Friday, April 19, 2024

Icon of the Seas Cruise Ship First-hand Expert Review

icon of the sea cruise

As I walk down the streets of Charlotte Amalie in my fluorescent Icon of the Seas cap, an old Rastafarian stares me down. As a coddled passenger with a suite, I feel like I am starting to understand what it means to have a rank and be constantly reminded of it. There are many espresso makers, I think as I look across the expanse of my officer-grade quarters before closing my eyes, but this one is mine. In keeping with the aquatic theme, I attend a show at the AquaDome. To the sound of “Live and Let Die,” a man in a harness gyrates to and fro in the sultry air.

Ocean-view cabins

Central Park has a premium steak house, a sushi joint, and a used Rolex that can be bought for $8,000 on land here proudly offered at $17,000. There’s the aforementioned Royal Promenade, where I had drunk with the Rands, and where a pair of dueling pianos duel well into the night. There’s Surfside, a kids’ neighborhood full of sugary garbage, which looks out onto the frothy trail that the behemoth leaves behind itself.

What passengers can expect on board the world's biggest cruise ship - USA TODAY

What passengers can expect on board the world's biggest cruise ship.

Posted: Fri, 26 Jan 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]

Izumi in the Park

My favorite evenings combine dinner and a show, and the top-notch entertainment is something I've always loved about Royal Caribbean. It's the first show-at-sea I've seen with a waterfall and nine-foot-tall robotic arms, and so far, it's one of my favorites. It wouldn't be a roundup of Icon of the Seas' best amenities without a mention of its waterpark. If you're a frequent cruiser — especially with Royal Caribbean — amenities like the mini-golf course and water playground may not seem exciting.

Bars and Restaurants

icon of the sea cruise

The tube then flops you down headfirst into a trough of water, a Royal Caribbean baptism. Instead of trying to impress with my choice of T-shirts, I have decided to start wearing a robe, as one does at a resort property on land, with a proper spa and hammam. ” Mr. Rand cries out as we pass each other by the Thrill Island aqua park. You know, you really drank me under the table that night.” I laugh as we part ways, but my soul cries out, Please spend more time with me, Mr. and Mrs. Rand; I so need the company. Pinnacles, it is explained to me over translucent cantaloupe, have sailed with Royal Caribbean for 700 ungodly nights. Pandemic Pinnacles took advantage of the two-for-one accrual rate of Pinnacle points during the pandemic, when sailing on a cruise ship was even more ill-advised, to catapult themselves into Pinnacle status.

Family-themed activities

Although Royal Caribbean was once tight-lipped about Icon of the Seas, which created quite the hype around its new class of ships, the cruise line has started to unveil details of this revolutionary cruise ship. Icon of the Seas will be Royal Caribbean’s first cruise ship from it’s brand-new Icon class, which makes her the first new type of vessel for the cruise line in nearly a decade. Cruise Critic is not a booking agent and does not charge any service fees to users of our site. Rates are in USD and valid for US and Canadian residents only. When you book with one of our partners, please be sure to check their site for a full disclosure of all applicable fees as required by the U.S. In the evening, the ship does have a suggested dress code, either casual (just look decent, but shorts are frowned upon at dinner), smart casual (nice restaurant or date attire) or formal (your version of fancy).

Tame Waves All Day On The Flowrider® Surf Simulator

icon of the sea cruise

Aptly named, Icon of the Seas has some iconic offerings onboard. Be sure to check out Swim & Tonic, the largest swim-up bar at sea. Admission is free if you want to hang out and wade in the water, though alcoholic beverages will cost you extra unless you purchase a Specialty Beverage Package. The package is a great deal, and it includes beers, wines, and other vacation libations at bars such as the Lemon Post.

Icon Of The Seas ship related cruise news

Also new to Icon are smaller Surfside Family View Balcony cabins and Infinite Central Park View Balcony cabins. Central Park balcony rooms, which look out over the interior's open-to-the-sky neighborhood, come in regular balcony versions as well. Icon also features hundreds of standard balcony cabins looking out to sea. Royal Caribbean cruisers will have 14 new cabin and suite types to choose from out of 28 total accommodation types.

