Icon of the Seas tips

[dpswift]

For those of you that have sailed on the Icon of the Seas what did you think?

Any tips that you would like to share?

 

[act1980]

I've not sailed yet as I've only just booked it but I'll share the current beverage package prices in case anyone is interested...

Deluxe Beverage Package - £82.52pp per day
Refreshment Package - £32.07pp per day
Soda Package - £9.84pp per day

 

[ucf_knight]

For those of you that have sailed on the Icon of the Seas what did you think?

Any tips that you would like to share?

Just got off icon. Overall a fantastic ship. We only have ever cruised royal so have nothing to compare it to in regards to other lines. We are diamond so we get 4 free drinks a day per person so we never paid for a specialty coffee or alcoholic beverage. Below is a synopsis of some of our opinions from the trip.



Food:

The food on royal boats has been slowly going downhill over the years. Well I think they finally got the message. The food is improved at all of the included options. We especially liked the aqua dome market and pearl cafe as new additions. We also had lobster on two separate nights which I can’t really remember any other boat doing so it may be short lived while the boat is still new. Highlights for us was the quiet and relaxing breakfast Buffett at surf side, the breakfast sandwich at pearl cafe and the elevated main dining food.



Room:

We had an infinite balcony room. We enjoyed the extra space this type of room affords you but did miss the traditional balcony at times. The shower shape and design is greatly improved with a bench in it that provides plenty of room for an average sized adult.



Pools and slides:

Thrill water park on board is a massive hit. Our kids loved it as did I. 6 fantastic slides that could easily make you think you’re at a proper water park. I liked that the pools were nicely spread out which spreads out the crowds on sea days. Lots of chairs (and chair hogs). We spent a lot of time at the pools and slides. Only negative was for us specifically that the kids splash pad is many decks below the thrill water park but I get why they did it. Overall this boat is far and away their best for water activities.



Entertainment:

The aqua, theatre and ice show are all fantastic. The spaces each show are in are fantastic and ahead of their time with the tech incorporated in the shows and sound systems seem greatly improved. However the aqua show and ice show are not complete. There aqua show is missing elements that they are still working on (skate board ramp being one) and the ice show had a guest juggler so I’m sure this show isn’t in its final form either. This is a huge blunder imo. We did the inaugural on wonder and none of the entertainment was ready for the first sailing. This was part of the reason we waited a few sailings before getting on icon. We should have waited longer. Royal needs to figure this out. People are paying top dollar to get on board and be some of the first guests and they should not be left wondering what it should’ve been like with the entertainment fully up and running.



Miscellaneous:

The boat according to the crew on board was operating at a 75% capacity. We enjoyed the ship not being completely full and I imagine they’ll slowly start to ramp this up soon.

Drinks felt slightly elevated with some unique creations that we enjoyed

The crown lounge like other lounges on oasis class ships is still a room with no windows. Lounges on other boats are much better than this class and oasis class such as the freedom class lounges with views that are towards the top of the ship.



Price:

We paid about $5,300 or so for a family of four and only spent about $350 on board. Still a very expensive boat compared to other ships royal has.



Final verdict:

If you’ve done the other royal ships and are loyal to the brand definitely book a trip and you’ll enjoy it. If you have t cruised much with royal save your money and book a cheaper cruise and sail on an oasis class ship. Icon is only 6% bigger than wonder so don’t feel like you’re missing out too much on the biggest ship in the world hype. Don’t get me wrong though this is a fantastic boat and one of the best that we’ve been on.

 

[dpswift]

Just got off icon. Overall a fantastic ship. We only have ever cruised royal so have nothing to compare it to in regards to other lines. We are diamond so we get 4 free drinks a day per person so we never paid for a specialty coffee or alcoholic beverage. Below is a synopsis of some of our opinions from the trip.



Food:

The food on royal boats has been slowly going downhill over the years. Well I think they finally got the message. The food is improved at all of the included options. We especially liked the aqua dome market and pearl cafe as new additions. We also had lobster on two separate nights which I can’t really remember any other boat doing so it may be short lived while the boat is still new. Highlights for us was the quiet and relaxing breakfast Buffett at surf side, the breakfast sandwich at pearl cafe and the elevated main dining food.



Room:

We had an infinite balcony room. We enjoyed the extra space this type of room affords you but did miss the traditional balcony at times. The shower shape and design is greatly improved with a bench in it that provides plenty of room for an average sized adult.



Pools and slides:

Thrill water park on board is a massive hit. Our kids loved it as did I. 6 fantastic slides that could easily make you think you’re at a proper water park. I liked that the pools were nicely spread out which spreads out the crowds on sea days. Lots of chairs (and chair hogs). We spent a lot of time at the pools and slides. Only negative was for us specifically that the kids splash pad is many decks below the thrill water park but I get why they did it. Overall this boat is far and away their best for water activities.



Entertainment:

The aqua, theatre and ice show are all fantastic. The spaces each show are in are fantastic and ahead of their time with the tech incorporated in the shows and sound systems seem greatly improved. However the aqua show and ice show are not complete. There aqua show is missing elements that they are still working on (skate board ramp being one) and the ice show had a guest juggler so I’m sure this show isn’t in its final form either. This is a huge blunder imo. We did the inaugural on wonder and none of the entertainment was ready for the first sailing. This was part of the reason we waited a few sailings before getting on icon. We should have waited longer. Royal needs to figure this out. People are paying top dollar to get on board and be some of the first guests and they should not be left wondering what it should’ve been like with the entertainment fully up and running.



Miscellaneous:

The boat according to the crew on board was operating at a 75% capacity. We enjoyed the ship not being completely full and I imagine they’ll slowly start to ramp this up soon.

Drinks felt slightly elevated with some unique creations that we enjoyed

The crown lounge like other lounges on oasis class ships is still a room with no windows. Lounges on other boats are much better than this class and oasis class such as the freedom class lounges with views that are towards the top of the ship.



Price:

We paid about $5,300 or so for a family of four and only spent about $350 on board. Still a very expensive boat compared to other ships royal has.



Final verdict:

If you’ve done the other royal ships and are loyal to the brand definitely book a trip and you’ll enjoy it. If you have t cruised much with royal save your money and book a cheaper cruise and sail on an oasis class ship. Icon is only 6% bigger than wonder so don’t feel like you’re missing out too much on the biggest ship in the world hype. Don’t get me wrong though this is a fantastic boat and one of the best that we’ve been on.

Thank you. Is the Wonder in between Oasis and Icon? We took several years off from cruising and I thought the food was better this past year.

 

[ucf_knight]

Thank you. Is the Wonder in between Oasis and Icon? We took several years off from cruising and I thought the food was better this past year.

Wonder is the newest oasis class ship. I would describe it as an “oasis plus” type of boat.

 

[dpswift]

Wonder is the newest oasis class ship. I would describe it as an “oasis plus” type of boat.

I really like the Freedom and Oasis class. Seriously nervous about Icon

 

[ucf_knight]

I really like the Freedom and Oasis class. Seriously nervous about Icon

Icon to me does not feel any bigger than an oasis class boat. There is just more emphasis on the back of the boat for pools/slides an adults only outdoor space. The boat is easier to navigate as well imo as you can completely walk the length of the promenade on two different decks.

 

[act1980]

Updated pricing as of today & the cheapest I’ve seen so far…

Deluxe Beverage Package - £70.52pp per day
Refreshment Package - £27.84pp per day
Soda Package £9.61pp per day

Internet Package (surf & stream) - £18.62pp per day