wrldtrvllr

Some pictures of the Hideaway adult only area onboard: The hideaway bar (red umbrella) as viewed from the lounger/day bed area: note the flow rider is right above and adjacent to the adults area—I believe the noise/announcements that “bother” people in the hideaway is more coming from there than from the little kids area 7 decks below the pool can be quite crowded but not always: the hot tub’s occupancy varied but I never saw them over packed: Arriving in St Kitts the pool was closed and therefore empty: Bar to the left in this picture (starboard) and loungers in stadium set up to the right as viewed from the camera View of CocoCay from the ship’s hideaway and then zoomed in on the island’s hideaway area

I know, it’s crazy. I booked an interior Icon for next year just before the inaugural sailing as I saw the group rates disappearing and someone on here had mentioned after April 2025 the group rates were significantly higher. It’s a bit less than we paid for this cruise we just finished but still a bit more than an inside on Oasis class so the jury is out as to whether I’ll cancel that or keep it—probably keep it. Hope you enjoy your Icon experience! the Attic venue:

Quiz time: forward or aft stairs? (I just think it’s cool that it is so easy to know where you are on this ship) Regarding “free” dining venues: large number of choices did seem to spread out the crowds. Grab and go offerings at the Pearl cafe would be great for families with kids. It is very convenient that there are many complimentary drink stations scattered around the ship—such as at the Pearl which I believe is open 24:7–makes it easy to get ice at anytime (without having to have the room steward bring ice during their once a day visit and have it be water when you need it or having to fish it out by hand because it seems like ice tongs aren’t provided or for when Royal runs out of ice packs 🤷‍♀️). never have eaten at the pizza place on a cruise ship but it is there and was busy enough The Mexican buffet option that is on many of Royal’s ships didn’t seem as crowded as on some, again probably reflecting the large number of choices on board, but when you need a guacamole fix… The Aquadome market was interesting. The venue has ocean view seating inside and seating in the dark-ish aquadome. It’s reminiscent of a US mall food court or an airport—5 stands: macaroni, crepes, Mediterranean, sandwiches, Asian options. The Mac and cheese place didn’t seem popular but the others had short lines whenever I looked in. We had Greek bowls/sandwiches one lunch and crepes once or twice and enjoyed the “different from our usual” fare. Handwashing and self serve drink stations in there was convenient when hanging out in the overlook. The overlook bar (easy to miss on deck plan since it’s on deck 14 but accessed from 15 but absolutely an excellent venue) was great but if I’m only wanting ice or a glass of water I’d rather not bug the bartenders. the vitality cafe makes a good smoothie and drink vouchers apply Central Park cafe is there and looked similar to on oasis ships. WJ and MDR we’ve discussed peeked into the Surfside buffet—lots of fried kid finger food and a few adult offerings self serve stations deck 7 surfside and deck 15 just aft of the forward elevators were popular as previously mentioned on CC the milkshake place does not take any drink packages or vouchers so it doesn’t make the complementary venue list.

