Nunagoras

Well: Actually, while your concerns may be valuable to a certain extent; bear in mind though: Tourism in all the places those behemoths visit is not exclusively made of cruising. Cruising may be such a 25-50% of the crowd in areas, but not the totals. Modern ships, like modern planes, do have a very strict regulation they must follow, especially coming from the European Union, so that they can be said as worldwide sea worthy. Just to sumarize: Once a year, big ships are mandated at least a weeklong wet dock for mechanical revisions. If an incident of certain sort is reported to a port of call's maritime authorities, that incident should be addressed accordingly. On top of that, the EU demands a mandatory dry dock for deep inspection and repairs each 5 years. While a severe incident can happen any day; those maritime regulations are strict enough to prevent such events. No notice of one with severe consequences lately, so, I have total confidence on the whole cruise industry. The real problem over Icon's introduction is either way cultural: The generation's changing, but that's another subject.

Well: Only you will be able to access whether it is worth or not. Upgrades under special promos may have "small letters" on terms and conditions, so, maybe it won't be worth it, that way, but again. If you were booking directly on one of those "Aurea+Easy Plus" drinks package, then I'd think twice... Aurea catalog fares are far overpriced for the value right now. No surprise they're playing with the promos. It's a question of searching and watching what is going on offer.

Yeah! That explains it in part! But a 200k+ Gross Tonnes ship launch is not to be missed, once it's unusual! So far only some 6 other vessels that size entered service as cruise ships!... Maybe the usual secrecy MSC employs on pretty much all of its achievements may explain another part. And the post covid undergoing recovery the remaining of the explanation. Are you wondering on those "infinity view" Premium Fantastica/Aurea they'll have?... Those are my bet as well... Have a nice day!...

So: According to the social media, tomorrow will be the day for Chantiers de L'Atlantique to deliver the World Europa to MSC! I may not be the most mega ship cheerleader out there... But this one is capturing my attention. And the more I see the few pictures and videos coming out of the ship, most of them from actual MSC employees working in preparation for the inaugural season, the more I'm becoming more excited about this marvelous ship! It might not to be the largest in the world. At least it is the largest from a 100% European business, and that is a mark of its own! Problem? I'm not noticing excitement everywhere else about the moment. Surely the naming ceremony is just at November, 13... some days to count, but now the ship is in Europe, not the Middle East, with due respect to the Middle East!... From what I'm watching MSC has done a nice job with World Europa. At least there seems to be such a compromise between past and future. Surely; generations are changing and with them the cruising experience. That's not a thing for today. Today is to have joy on this huge MSC achievement and to wish them good luck on the enterprise! I, for me will await such an year for both the kinks to be worked out and the prices lower a bit post novelty. But, on one thing I'm mostly certain. I'd like to go on this ship!... Feel free to add in to the conversation and have a nice day!...

That used to be the regular way to have the onboard drinks packages on MSC. You sign both the T&C's form and the receipt and have your cruise card changed with a new one with the drinks package addition.

Slightly more complex than that. No Captain is mandated to host a drunken crowd on his ship. The ambiguous rule on 3 nights cruises permission to have or not drinks packages bookable from the beginning is just a way forward to make this an individual ship's decision making. If a ship is OK on them, so be it. If a particular ship is not then there won't. Nor beforehand, nor onboard.

Those infinite balconies on X are a midway from traditional balconies to infinite rooms with a floor to ceiling window only and no balcony, or if you prefer, a traditional land hotel room inside a cruise ship. If done right, it will prove itself as being popular. Both X, MSC, Viking Oceans Expedition ships and ATLAS Ocean Voyages (a portuguese-German relatively new luxury expedition cruise line) do have them already. I believe they'll be part of the future on the cruising industry, and I'm all in to the concept!

But those ones won't pay upfront for those "fun" activities that one or the other way will end up as an upcharge. That's not the problem. The companies know more or less what that contingent maybe per sailing and they make all the possible to avoid a huge number of them all.

