Icon of the Seas Blocks Are In The House!

[hallux]

10 hours ago, NSnewcruiser said:

Man it looks like Wonder is wider.

I think it's the structure around the funnels that makes it look that way...

[Plum Happy]

9 hours ago, eroller said:

 

That’s my biggest fear with this ship.  That it will be overrun with kids absolutely everywhere.  And this coming from a person that loves Disney and DCL.  
 

The amount of 3rd, 4th, and 5th berths on this ship is astronomical.  
 

Time will tell.  

Excuse me, wasn't this ship designed with families in mind?  The larger rooms for families without having to book 2 rooms?  I think some of you all need to go back to the beginning and refresh what was said about the ICON class of ships.  I believe they know who they are competing against with this class of ship.  Hint...Disney.

[cr2000]

16 minutes ago, Plum Happy said:

Excuse me, wasn't this ship designed with families in mind?  The larger rooms for families without having to book 2 rooms?  I think some of you all need to go back to the beginning and refresh what was said about the ICON class of ships.  I believe they know who they are competing against with this class of ship.  Hint...Disney.

 

No doubt the majority of Icon cruises will resemble something of a Disney cruise with lots and lots of kids, certianly not a couples retreat or honeymoon vacation! They didn't build that water park for adults. 🙂

[eroller]

28 minutes ago, Plum Happy said:

Excuse me, wasn't this ship designed with families in mind?  The larger rooms for families without having to book 2 rooms?  I think some of you all need to go back to the beginning and refresh what was said about the ICON class of ships.  I believe they know who they are competing against with this class of ship.  Hint...Disney.

 

Yes you are correct and Royal being a family focused cruise line is nothing new.  This being said, they have done a good job in the past creating a balance.  Ships where families not to mention couples & singles feel right at home.  With ICON they have tipped the balance and gone full-on Disney.  They have even adopted Disney pricing which is quite a feat.  So well done to them on that.  The more I read the more I’m discovering it’s probably not the ship for me and that is perfectly fine.  Plenty of other fish in the sea.  Someday at the right price I may hop on because I love trying new prototype ships regardless of cruise line, but no rush.  

[Plum Happy]

2 minutes ago, eroller said:

 

Yes you are correct and Royal being a family focused cruise line is nothing new.  This being said, they have done a good job in the past creating a balance.  Ships where families not to mention couples & singles feel right at home.  With ICON they have tipped the balance and gone full-on Disney.  They have even adopted Disney pricing which is quite a feat.  So well done to them on that.  The more I read the more I’m discovering it’s probably not the ship for me and that is perfectly fine.  Plenty of other fish in the sea.  Someday at the right price I may hop on because I love trying new prototype ships regardless of cruise line, but no rush.  

Right now, it's not for me, but I am not going to complain about what they choose to do with the class.  I know that the prices are set for families, not couples or single people sailing.  I think that's the hardest part of this class of ship that some people haven't figured out.  

 

I figure 2027 the prices will be where those people will be willing to get on the ship once prices align with what they are willing to pay.  OR this massive growth that the industry is experiencing right now dies down.

 

Time will tell.

[BecciBoo]

I've heard it all before when Oasis came out...same criticisms, same claims of "I'll never sail that behemoth"  Now 6 of them all sailing full, and a seventh now booking!  All those naysayers are now sailing the ship they swore would break RCCL!  Time will tell.  I'll put my money on Icon.

[Mikew0805]

21 minutes ago, BecciBoo said:

I've heard it all before when Oasis came out...same criticisms, same claims of "I'll never sail that behemoth"  Now 6 of them all sailing full, and a seventh now booking!  All those naysayers are now sailing the ship they swore would break RCCL!  Time will tell.  I'll put my money on Icon.

LOL I agree. However, there are 5 of them, with the 6th one now booking. I would like a 7th, because I am thinking Icon will not be for me. However, I will make that decision once I sail.

[BecciBoo]

Oops miscounted

Edited January 16 by BecciBoo

[BecciBoo]

Matt said on his dot com...and I quote...The 1772 sqft family suite costs over $80,000 and is SOLD OUT FOR ALL OF 2024!

 

Edited January 16 by BecciBoo

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

1 hour ago, cr2000 said:

certianly not a couples retreat or honeymoon vacation!