So, the room. Especially before the Abyss slide we have enjoyed boardwalk balconies on oasis class ships. Frequently the price was equal to or less than an inside room so it was a no brainer. Once Harmony arrived and Oasis was amped the appeal declined but with Covid pricing and frequent cancellations we were able to get the very end room several times on various ships and found the extra noise was worth the sea view, especially in the relatively quiet morning; the entertainment value of watching the water show and rehearsals; people watching on the rock climbing wall etc. Basis for comparison here is to an inside room vs ocean balcony room for the money. Usually boardwalk comes out as the best value but not always. Similarly I was pricing out Surfside balconies vs ocean vs inside rooms and on that first day of sales it was a similar no brainer for me. I expect could have paid a bit less for an inside but the difference wasn’t enough to alter my decision since I was able to select the end balcony. I looked at deck plans and decided deck 10 would probably suit best—not too low to the kids water park but not too high to be blocked by the hideaway pool. Room is as others have posted. Not many electrical outlets. As in only one on vanity and one at bedside by the balcony and one in the bathroom. That surprised me. The one at bedside should be useful for CPAP wearers but charging of electrical devices is limited then to USB-A cords. There are many USB-A plug in spots (on shelves near the TV, on both bedside tables/lamps, on the vanity) but no USB-C spots—so charging will be slow(er). I thought I had read about some USB-C plugs but that must’ve been on Serenade for the world cruisers and not on Icon. I didn’t bring any USB-A cords so had to use the electrical plug and my adapter. Not a disaster but something I wanted to pass on as “good to know” for packing. Shower has the seat in it and towel rack, hooks. Small shelves on wall beside commode. Fairly large drawer by sink. We added extra magnet hooks to allow drying of items. the balcony: was pleased with the clear glass aft railing. This is on decks 9-11–it’s solid on deck 12. Looking across to starboard side: And looking at our room from the retreat bar (deck 10 is yellow-green, 9 pink, 11 blue, 12 is under the retreat pool): view from the balcony in the AM: Noise: yes shrill little kid noises in daytime that make balcony sitting not appealing. They aren’t out there in the morning or evenings. Remember we chose based on price compared to an inside which has no shrill kid noises but also no morning sitting/view. The bucket thing that dumps water and the running water however goes on 24:7. 😥 With the balcony door locked the noise was not an issue. I do however sleep with ear plugs but I don’t think the noise level would bother most people compared to noises of flushing, hall traffic (which is virtually non existent on the end unit) which are everywhere on a 7000 passenger ship. One other thing about our Surfside room (and perhaps all rooms on Icon)—the water temp was pretty low unless you force it higher by pressing the rubber button to get past the preset stop (make sense?). I think this could be for little kid safety but who knows. Just try turning the handle with the button pushed before calling maintenance would be my suggestion. Another FYI— the safe and shelving are behind the full length mirror. The baskets shriek when pulled out but it is a good concept to reach items without having to struggle against the couch—especially if it was made into a bed I imagine. For 2 of us plain shelves would have been better than the baskets but we travel light and just used them as a hamper. (Can’t really see in this picture but the baskets are below the closet next to the couch). The yellow looking shelving with USB-A plugs is seen in this view of the room: Would I do that cabin again? Not for much extra expense but for the price of an inside definitely. It’s a long haul to the end room but I’m ok with that. Would I take a non end Surfside room—certainly but not for any extra expense. A big part of the appeal of that end room on oasis class is the people watching at the aqua theater and rock climbing wall which are absent on icon (watching little kids on slides is not entertaining but is shrill as previously stated).

I think there was some banana bread but that was about all I noticed.

I think you’ll be pleased and able to find sun areas as well as the shaded areas. Cloud 17 and the retreat have a lot of sun and depending on the time of day many other places as well. I’m a huge fan of morning sun and was able to find comfortable spots to read and absorb.

Not 100% sure—there was a day where many were dressed in white but I don’t remember noticing an announcement of that in the app. One really nice thing about Icon is they don’t have cruise director announcements multiple times a day. Downside I guess is missing white night…sorry didn’t pay more attention…

I knew I’d get in trouble for that—only use their serving utensils so no cross contamination and they have plenty of fish and fruit but I do agree I wouldn’t be eating gluten free breads if I tolerate gluten.

Yes. The fast lane is the outside lane which I think is opposite from Oasis. There is no seating at the very aft, which was disappointing to me but probably better for serious joggers. There is some cross traffic to the seating area outside Pearl cafe and since the only way to enter the fitness center on deck 5 is by exiting the forward stairs/elevator lobby starboard to the track there is some traffic there.

In March on symphony: No protein powder drinks with vouchers but ok for smoothies or juices.

