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This is more than a holiday upgrade. It’s the best family holiday in the world. Introducing the new Icon of the Seas℠, a first-of-its-kind Royal Caribbean® adventure where you’ll have the time of your life, multiple times a day. It’s thrills you never dared to imagine and next-level chill you never dreamed possible. Let your adrenaline surge at the largest waterpark at sea or conquer an all-out test of courage dangling high above the ocean. Pick from seven unique pools to satisfy any mood, this is an all-you-can-swim buffet. Fuel bolder bonding with tons to do for everyone in your crew at Surfside℠, the ultimate stay-all-day family neighbourhood right onboard. And discover dishes to delight every appetite with 40 ways to dine and drink. This is the Icon of the Seas.
A bit about us: Family of 4, covid transplants to Jupiter, FL in 2021, by way of California and Wisconsin thanks to remote work. DS, 20 chose to forgo this trip to "work on campus" (translation: party on campus) during his spring break, so DD, 17 1/2 going on 25 and a future UF Gator, got to bring her childhood friend from WI with us as her Senior Spring Break trip. Uneventful drive to the port, got to the parking garage at 9:30. Rock star parking at that time, so headed downstairs until suites were called. We stayed on Deck 17, in a Grand suite and Junior suite side by side. Had the balcony opened between the two rooms; result was a balcony approx size of OS. Loved deck 17 staterooms, because open to sky so it was sunny all the time. I know some prefer shade, but liked the direct sunlight. GS was very nice and spacious, balcony seemed a little narrow as compared to the room but was plenty for us. Wish they had lounge chairs on balcony, only had a "chaise" type of seat and table for four. Similar on JS balcony. Loved the location, near the Grove (up one flight) and Coastal Kitchen, both of which we frequented quite often. f there is one thing that stood out about Icon besides the beauty and size of the ship, it was the service. While we have not been on nearly as many cruises as many of you on CC, we've been on enough to notice the difference. The service was next level amazing. Yes, we were in suites, but that is usually where we stay, and just the caring, kindness and over the top willingness to go the extra mile was awesome. Shout out to: Yonis: Concierge. Never traveled Star class, but he is what I Imagine a genie would be like. Cannot remember every instance, but got us in to sold out shows and events, made my daughter's day more than once, and by far the best concierge we've ever had. Mustakeem: Waiter at Coastal Kitchen: anticipated our likes and dislikes after the first meal, photographic memory of what we have eaten, had nut-free versions of many entree's (I'm highly allergic) without asking, etc... fabulous. Jeff and Mark: Deck 17 stateroom attendants: wonderful! And they were actually able to make the girl's room look semi neat: a real challenge! Dining: As mentioned, we only did specialty dining twice, with the rest of the time being at Coastal Kitchen. Like many have said, there are so many options for non-chargeable food on icon that unless you have a particular liking for one of the restaurants, or want to try Empire, it's not really necessary to eat anywhere you have to pay more for. Don't miss the seafood buffet boarding day in the Windjammer if you are a shellfish lover. Amazing treat. We did a dinner at Izumi Sushi, and one at Pier 7, just because we got such a great deal on Black Friday. Izumi dinner was great as usual, same menu. But Pier 7 was just ok. (Should have listened to Yonis, who said we probably would be happier at another venue.). Pier 7, which I understand is not going to be included on Star, was empty other than us at prime dinner time. Wait staff hovered over us the whole time, making it a bit uncomfortable. Nothing really bad but would have been just as happy at the Jammer. Thoughts on the Beverage package: In the past I have always gotten the ultimate beverage package, more for convenience than anything else. This time, with only family (Husband does not drink and two girls were underage), just got the refreshment package and it was perfect. Now I like my champagne, wine with dinner and LOVE frozen margaritas (more on that below), but also am somewhat of a lightweight and cannot drink too much before 5 or won't make it to dinner. My opinion on suite guests and UBP: Unless you are a real "spirits" drinker and many on CC are, the UBP is not really needed. Now we were just Emerald on this cruise, so no daily drink tickets for us. But if you are in a suite, you can have as much beer, wine, champagne or soda from 11 am to 11pm. And full list of drinks, including spirits, between 