
Icon of the Seas Deck Plan Emphasizes Immersive Neighborhoods, Including New Options
Voted Best Private Island by Travel Weekly readers, it’s a place unlike any other where you can turn up the thrills or unplug and chill. This will be Royal Caribbean's largest area for suite guests, and it includes a suite sun deck, Coastal Kitchen restaurant, and a new casual eatery just for suite guests, The Grove. Category 6 is the new water park that has six water slides, including an open free-fall slide, the tallest drop slide at sea, family raft slides that accommodate four riders at once, and two mat-racing slides. Chill Island will have ocean views galore from the three-deck pool area. Icon of the Seas will have Swim & Tonic, the first swim-up bar at sea. When anything can happen, the only thing you can expect, is the unexpected.
Elizabeth graduated from New York University's Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute with her M.A. Growing up, she had the privilege of traveling frequently with her family and fell in love with cruising after sailing on the Oasis of the Seas her freshman year of high school. She wanted to pursue a career that highlighted her passion for travel and strengths as a writer.
BTW, Icon of the Seas is the first Royal Caribbean ship to have its own real dog onboard. As Cruise Critic reported, Rover -- a female Golden retriever -- is a full-time crew member who lives onboard to bring joy and a sense of home to the crew (an idea that came from Royal Caribbean President Michael Bayley himself). I enjoyed the thoughtful cocktails at 1400 Lobby Bar that paid homage to Royal Caribbean's history, as well as the tropical frozen drinks at the Lime and Coconut bar. Another highlight for me was Rye & Bean, a coffee bar by day and cocktail bar by night, with a great coconut cold brew.
Again, a perfect spot for parents to relax while their kids get their kicks at Category 6. Far tamer, but still super cool, the Lost Dunes mini golf course is as elaborate as one you'd find on land. While it doesn't have some of the bells and whistles that we saw on rival ships Norwegian Prima and Norwegian Viva, Lost Dunes has an advantage, in that it's free. When you walk through Thrill Island for the first time, it's hard to tell which slide is which; it's a maze of tubes and rushing water.
The extra-fee venue Izumi on the Park will have rolls and other Japanese street food snacks to go. We're equally skeptical of the yellow Pressure Drop, the first open free-fall waterslide at sea. We went on a similar free fall slide at Royal Caribbean's private Island, Perfect Day at CocoCay, and we're still traumatized. Remember that Icon of the Seas is, first and foremost, a ship for families. So it's not surprising that even in Chill Island, the colors and vibe are upbeat and kid friendly, rather than adult sophisticated.
When Icon enters service, she will offer weeklong Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries, and each will visit Royal Caribbean's private island, Perfect Day at CocoCay. Icon of the Seas is the first Icon Class ship, which means this cruise ship will have a new design, size, and look compared to other ships that came before her. Icon of the Seas is Royal Caribbean's newest cruise ship and will begin offering cruises in January 2024. Started in 2010, Royal Caribbean Blog offers daily coverage of news and information related to the Royal Caribbean cruise line along with other relevant topics of cruising, such as entertainment, news, photo updates and more. Construction of the brand-new vessel took over 900 days, and the delivery was met with a celebration with cruise line executives, crew members, and shipyard employees present. It is fully possible to cruise on Icon without spending anything extra on food.
As with most venues, it's open to the Royal Promenade in a way that's new for the line. And second, all of the venues in the Royal Promenade are open to the outside, as opposed to being closed off. It gives the immense corridor a more homey feeling and also creates buzz. One, the line decided to remove the rooms that overlook the Royal Promenade, said Jay Schneider, Royal Caribbean's chief product innovation officer.
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