Adventure Ocean is easily accessible from Surfside, with a long entrance hallway peppered with gaming screens so kids can be entertained while they wait to be checked in (or parents can sneak in a game while they wait to pick up). Royal Caribbean is doubling down on the craft cocktail craze with Icon of the Seas. The line worked with master mixologists to create new bar concepts and menus to take the ship's drinking game to the next level. If you're game to try them all, buy your drink package in advance of your cruise when they're often discounted.

As an immigrant, I feel duty-bound to complete the tasks I am paid for, which means reaching out and trying to understand my fellow cruisers. So I put on a normal James Perse T-shirt and headed for one of the bars on the Royal Promenade—the Schooner Bar, it was called, if memory serves correctly. I may have failed to mention that all this time, the Icon of the Seas has not left port. As the fiery mango of the subtropical setting sun makes Miami’s condo skyline even more apocalyptic, the ship shoves off beneath a perfunctory display of fireworks.

Turn up bold adventures at some of the most beautiful destinations in the Western Caribbean. Marvel at lush tropical jungles in Roatán, trek through Mayan ruins in Cozumel – and brave the tallest waterslide in North America at our game-changing private island, Perfect Day at CocoCay. Dial up action-packed adventures or unplug and chill while you explore some the most sought-after eastern and western Caribbean islands on the planet.

Half of the ship’s 28 cabin categories are new to the line, including the much-talked about three-level Ultimate Family Townhouse, which costs a cool $80,000 a week and includes a slide from the top level down. The ship also comes with a higher price tag than any of the other vessels in Royal Caribbean’s fleet. Many of its Caribbean sailings start at nearly $200 per person per night, based on double occupancy. What you get, though, is a ship that will keep you and your family busy and happy throughout your vacation; you might not even want to leave the ship when it's in port.

There’s no shortage of ways to score unbelievable ocean views from your room. With spacious balconies, extended ocean side escapes, and floor-to-ceiling panoramic windows, there’s so much to see at sea. Brace yourself for Category 6, the largest waterpark at sea with six record-breaking slides. And the Pressure Drop, the first open freefall waterslide on a cruise. Because of the importance of the inaugural voyage of the world’s largest cruise liner, more than 200 Pinnacles are on this ship, a startling number, it seems.

I have talked with these women for so long, tonight I promise myself that after a sad solitary dinner I will not try to seek out company at the bars in the mall or the adult-themed Hideaway. I have enough material to fulfill my duties to this publication. As I approach my orphaned suite, I run into the aggro young people who stole Mr. and Mrs. Rand away from me the night before.

Drawing from its Oasis-class ships, Icon of the Seas will have 3 of the same neighborhoods; that means 5 neighborhoods will be brand-new to the cruise line. Icon of the Seas will be the first cruise ship for Royal Caribbean to be powered by LNG-fuel, meaning it relies on liquified natural gas. Debuting in early 2024, Icon of the Seas will take the new title of largest cruise ship in the world. Once complete, the brand-new vessel for Royal Caribbean will clock in at 250,800 gross tons, making her 6% bigger than Wonder of the Seas, which is currently the biggest cruise ship in the world. Unlike on older ships, Adventure Ocean is divided into AO Babies, the nursery for ages 6 to 36 months; AO Juniors for 3- to 5-year-olds, with their own play space; and the main Adventure Ocean club for kids ages 6 to 12. The Adventure Ocean space is further divided into the Hangout, with video games and digital game tables; the Arena for sports and active play; and the Workshop for science experiments and art projects.

Cabins are made for families, though storage space ultimately could be an issue with larger groups, especially with more standard accommodations. For more than a year before Icon of the Seas launched, Royal Caribbean ran a marketing campaign unlike any we’d ever seen, with flashy messaging promising a ship filled with family fun, thrills and incredible choice. Unlock the shores of the Eastern Caribbean and max out memories like never before on 7-night getaways. Discover all-out adventure in the tropics on every sailing with stops at our private destination, Perfect Day at CocoCay in The Bahamas.

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