5-8 pm. Saved a ton of $$ and never paid for one drink. Had my fill of Champagne and margaritas (drank virgin's during the day to stay awake). Would love to hear if people had similar experiences... One thing that I did suggest to Royal in the survey. I cannot have too much sugar daily or I get shaky and dizzy. So this time I brought two bottles of the sugar free margarita mix, and the bartenders kept one behind the bar at the Grove and one at CC. That saved me and let me drink to my margarita heart content. I am sure that there are a lot of folks that have sugar intolerances, diabetes, etc, yet all the mixers have over 50 grams of sugar per drink. I didn't mind lugging my two huge bottles, but it would be great if the bars offered a low sugar or sugar free alternative. Maybe it's just me, but I would think that many more would like that also?? Entertainment: Thrill Island very cool, the aqua action and Wizard of Oz were amazing. Missed the skating, Loved the quest, Classic Rock Band, and trying to remember what else. DD friend killed it in the Limbo contest at Quest! Jenna the Cruise director was EVERYWHERE! Do not know when she sleeps, but she was fantastic. And a great dancer also. Bars: Loved Dueling pianos, 1400, and others. Playmakers in a weird place: you have to go through one of the shops to get to it. And to all that have said Absolute Zero was in a very inconvenient place, you are right!! Surfside. Seemed underutilized. Spring break so lots of kids, but really did not feel it. In fact, the only time we EVER felt a crowd was at 9:30 one morning heading to the Windjammer. Other than that it was surprisingly easy to get around. Elevators: Genius. So much better. Tried to stick to our rule of not using them at all while cruising, but in heels all bets were off. We even saw the traveling piano player in our elevator once! Coastal Kitchen: Agree that I liked setup of Wonder CC a bit better, but still light and bright, and food was excellent. No complaints except that by the time Dinner came along was never that hungry! Rover: Saw Rover a couple of times at meet and greets, but unfortunately no sightings "in the wild". Might have at Coco Cay, but we couldn't stop bc of weather. (more on that later). Think it is genius to have a dog on ship, and I am a dog lover and noticed how well she is being treated, including not overwhelming her with too many people, etc... Overlook: probably my favorite quiet place on the ship. Nice to just chill out and relax, and gorgeous at night. Aquadome Market: Good addition for late night food. On past cruises, my husband has hated the lack of late night munchie food. On icon no problem between aquadome market, the pearl and Sorrentos, handled. Sorrento's pizza: meh. I know some love it. But how great would it be to have a Blaze pizza, or Mod pizza where you could build your own? Hear that other line's pizza's blow it away... Giovanni's, Hooked, Chopped, Playmakers, Empire: didn't try on this trip, but have eaten there on others and very good. Basecamp, El Loco Fresh: good, fresh fast food. Sugar Beach: checked it out and was very tired looking. Lack of selection bins half full. Not a huge candy fan, but think this would be a winner if it were staged better, especially in a kid filled area. Desserted: I also heard this may not be on Star; will not miss. Was invited on Bridge tour. Bridge Intern conducted it and sassy 10 year old girl overwhelmed him w questions of "what happens if the boat tips" and other what if's... But very impressive to see... I kept thinking about those wings on Oasis class that were turned into Suites. They must be amazing. Only area that seemed crowded was the Hideaway pool. I have a video, so it may not show up, but it was like "people soup". Here is a pic of it. While the view is beautiful, do not understand how that can be fun. Maybe if they took out the beds that no one seems to use it would be a little less crowded. Trying video, but no promises. Also, and this is probably just me, but does anyone else dislike the way the aft decks are stacked? See pic. We have been fortunate to have stayed in the ATS on Wonder, and loved it. One of the best things is the balcony. But the way these are stacked from biggest to smallest top to bottom (opposite of Oasis class), the coveted aft decks seem like they are so dark, and therefore the rooms would be dark. Has anyone stayed in one of those, esp. the corner sunset suite? Would love to know if it is sunnier on the outside corners than the inside. Long review, but in general was the best cruise we've ever been on. Relaxing when we wanted to relax, full of action when we wanted that also. Prices have tripled since we originally booked it, but still booking Legend for next summer~