I believe that at one point Oasis 7 will to become Icon 4 or 5 depending on the current orderbook. Replacing the Radiance class? Yeah... With some new X ships!... RCI to the megaship mainstream market, X for the smaller ship, more "exotic" ports market.

Well: I don't want to "give them ideas", but... MSC has a fun pass scheme on where you purchase a set amount to be used on things like Bawling, F1 simulators, flight simulators, 4D cinema, and the larger the ship, the larger the activities array will be. I believe their brand new big slide on the World Europa will be part of the scheme gone that is the novelty time. As far as I know, NCL has something on the likes for their new Prima fun ship activities. Believe me: This is the mainstream lines new profit source and they'll to make the best of it. RCI won't to be an exception. At least some of the adult slides will be an upcharge ASAP.

Fun activities daily or weekly passes to an extent. That's the model that is popping up elsewhere. Even "conservative" MSC is heading that way. RCI knows how to capture their intended audience. That's not my concern; my concern is other: Where will be the current 40-70+ crowd being "expelled" from ships like this and little to no one filling the business opportunity. A few years ago, I went with the crowd that stated HAL would finish next December 31 when their last cruiser passes away. I'm not so sure now. If they can adapt themselves to the musical preferences and social behaviors of that current demographic, they'll continue being a success, as well as Princess or X (ironing out the Edge "bugs"). The market segment is big enough. There's even an opportunity for Viking to build a "Viking-lite" experience.

Maybe you're right and the actual ship will be actually far better than that ugly as hell promotional materials RCI has shown a few days ago. Maybe what is badly done are those said materials. Let us to have a break here: Does anyone thinks those color palettes and furniture textures do seem anything real out there? There are good points about this ship: The Pearl Cafe, the enhanced Central Park, the cabins themselves, those infinity view cabins, maybe some of the all-time favorites that doesn't need a 3D rendering video for us to understand what they're about. But sincerely: Whom the heck wants to be for a week on a cartoon like environment paid at a premium? I'll to give them my doubt right for the times being; but if this is effectively the final result; for me, I'm sadly out.

This exactly!... The problem in the mainstream cruise industry level is that, while I'm ok with the companies trying to be sustainable and growing with new cruisers from the next gen, on the other hand the "next level" is not accomodating accordingly. The ones whom will reach 50 during the RCI's "Iconization" are the ones whom have started their cruise career during the "Voyager-Osisation" time! Where will all those cruisers go, plus the ones that had no time to cruise before retirement? Old class Royal ships once available (and once up to par with current cruise standards, because Vision class may be out), or the few upscale alternatives?... Anyone will be put off of cruising for certain in just a few years to come! At least, from photos and videos, pretty much both NCL and MSC are accommodating the ageing crowd in some ways on their new builds!...

MSC will have those "infinity" rooms either on their World class, starting in such a month from now. But they'll go without a fake balcony. Basically you'll have a classic hotel room inside a cruise ship with a floor to ceiling window. I believe this model should be popular enough to attract a good load of individuals, at least those ones whom wish for more daily useable real estate, while enjoying the sea view. In a medium time frame, as far design evolves that will pave the way for a much deserved and dreamed larger cruise ship cabin bathrooms and better storage arrangements. I'm in for the concept if done right.

Interesting perspective, but as you own say: Oasis+ size vessels are size limited to certain ports, so no natural place for far more of them. 3-4 night cruises on Oasis class? Maybe, but I'm not envisioning it by the norm.

Many thanks to the wonderful words. Yeah: Transfer the unique one Oasis class (Allure?) that wasn't amped for X! No place for so many young family like experience ships in the market at current market situation. That ship would continue to sell at a premium for her 2nd life!...