 

I know more than a few couples who cruise Disney - and who have used it for their wedding and/or honeymoon. 

[BecciBoo]

Just finished looking at Matt's pics of the Suite Neighborhood.  It is most certainly not full of cheap furniture or deco.  It's very modern and much bigger than Wonder's.  It has a pool just not with glass nor loungers in the water like Wonders.  Totally adequate and very well done.

[cr2000]

41 minutes ago, BecciBoo said:

Matt said on his dot com...and I quote...The 1772 sqft family suite costs over $80,000 and is SOLD OUT FOR ALL OF 2024!

 

Why anyone would pay that is beyond me. You could rent a 9 bedroom private beach front luxury villa in the Cayman Islands for half that... I guess some people don't get out much.

[cruise1957]

2 hours ago, cr2000 said:

Why anyone would pay that is beyond me. You could rent a 9 bedroom private beach front luxury villa in the Cayman Islands for half that... I guess some people don't get out much.

Who is doing the cooking and cleanup in the 9 bedroom villa everyday?

[cr2000]

5 minutes ago, cruise1957 said:

Who is doing the cooking and cleanup in the 9 bedroom villa everyday?

 

The private butler, chef, and maid service will handle all that, and you'll still come in at $30k less than a family suite on RC.

[MAS954]

There are over 22 million Americans that are millionaires! They obviously feel $80k for a 7 day cruise in a luxury setting is worth it or those suites would be empty.

 

ICON 3/2/24 and we can't wait!

Edited January 16 by MAS954

[erby2283]

I guess if you have 8 adults who don't mind splitting the cost and sleeping in a children's inspired room, $10,000 for a week isn't that much for some people.

[cr2000]

Couple other observations between Wonder and Icon, the total pool square footage appears to be greater on Wonder than on Icon. Perhaps the assumption is Icon's waterpark will entertain a larger % of kids, thus keeping them out of the pools? Eitherway, it seems like a shortcoming given Icon is pitched as a bigger/better ship.

 

Also, suite access appears to be wide open to anyone on the ship, that is, the elevators will not be able to restrict access to decks 16/17. Another huge fail in the suite design on Icon.

 

Last the smoking area located right above the kids area (Thrill Island) seems just poorly placed.

 

I've also seen concerns about noise pollution with the open design of the promenade, Large portions of Decks 7/8 may not get much sleep if they turn in early.

 

It'll be interesting when we start getting some real reviews from paying passengers that have travelled on both ships. Right now, I'm thinking Wonder of the Seas is the better of the two ships, which is disappointing given the premium we've all paid to get on Icon...

[Newcruiser215]

Here we go again. 

[Tree_skier]

9 minutes ago, Newcruiser215 said:

Here we go again. 

An amazing amount of criticism for a ship that nobody has sailed on yet!  🙂

[SUgwoz]

16 minutes ago, cr2000 said:

Couple other observations between Wonder and Icon, the total pool square footage appears to be greater on Wonder than on Icon. Perhaps the assumption is Icon's waterpark will entertain a larger % of kids, thus keeping them out of the pools? Eitherway, it seems like a shortcoming given Icon is pitched as a bigger/better ship.

 

Also, suite access appears to be wide open to anyone on the ship, that is, the elevators will not be able to restrict access to decks 16/17. Another huge fail in the suite design on Icon.

 

Last the smoking area located right above the kids area (Thrill Island) seems just poorly placed.

 

I've also seen concerns about noise pollution with the open design of the promenade, Large portions of Decks 7/8 may not get much sleep if they turn in early.

 

It'll be interesting when we start getting some real reviews from paying passengers that have travelled on both ships. Right now, I'm thinking Wonder of the Seas is the better of the two ships, which is disappointing given the premium we've all paid to get on Icon...

You seemed to be doing a lot of research on a ship with no reviews. I recall walking through smoking sections on Oasis class pool decks, seems like a plus that they placed it on a deck that get will less traffic than main pool deck.

 

A lot of ships place cabins with windows viewing the promenade.  However, cabins above this promenade will be worse?

 

Perhaps you would feel better if you just skipped this cruise, as of now it sounds like by the time you step on the ship will be dreading every moment.