Many others have rated this ship. We have cruised many many times. This cruise we took our 2 sons and their families on the cruise. It was the first time for grandchildren ages 6-13 and the second time for a 9-year old and almost 3 year old. First of all, let me say that my husband was extremely leary to go on such a big ship. We tend to like the smaller ships. However, he absolutely LOVED this ship. There were 7300 people on board and it never felt crowded. In fact, he liked it so much we have booked the same ship for next year. The grandkids absolutely loved it and loved being with their cousins. So much to do. My husband & I didn't partake of the pools but did always find the grands to see them at the pools, golf, rock climbing, surfside, etc. Next year will be just my husband & I so we will partake of the bars/entertainment at night as well as during the day. Dueling Pianos is fantastic. The aqua show is the best show we have ever seen. All the shows were great including the juggler. And the grands loved the shows as well especially the aqua show. Embarking and disembarking were so easy. Extremely well organized. Loved the spacious infinite oceanview balcony. Generally we get regular balconies but we loved this set up. Gave us more room in the room. The shower was great as well. More room in the bathroom. Plenty of storage in the room. RCCL did a nice job on design. Down side was slides were crowded but just go at an off time. Escape room was great. Another reason we are going back is we didn't have a chance to try the complimentary food venues. The only thing I had was the chocolate crepes and they were excellent. Want to try the other foods in the aquadome market.
On boarding process this was absolutely seamless. We were on within 15 to 20 minutes of walking into the terminal. Great job Icon! Slides -we went to the slides as soon as we boarded, and my kids were able to get on all of them multiple times without any issues. On sea days as expected, the slides were very busy, but we found later in the evening they were able to get on multiple slides without an issue. Before cruising, I had read several comments that people had gotten hurt on the slides, but we found as long as you actually paid attention to what they told you to do and did it just like they said you would be fine on all slides. The orange drop slide seemed to be the most dangerous. Food Windjammer - we visited this restaurant three times during the week long cruise. Day one lunch buffet, the lobster was absolutely delicious! We had both the cold and the hot. The rest of the buffet was not good. The shaved roast beef was OK but nothing else had any flavor. We went again one morning for breakfast and it was disgusting. Nothing had any flavor. I ended up eating half of a muffin. We went on the last night of the cruise because there was lobster again and it was decent, but not as good as opening day. Main Dining Room - we ate here a few times during the week and it was mediocre at best. There was basically no flavor except salt. Specialty restaurants- we ate at Hooked, Izumi hibachi, Giovanni‘s kitchen, and Chops. We did not feel any of them were superb food venues. The food was just OK – better than dining room, but certainly not specialty restaurant level. We were disappointed. Other food locations- we tried several of these locations, including El Loco fresh, Surfside, eatery, base camp, and the Aquadome market. My teenage boys liked el Loco fresh and we’re fine with all of the rest of those restaurants but as adults, we found them all not great at all. We paid for lunch one day at Playmakers and it was decent. My sons had wings and d I had a chicken sandwich. The teen boys liked the crêpes and I thought they were fine. Overall, we were disappointed in the food. Excursions We found disembarking for excursions and on boarding to be easy and quick. The excursions themselves were fun. In Roatan, they were a bit discombobulated at the zones where you were to meet your guide. We had several guides trying to get us to come over to them, but they were not the correct cruise excursion so that was a bit discomforting. Other than that, we had great experiences on all excursions. Shows- we saw all the shows, and they were all spectacular! Way to go Royal! Music Venues- we checked out several of the music venues, and we thought they were all talented musicians and enjoyed our time there. Cocoa Cay- we booked the beach club and absolutely loved it! It was quiet and it was not crowded and we thoroughly enjoyed the heated pool! The food at the upscale restaurant was included. The steak was great, but the lobster was mushy. The fingerling potatoes were flavorful. The caramel brownie was not good. The desserts on the ship have been better. The service was not as good there as on the ship. Also, make