Actually; have you notice that we're at Cruise Critic, not Cruise Cheerleading?... Meanwhile; let me to try to explain why I personally don't like, nor this design, nor at a larger scale the way mainstream cruise industry is heading right now. Permit me to do so from both my formerly market analyst point of view, and my reasonably regular cruise career for some nearly 20 years back to now: I have nothing, against such a "no frills", pay as you go, mostly guaranteed cabins, kid friendly, family oriented cruise experience for everyone. Icon fills perfectly that niche and will to be a huge success into it, no doubts. No surprise; some posts above this one, someone describing himself as a Carnival regular, wished to jump ship from Carnival to Icon!... Carnival "grown-ups" on the 25-45 years range are the main client source that is moving those cruise lines "fat cats" these days. Even X is following suit on their Edge class to an extent. What me thinks they're forgetting is that all years there is a huge amount of those turning 46, whose kids are now on University, whose lives have come to another level, and whom will no longer to support those family like activities. More: I understand they want the more occasional cruisers, because those will pay more upfront than previous passengers... But: The school year has just few breaks. The youth parties have their limited time window. Parents are not either way retirees or people whose lives permit a more flexible time arrangements. Whom will to fill those ships out of school holiday times? Ah, yeah!... The all times regulars, 45-65 years old couples whom pay less upfront, but far more on drinks, shore ex, casinos, specialty dining, professional photos, to say the least, making even a far larger profit than those summer newcomers, because full cost considered will to be higher!... With ships that aren't that appealing to that 45-65 growing group, I wonder what will one day to be the outcome in a not so long distance time. To just speak about Royal and letting alone the rest of the market; some 10++ Oasis/Icon ships following suit on the younger crowd plus some 4+ X Edge and above classes to the "upper Royal" instead of "Viking lite" cruisers; hard discounts on lower season with hiking prices at premium ones will to be the norm... Or make the older of those ships to be "adult" retrofitted or simply let them to face the scrapper. No alternatives! I can hardly to call Viking as a luxury line. Nor lite luxury if one asks me. They're classic cruise line done right and they're a success, perhaps somewhat overpriced for the real product! They'd to be the same success with a 150k GT cruise chip priced accordingly if they so wanted. They don't! And they don't need to think about that either! If I wanted to go on a Viking cruise, I couldn't do so because they don't sell for Portugal! They only sell to the English speaking world!... "Brand new" Azamara will likely to follow the same path. Explora Journeys by MSC seems to be gaining some traction as well... But, realistically, there is part of a generation, old enough to call it a night on the family activities, but young enough to retire from the tourism industry that sooner rather than later will face 2 difficult choices: Cruise less on an upmarket line if they can, or simply to shop holidays elsewhere, because those upmarket vessels are so limited on their offering numbers! I'm sad, I'm part of that large group. The pandemic made me to stay some 3 years out of cruising. Fortunately; we have the older ships, more or less like we ever knew them for quite a while, but in 5-10 years they'll be gone, or simply family style retrofitted! And we will to be "out"!... Permit me to go somewhat off RCI focused topic, but hey: At least NCL with Prima and from the photos that are starting to pop up from World Europa, MSC are sort of understanding the problem and providing sort of consensual compromising solutions at least for now. Personally; in a nutshell: Will I ever sail the Icon? I wouldn't say never, but really not at school breaks! Have a nice day!...

If one watches carefully; there is a quite resilient market for what I can call "affordable classic cruising" (ACC). And by ACC, I'm not talking Cunard like experience. I'm talking about megaship priced X/Princess-lite like experience for the mainstream. For now; there are lots of older ships running elsewhere, but sooner rather than later; ACC will be finished and all that will remain will be older X ships, Princess and P&O to an extent. I believe they could fill Allure as an X-lite ship, branded as Golden Age Royal Caribbean, for the mainstream would be a huge success. Retrofit it accordingly and go. Surely I understand the young family level as being the baseline mainstream, though there is a place for the ones that don't want that experience level, though don't want a too upscale one as well. I would be in for said X-lite Allure!... Virgin is a niche market for affluent young adults, so that's not the market I would brand Allure X-lite edition: I would brand it over the 50+ crowd out there that wants ACC.

