mpolachek24

Good morning all and how are ya? Marina here, about to go on my 14th cruise tomorrow, and traveling with Mom who's going on her 16th cruise. Her & I are big on cruises, been on Royal in the Med, the Panama Canal, and Western Caribbean; also been on Norwegian and Holland and Celebrity for what its worth but let's get back to Royal here 🙂 Noticed that there has not really been any reviews, Lives, or Semi-Lives aboard the Icon since its inaugural in January. So thus, thought I'd try my hand at a Semi-Live! What's exciting about this voyage on Icon is that we never been on a mega-ship in the Oasis-class and beyond yet, new experience for us, and cant wait to share photos and reviews from. Very excited to return to St. Kitts & Nevis, shop in St. Thomas, and experience CoCoCay! The TLDR here is we're from Scranton, PA, and usually fly out of Philly with Delta, connect in Atlanta to get to wherever the cruise port is. We left home around 0700, got to the PHL parking garage around 0915, checked in and passed TSA pre-check around 0930, and chilling until the flight starts boarding around 1100. Tonight we'll be in Miami, unknown what to eat yet and all that. Please, if anyone has recommendations for Miami, South Beach, and of course- anything/everything onboard the vessel definitely let us know!! Updates to follow, excited but nervous to write a Semi-Live, -Marina

Ship - Serenade of the Seas Deck - 9 Stateroom # - 9544 Stateroom Category – Balcony Starboard or Port Side - Starboard Quiet Stateroom? Very quiet, was fantastic. Was stateroom a connecting stateroom? - No Balcony View - Unobstructed view. Balcony Size? Normal or oversized for class? - Normal, two chairs and a coffee table were out on the deck. Was wind a problem? - Only during a sea day, however ship speed was around 24 knots- booking to get to/from South & Central America. Otherwise, wind would be a non-issue; was overall a non-problem for us. If an aft cabin, was soot a problem? - N/A Any specific problems with this cabin? - No. Bathroom and room did look dated. Do consider Serenade OTS was built around 20-21 years ago in 2002, the vessel is due for a major interior update. The cabin itself had zero problems whatsoever and served its purpose as a stateroom.