Overall I thought the kids on board were better behaved than the average cruise. Probably much better…and it appeared they were having a good time. We went down some of the watersides and though we might have been amongst the oldest to do so, we enjoyed them. The lines really weren’t too bad even on a sea day…though time of day and “extreme-ness” of the slide played a large role in the line length. It was fun to share the excitement in line with random kids and it’d be a blast to go with my grandsons if the prices come back down to earth. This slide, a body side where the floor drops out from below your feet to launch you, usually has one of the shortest lines! DH said it was fun—but he only did it once. You know my excuse…truth is I don’t think I’d have done this one regardless of the knee… The green and pink raft slides were a lot of fun. They weigh the group before loading the raft and sometimes a kid needs to borrow an adult or vice verse so it’s a good meet and greet.(Two adults typically don’t need any extra kid weight so don’t interpret this as you’ll be stuck with somebody’s kid…but if there’s a lone kid or a lone adult you can still go 😊 and definitely a family can ride together.) Shows: Already mentioned I really enjoyed the water show. Went to a matinee of Wizard of Oz and it was fantastic. Of course I’d seen the movie well over a dozen times as a kid and as a parent and I thought the RC cast did an excellent job. Live orchestra situated in balconies on both sides of the stage. Puppet Toto was great. Lion, scarecrow, tin man—all great. Flying monkeys weren’t as scary as it was when I was 6 😂. We prefer sitting about 2-4 rows back for live production shows and that was ideal for this—though usually in the Royal theater there’s really not a bad seat. I find people arriving late and leaving early to be disruptive and that is one reason for sitting close but mostly seeing the expressions and athleticism of the performers (not so much athletics in this show but speaking generally) is why I prefer close seating for production shows (and the balcony for headliners). Ice show—Starburst—another great production. Victor Kee (juggler) is part of the show and fun to watch. Overall one of the most entertaining ice shows I’ve seen on board. Definitely suggest don’t miss it. Attic comedy club—3 comedians. Definitely adult but was more than just vulgarity—some very clever improv as well as routine material…glad we didn’t skip it this ship. Dueling pianos—didn’t stay for whole show. Not bad but didn’t hold interest… Schooner bar pianist—great—didn’t stay for long but enjoyed passing through multiple times. Phoenix rock band—have heard great things about them but couldn’t get a seat and walked out. Very loud venue. Showband—16 person orchestra—not bad but not really my thing I guess. Pre-dinner relaxation. (Might have been post dinner nap if I’d chosen the late show) Effectors—fun to watch the technology/drones but like the first one I saw (on odyssey) it’s more about the visual stimulation than a story (but I think that’s true of most of the shows). Sitting on main floor—not below the balcony and perhaps 1/3 the way towards the front—seemed to work well. Promenade musicians—very pleasant—again for us it’s more a pass by than linger thing but I enjoyed their selections. Well, I’d better get some work done. Having trouble uploading some pictures. Will work on that and talk about our room choice next posting. Happy to attempt to answer any questions…

Day 2 was a sea day and I had booked the crown’s edge activity. I went down to guest services after the knee mishap to cancel my reservation and they rescheduled it for me for the last sea day with the same discount I had pre cruise in case my knee was better by then. They let you do the crowns edge twice, with a go pro camera attached, and then give you a “free” download of your experience. Largely a marketing video but with some video of you in it. Looked like it really wasn’t worth the $35 to me so I ended up canceling the rebooked reservation and not risking tweaking the knee. In the absence of an injury though I wouldn’t have canceled. My husband enjoyed it enough. Said the wind was what made it exciting. Here is a pic of the worker checking wind speed (I think) between sessions. The experience at guest services was efficient enough if not fully effective. They asked if I needed medical attention and I asked for an ice pack. We were told it would be sent to my room right away. 5 hours later our cabin attendant said she had just then received the request but they were out of ice packs…well, I had already filled my hat with ice, applied that to the knee and taken ibuprofen so I really didn’t need anything from Royal 5 hours later…truth is I’d have gone to medical if I thought it was necessary so not trying to complain as much as share the experience. One of the sad but true other experiences from this visit to guest services was hearing a 30-something Dad demanding to know what Royal was going to do about preventing his 11 year old from charging mocktails to the room account…seriously? This ship is of course loaded with kids—despite my best efforts to go when schools should be in session. I think Royal very successfully hit the target of a ship that’s perfect for multigenerational groups traveling together. There are plenty of seats for the older generation all along the deck 6 promenade and the outdoor spaces near where the grandkids are going down water slides, playing ping pong, mini golf, etc. There is carpet in the overlook area that was utilized by the rug rat crowd in the evenings (perhaps to my personal dismay but were I the parent/grandparent interested in watching the kids it’d be perfect). Seating around promenade: Pearl cafe was also a popular area for families on the evening To the joy of dermatologists everywhere, there is shade almost everywhere. Biggest exception being the adults only hideaway: Chill island, forward, port is an example of a covered lounging area: you can see lots of shaded seating off to the sides in this picture: Seating along track deck 5 port:

The ship is very easy to navigate. In addition to the usual 100, 200, 300 port side room numbers and 500, 600, 700 starboard side, the signs on the doors are color coded and the elevator lobbies are color coded, etc. Green for forward (green go) and blue for aft (blue back). Teal for midship. (And the ship picture is on each door number as on some other ships) Forward elevator lobby: aft elevator lobby: the stair case and lobby carpeting follows same color scheme as the signage. The smart elevator system works very well. Yes occasionally kids still were playing with the buttons but overall the wait for an elevator was short and the number of stops manageable. Now I have not taken an elevator in the past 30 cruises or so but unfortunately on the first day I managed to injure my knee on the pickleball court. I was left having to take the elevator down if I was going more than a flight or two. Fortunately I could still climb the stairs. But that was the end of Pickleball for me. They have 2 courts and they are monitored by staff so it was organized. The issue was there was not a separate kids vs adult time so it was frequently hard to get real games in. The courts seem to be full sized and have plenty of room to back up for serves/deep balls, in contrast to the other ships so it has promise. the lines are a bit hard to discern with all the bright colors… Back to comments on navigating the ship…many of the sliding glass doors going outside are so decorated/painted up you might feel trapped in the lobby with no way out but upon approaching the painted doors they will open..really it’s pretty obvious but at first glance…Same sort of thing on restrooms—the doors are painted with huge stick figures of an adult and kid for both men’s and women’s and they seemed to be all on the starboard side (may or may not be entirely accurate but that was my impression) so gone is the “women are always right” guidance with the women’s room on starboard side and men’s on port side of oasis class ships. Not hard to read the rest of the signage to see which room is which but it took a second to find the sign in the busyness of the decor.