So true, in such a so few lines like I wouldn't be able to say better, congrats!... I'm not against kid friendly ships and kiddie areas around those ships to an extent. Nor am I against younger demographics trending activities out there. Mainstream is for all, period! Simply this ship seems badly designed by the starting point. From the color palette to the venues balancing. Other than Boleros, Schooner's Bar, the Pearl and a few more all the other places are kiddie designed. If the younger families don't book in force, this "thing" will be in Europe for retrofit way faster than one can imagine! Things must be balanced. Forgive me to cite other lines here, but it would to be good to take a look on what MSC is doing with their brand new World class ships, which real videos are starting to pop up on Youtube: Modern and young families inviting while respectful to the MSC's older guests and MSC's historic design identity. On Icon, apart some of the classics names, I wouldn't recognize it as a Royal ship by any means. Cabins are X, main ship venues are kiddie, well: I hope guest services, MDR, Windjammer and the classics to be more up to trademark identity. The Pearl partly replaces the Promenade Cafe, adding some lounge features, hopefully for classic or string quartet like music, ant that is the unique OK on me enhancement. What I would have liked to see on Icon? Perhaps an Oasis class for the winter climates!. Enclosed Central Park, enclosed Boardwalk, revamped solarium with eventually some night entertainment features! Only the last one was partly done right. And some other features: Coffee drinks would to be delivered from automated machines, Let us to have a food court concept elsewhere, perhaps at least partly replacing the MDR's for non-suite guests, and some other ideas. Some may be possible. Some may not. Time will tell.

Only time will tell, but IMHO, those mockup renderings feel to me like they were designed by kids for kids. Other than that "Pearl Cafe" and the "X Edge" cabins there is no place that feels like realistic cruise ship environment, appellative enough to anyone but those kids running the whole ship 24 hours a day, 7 days a week! I wouldn't say never, but for now, I'm out!

Nothing really, apart gangway opening at each port of call; unless on a particular sailing they needed to host some 10 safety announcements, or if in a particular sailing some special events worth of sound notice was likely to happen. Captain reports can vary largely from Captain to Captain, from nonexistent to a huge special social event. I had it all, and the ones in the middle.

Permit me just 2 notes: 1) Announcements: It's worth to notice that MSC announcements, at least here in Europe, are usually set to a bare minimum. No art auctions, casino, spa, or any other upsell opportunities. No entertainment either. You'll only listen the ship's sound system if a safety announcement is due, or for things like gangway opening and such. 2) Drinks packages: Agree that the MSC scheme is arguably the most confusing industry wise. TBHH; I understand both the need for many to have an as tress free as possible holiday time with all included, but I also understand the possibility for abusers to break the system... I have no optimal solutions to solve that, nor there may be any available, but I'd say that the nearest to that solution is what Virgin is currently doing. You purchase beforehand for example an EUR 125 bar credit for EUR 100, and you'll be able to order anything from the menu within the confines and pay a la carte or purchase more blocks when needed. By the way; if they wouldn't like to go that way; I'd suggest them to have their adult offering the following way; that for most of their clientele, at least here in Europe would have been great: Nonalcoholic package Nonalcoholic + house wine and house beer (main package for promotional inclusion) The equivalent to the current Premium Xtra with another name.

Good summary, thanks. A few notes: The very international clientele can be a no-go for some on the American market. I have never had that drinks and dining packages upsell. At least here in Europe, if they're doing it now, that is a novelty for me. I'd add to the shoreside bad costumer service that their website is ugly. Currently the Portuguese version is by the most part outdated from early September for no apparent reason. No news from the next season's installments, or other news. No joy on the World Europa debuting whatsoever and all the past summer cruises are listed as if they were open for booking!... I know, that might to be a local sort of thing, but I give it as an example alone. I wouldn't say the employees are rude. Quiet reserved professionalism at best. I don't want my dinner waiter to behave like if he was my best friend for the day! I want him to properly deliver what I order. Not only the new muster drill process may be bad, I believe the whole check-in and check-out processes are the main negatives they have. Surely the credit card validation machines are a safety plus, but other than that, they should try to make the check-in process more costumer friendly. At least here in Europe it is usually a line creation for the sake of line creation with no additional advantage. With current technology it would to easily possible for them to add such a 30 seconds per pax check-in process, removing most of the lines! Have a nice day!