 

 

[Newcruiser215]

1 minute ago, Tree_skier said:

An amazing amount of criticism for a ship that nobody has sailed on yet!  🙂

 
Unfortunately, with all of that hype that surrounded this ship, I just knew people couldn’t wait to pounce and find every little thing wrong with it. But like you said, all of these opinions without actually experiencing it. 

[topanga49er]

On 1/15/2024 at 9:36 AM, cr2000 said:

 

The suite area is an absolute disaster given the premium they are charging. No view outside (actually looks very closed in) - the "lounge" is a glorified waiting area in Coastal Kitchen (interesting the lounge isn't even listed on the deck plans, almost like they forgot about it), the color/furnishings look about as cheap as you get both inside Coastal Kitchen and out on the sundeck. The "pool" isn't much bigger than a small jacuzzi. Have you noticed RC has been limiting photography up on that deck the past couple days? They know they've got a problem. Kinda late to change the furnishings, they could probably reconfigure the lounge space a bit. One way to address the abysmal suite deck pool would be to claim Cloud17 as the suite sky/star class pool (it's already doored access at the aft end). That would at least give suite guests an actual premium pool, but given the screw up with Hideaway they already have customers fuming. Pictures speak volumes, look at the space on Wonder (below), then go look at the limited pictures coming out of Icon. Wonder (below) looks like a premium experience, Icon looks like they ran out of budget and creativity by the time they hit the suite deck.

We just got off Wonder in the spring, and while the Suite area was nice, the "pool" was very small and tucked away in one corner.  Looks bigger in pictures.  Why don't we give them the time to see if it looks better by sailaway?  None of the greenery seen in the comps was in yet in Matt's video.  They are probably doing that now and I bet it will look awesome!  

[topanga49er]

On 1/15/2024 at 1:21 PM, cr2000 said:

 

I think a lot of people try to justify what they spent and can't look objectively. They will sing Icon's praises regardless perhaps to soothe their wallet, I do think it's fair to be critical where appropriate. I think they really screwed up the suite neighborhood and I think the reviews will reflect that in the next few weeks (and pricing will plummet accordingly). The overall ship deck space looks very problematic, when they are at or near capacity. They messed up with the adults only situation, how's that fair to people who booked with an understanding of having a quiet relaxing area on the ship? The beverage package excludes milk shakes (they priced the drinks at the ice cream place just outside the $14 limit). Then they market basecamp as the place for kids to fuel up after the water slides, but up-charge for burgers and sandwiches? Of course they appear to have done things right as well, the rooms look great, they added some nice family suite concepts, the waterpark looks absolutely incredible and sure to be a big hit with kids. The venues along the promenade seem well thoughout too. I really like the Pearl Cafe and layout in that area, looks beautiful. Net-net, I don't think it'll be worth the premium they are trying to collect over sailing on Wonder.

You can speak objectively and keep an open mind.  This is a new ship that is a different concept.  It IS exciting, at least for some. I also booked a Jsky Suite and a GS, and I am still excited bc it will be a new experience.  Wonder was great when we were on it, but so mch was same as other O classes.  If you booked early like most on this thread did, there was not too much of an upcharge over Wonder.  Now, yes.  

[topanga49er]

Question for the ship builders and designers on this thread...  Was there a reason that the aft Icon balconies get progressively smaller with the lower decks? (opposite of O class)  I would think it would make the balconies below deck 15 dark.  Some love balconies in shade, but I love me some sun on them and it tends to brighten the room.

There were greater minds that created Icon, so just wondering thought process behind it if you can share.

thx

 

 

[kruzerci]

9 hours ago, BecciBoo said:

I've heard it all before when Oasis came out...same criticisms, same claims of "I'll never sail that behemoth"  Now 6 of them all sailing full, and a seventh now booking!  All those naysayers are now sailing the ship they swore would break RCCL!  Time will tell.  I'll put my money on Icon.

That was also a very different situation. 
 

Oasis was truly revolutionary and people could wrap their heads around the sheer size, neighborhood concept, open air of some interior spaces, etc. 

 

There is nothing really revolutionary about Icon except that it is LNG. It’s a similar overall design as Oasis. They redesigned and moved some stuff around, but at the root, it’s a completely kid-centric Oasis 2.0, some new concepts, more passengers, and removing some long time favorites. 
 

Somebody said they jumped the shark with Icon and I think they hit the nail on the head. If anybody isn’t familiar with the phrase, look it up- it fits Icon to a t.