I had booked shows through the app as soon as they were available (30 days out? They were available sooner in the app than on the website) based on my usual late (8 pm) dining time. About a week before the cruise I noticed deck 5 dining had the new third fixed dining time—5:00, 6:45, and 8:30. I might have chosen the middle time if I was more savvy and had noticed it prior to booking shows but since I booked the shows based on an 8 pm time (deck 4 MDR has 5:00 and 8:00) I emailed Royal requesting the 8 pm time and requesting a table for 2 near the rail. Both requests were accommodated. We had some of the best service we’ve had, so no complaints there. The food is the usual—but with lobster on both “formal nights”. We had the headliner show before dinner—juggler, meh—and the aqua show after. Really enjoyed the aqua show—especially the pre show with the spinning wheel walker guys. Fun and impressive—watched that an additional time standing in the back of the room. The actual water part was the usual which I enjoy. It is very loud. I always wear ear plugs and I can’t imagine the kids in the there without hearing protection. we arrived early for the show and got comfortable seats in regular padded chairs at the back (many but not all are reserved for wheelchairs so cost come first served for the ambulatory). The first row of benches have seat backs but after that it’s just a regular bench so I suggest plan your arrival to how competitive a seat you want/need.

As others have said boarding was slick as can be. We used Uber to the port from our hotel near FLL. Our ride picked us up at 8:56, dropped us off at 9:52 and by 10:28 I was snapping a picture of the ice rink after checking in at our muster station! (And yes I will admit my official boarding time was 12:30 but hey, nobody asked…). The Uber was $35 plus tip and yes it was a new driver. (It does seem like many experienced drivers will reject trips to port of Miami from Fort Lauderdale because they lose so much time in port traffic) First impressions of the ship were that it was pretty amazing. Much was familiar and some new. We wandered around for a solid hour before heading to the Windjammer. Was very impressed by the Overlook. Note the front row seating and since this is indoors there are no pool towels hogging all the seats. At times all seats were full but at least they generally were occupied by real people and with the probable exception of the pods, people politely cycled through there rather than attempting to reserve a spot for the day. And the Aquadome The Aquadome food court (market) is right here and would have worked as a lunch spot but we decided to checkout the wind jammer instead. The WJ set up is quite nice—much more room between tables than the Oasis ships—more like Odyssey or Ovation and perhaps even better. The set up is a bit different—you can walk in the middle entrance and be subjected to the musical “washy-washy” (I do admire their enthusiasm but sometimes that’s just too much for me). Alternatively you can enter from the sides where there is an unmanned wash station and less of a line up…(pretty sure both sides but we only used port side). (As an aside, I definitely used the wash station—I pride myself that I have never gotten sick on a cruise ship, even ones where Nora virus was rampant and credit that largely to hand washing and defensive measures.) I was unprepared to find that I could not reach the salad bar on the first lunch—huge line blocking access—which really annoyed me at first because I know most people are not opting for healthy salads—then I figured out that Royal had put the split lobster tails on the salad bar island. Now I understood! So at least for this inaugural season, lobster tails are in the MDR 2 nights and on the buffet for the welcome lunch. I opted to skip the line but found huge pieces of salmon (not over cooked and not so dried out since they served it skin side up) on the buffet for that first day. Overall they had a lot of seafood at lunchtime in the WJ. One day in the gluten free section I found Chilean sea bass that was excellent. I wanted to mention that in the far back of the WJ is where you find a large gluten free section and that’s where they do the live prep omelets in the AM and stir fry at lunch. It tended to be less crowded toward the back so even though I have no dietary restrictions I found it convenient to get fruit or fish or vegetables from there. It’s strange though to have the WJ overlooking Central Park—so unlike Oasis class where deck 14 CP balconies are under the pool area, here they are under WJ—don’t know if that’s much of an issue but it is a difference. Don’t know if you can see the people seated in the WJ on the deck below the slides and above the real balconies on deck 14 of Central Park… other WJ comments—no scoop ice cream (in contrast to Symphony and Odyssey (?)) but plenty of all the usual breakfast and lunch offerings. Assistant waiters were not as abundant offering drinks at the table (where I was at least, compared to other cruises) but I am used to self serving the complimentary drinks so that wasn’t a problem. For folks with less mobility I’m sure you could flag someone down easily enough. Tables were plentiful and they did a very good job keeping up on clearing/wiping things down which is higher priority I would think. Well, we made it through lunch the first day—to be continued…