sure they give you the fly wind deterrent for the table. Infinite balcony stateroom- I know this type of stateroom is controversial, and it really does depend on what is most important to you. For me, the additional space was very helpful since there were four of us in a room. I did not mind not having a normal balcony, and enjoyed the view that I had being able to sit in the chairs and look out and lower the window when I wanted fresh air. It did become a little annoying that the air-conditioning would shut off when the window was down. I would book this type of balcony again. My husband prefers a normal balcony, but he was fine with this one as well. Elevators: I thought the new system was very effective. You still had to wait for long periods of time occasionally, but overall it worked much better than the other system. I did miss the glass elevators from oasis class. Icon overall- she is a stunning and massive ship. We absolutely enjoyed being on her and will in the future book again. However, we very much enjoyed symphony of the seas and the oasis class ships just as much. In fact, I felt the specialty restaurants on Symphony were better than they were on icon. My two teen boys enjoyed the slides tremendously on icon and would want to come on it again just for those, but they were also good when we asked them about booking the next cruise on an oasis class. They truly loved Symphony as well. As long as the cost is as much as it is now on icon and her sister ships, we will probably go back to oasis class ships for a while. We did not really see the additional money being worth it. At the end of day, you really cannot go wrong with most of Royal Caribbean’s newer fleets. Safe travels and Bon Voyage!
On the new Icon of the Seas℠, where you stay is just as thrilling as how you play. From expansive balconies that invite the sea breeze to our most over-the-top family accommodations — our range of spacious rooms is designed with family comfort in mind.
With over 20 ways to dine onboard, Icon of the Seas℠ is proudly serving up more options for bonding over bites. Whether you’re craving the cheesy slice of the day, freshly made sushi rolls with a side of fresh air, or a shareable smorgasbord for your whole crew — you’ll always find cuisine to satisfy any mood you’re in without having to wander too far.
AN APPETITE FOR ADVENTURE
Every dish is designed to be a treat for the senses, delivered in captivating venues, photo-worthy plating and meals served up with a side of live entertainment. That means more to taste and discover on your culinary adventure together. Memorable moments are always on the menu onboard The Icon of Vacations℠.
PALATE PLEASING PLATES
Life’s special moments deserve special plates. Elevate your epicurean adventure to mmm-possible heights with bold twists on returning favorites plus new restaurants and VIP experiences. Indulge in premium cuts of steak hand-selected for you, debuting delicacies like caviar, and seafood delights from freshly shucked oysters to Maine lobster tails. Spend an evening savoring specially curated courses, upscale dishes and unmatched ambience that make every bite feel like a celebration.
Don’t just see the world, experience it! Royal Caribbean shore excursions can help you discover even more at each incredible destination.
Iconic Wows
Technology and artistry merge on the new Icon of the Seas℠, inspiring awe on a grand scale. Get swept away by innovation to a whole new dimension of awesome. Because icons don’t just steal the show — they change the way you see it forever.
Iconic Nightlife
When the sun goes down, your night onboard lights up with possibilities. With over 15 buzzing spots and live music venues, every night onboard overflows with ways to raise the bar on spirit-sipping and show stopping.
Iconic Chills
Have the time of your life — several times a day. Whether you want to plunge in, float or cannonball, you can recharge with an all-you-can-swim buffet of seven unique pools to satisfy any mood you’re in.
Iconic Thrills
Take your best-ever vacation and crank it up — way up. That’s what you’ll find on Icon of the Seas℠, a first-of-its-kind Royal Caribbean® adventure for the whole family.
There's no better way to excite every member of your family than with a Royal Caribbean cruise vacation. We offer a huge variety of activities onboard and excursions on shore, so you can explore and have fun as a group or break out and do the things you each love most.
Onboard, our Adventure Ocean Youth Program offers adventure (and education) for kids ages 3-17 with different activities and programs for different age groups.
Many of the shore excursions offer the excitement and wonder that appeal to all ages. Be sure to check the descriptions to pick the ones your family will enjoy.