I too had noticed a paucity of reviews on CC for Icon and had contemplated posting live but really wasn’t motivated to, given the assumption that other social media sites were likely full of commentary on Icon. But as I reflect back on last week’s experience there are things I would have been interested to know prior to our cruise. I also assume I am not the only human unwilling to wade through other social media sites—so I decided to write up this trip report for whatever it’s worth. about me—this is our 39th cruise or so. Favorite class of ship is Oasis class. For the Caribbean it is all about the ship first and the itinerary second for us. Given current time and funding constraints we’ve made the decision to sail more often rather than have the luxury experience. I consider myself a bargain hunter and value feeling like I received the most for my time and money. So, I’ve never sailed in a suite and will book inside cabins or inside balconies or ocean balconies depending some subjective algorithm of price, ship, itinerary, etc. Perhaps someday…but probably not. On the day bookings for Icon opened up for C&A I selected our cruise and room. This was the furthest out I’d ever booked a vacation. We picked April because I was trying to avoid spring breaks in March (for work as well as cruise reasons) and I was too chicken to book in February in case the ship was delayed or still working “bugs” out. (I am required to plan my time off of work about 12-18 months ahead of time with no flexibility to change dates). So, we were booked for April 20 going to St Kitts, St Thomas and CoCo Cay in the very end balcony Surfside, deck 10! Price was less than a neighborhood balcony guarantee on Wonder (and perhaps Symphony) at the time so it seemed like the thing to do…if you and I stick this through we’ll see if hindsight agrees…

I shouldn’t have mentioned the lights—really asking about seeing the fjords in September/October rather than earlier in the summer

I apologize if this has already been asked and answered but would like opinions on cruising southern Norway fjords end of September/early October vs May/June? Would love to see northern lights. (Have cruised Alaska in May, July, and September and thought May was the best due to the most snow coverage, long days, less rain but am anxious to hurry up and see Norway and decision is between fall 2024 and early summer 2025). Looking at MSC and furthest north it goes is Alesund. Kiel Germany | Copenhagen Denmark | Hellesylt Norway | Alesund Norway | Flaam Norway | Kiel Germany Thank you.

They had it there in early March

Another vote for Tabyana if you are snorkeling. Easy walk out from beach to excellent snorkeling. The RC excursion gives you chairs on the beach, transportation with multiple return time options and an unremarkable but harmless lunch. If you have your own equipment you can book either the beach break or the snorkel excursion which gives you equipment…but yes the west bay area is busy, chairs closely spaced and with sales vendors present, but for me the snorkeling is well worth it. You can taxi there on your own but Roatan is just about the only place we have just done the RC excursion to tabyana rather than “do it yourself” because it was convenient.

Another vote for independence in the GS given the young kids. Personally my favorite is Oasis class, I’ve never stayed in a suite (and frequently do insides or neighborhood balconies), and prefer 7 or 8 night cruises over 5 nights BUT I can’t imagine choosing one little balcony room when traveling with small kids over a 1 bedroom suite when trying to WOW Mom since the budget allows. (Now if she’s more impressed with bargains there’s nothing wrong with a balcony room). Also I recommend making sure the balcony guarantee on Wonder that it is an ocean balcony guarantee if you are counting on an ocean view—on Royal’s website it will potentially (likely) be a neighborhood balcony—

Yes. DH birthday is the 29th. Have a great birthday cruise!

Feb 24?

Agree wholeheartedly. If you could swap weeks and do the 8 day on symphony to Aruba I would do that but when we faced same itinerary/class/6 vs 8 we picked odyssey.

Big difference but decision probably depends on what you view as the most important things you like about oasis class. Central Park, ease of crossing forward to aft, water shows, ice shows, dual flowriders all missing from odyssey. Indoor pickleball/playmakers venue, sky diving simulator, shows in the 270 venue missing from oasis class…