Icon not worth current prices

[PhillyFan33579]

I am currently on Icon and having a great cruise as always. However, I would not pay the prices I am currently seeing to book Icon. We are in a Central Park balcony that I paid $3500 for including taxes and port fees. While I am impressed with the ship, it feels just like an Oasis class ship that is bigger. There are certain things I like better about this ship (the water park for example) and other things I don’t like about the ship. The biggest negative for me is there is no quiet adult only area like you find on other RCI ships. The Hideaway, which is 18 plus, is probably the loudest area on the ship during the day. This ship is definitely geared for families, which RCI has been very open about with their marketing of Icon. I will definitely cruise on this ship again (I have a NYE cruise booked this year), but I won’t book another cruise on Icon until/if prices drop in the future. If they don’t drop, I will be happy to continue cruising on Oasis class ships and below. 

[Engineroom Snipe]

11 minutes ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

 There are certain things I like better about this ship (the water park for example) and other things I don’t like about the ship. The biggest negative for me is there is no quiet adult only area like you find on other RCI ships. The Hideaway, which is 18 plus, is probably the loudest area on the ship during the day.

 

I have made comments about how a person is now onboard the biggest water park on a floating vessel.

 

After your comment, would you spend additional money to get off at Coco Cay to do the water park and spend additional monies when you have a one-of-a-kind onboard?

 

The "Hideaway" similar to the new theme on Coco Bay "Hideaway" might not be the same experience many adults imagine. I would like a 'hideaway' from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. More of a serene quiet oasis on a beach listening to the ocean. We all have our own definition of 'hideaway'.

 

You are a tough opinion CC poster but I do read your posts and take them for face value. I am a long time 'Royal' and loyal cruiser but it does not mean I am blindly loyal.

 

Interesting post.

[Ozark_Kid]

3 minutes ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

The biggest negative for me is there is no quiet adult only area like you find on other RCI ships. The Hideaway, which is 18 plus, is probably the loudest area on the ship during the day.

We were on last week.  Try laying out at Cloud 17.  We were about midship or more towards the back but before the hot tub.   It was not an "adults only" spot but the two days we laid out there we saw very few kids.  There is really nothing around there to attract them.  One time the band was playing across from us on deck 16.  Perfect volume.   Try it out,  I bet you will like it.

First time. 

 

second time. 

 

One day we laid out by the Crown's Edge.  Nice and relaxing. 

 

 

There are several places you can go where it's almost all adults.  There are several places kids will not want to hang out.

[Engineroom Snipe]

2 minutes ago, Ozark_Kid said:

We were on last week.  Try laying out at Cloud 17.  We were about midship or more towards the back but before the hot tub.   It was not an "adults only" spot but the two days we laid out there we saw very few kids.  There is really nothing around there to attract them.  One time the band was playing across from us on deck 16.  Perfect volume.   Try it out,  I bet you will like it.

First time. 

 

second time. 

 

One day we laid out by the Crown's Edge.  Nice and relaxing. 

 

 

There are several places you can go where it's almost all adults.  There are several places kids will not want to hang out.

Great pictures which describe your post.

 

May I ask what time?

 

Definitely a sea day and I would guess about 11:45am?

[Ozark_Kid]

The Crown Edge was a sea day. One pic 10:30am other 11:00.  Not much different at noon.

1st pic of band 1:07pm at sea if I remember correctly. 

2nd pic  9:17am. At port.

 

There are so many different places to hang out.  Each having a different experience.   I heard the Hideaway was noisy so I stayed away from it.

[Engineroom Snipe]

11 minutes ago, Ozark_Kid said:

The Crown Edge was a sea day. One pic 10:30am other 11:00.  Not much different at noon.

1st pic of band 1:07pm at sea if I remember correctly. 

2nd pic  9:17am. At port.

 

There are so many different places to hang out.  Each having a different experience.   I heard the Hideaway was noisy so I stayed away from it.

Thank you for your post.

Edited February 6 by Engineroom Snipe
grammer

[BecciBoo]

The more relevant question in my case is can I afford it.  We could afford the price we paid in Oct. '22 but not the current pricing.  Whether it's worth it is relative.  I know we'll want to cruise her again just by the reviews, but we'll need to plan better and save a lot of money if we do.

 

There are plenty of places still on CoCoCay where you can be almost the only peeps around, you can take the tram to all of them now.

 

I've been searching for the perfect ship for our 30th in 2026 but Xcell, Celebrity's newest Edge class ship is a fraction of the new Star of the Seas or Icon.  So it'll probably have to be her.

Edited February 6 by BecciBoo

[PhillyFan33579]

2 hours ago, Engineroom Snipe said:

 

I have made comments about how a person is now onboard the biggest water park on a floating vessel.

 

After your comment, would you spend additional money to get off at Coco Cay to do the water park and spend additional monies when you have a one-of-a-kind onboard?

 

The "Hideaway" similar to the new theme on Coco Bay "Hideaway" might not be the same experience many adults imagine. I would like a 'hideaway' from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. More of a serene quiet oasis on a beach listening to the ocean. We all have our own definition of 'hideaway'.

 

You are a tough opinion CC poster but I do read your posts and take them for face value. I am a long time 'Royal' and loyal cruiser but it does not mean I am blindly loyal.

 

Interesting post.

Funny you mentioned the water park. I am in my late 50s but I am a kid when it comes to water slides and roller coasters. Personally I would still do the waterpark at Coco Cay. I think the slides on Icon are really good, but they don’t have the thrill level of the slides at Coco Cay. Having said that, my friend’s wife won’t do a couple of the slides on Icon, so the slides on Icon are still pretty good. 
 

The Hideaway on Icon is nothing like the Solarium on other RCI ships. It’s more of a party atmosphere there than a relaxed, quieter area. I am curious to see what Hideaway on Coco Cay will be like. The only port we are getting off the ship this cruise is at Coco Cay so we can check out Hideway and see if it worth the $50 per person we spent 

[PhillyFan33579]

2 hours ago, Ozark_Kid said:

We were on last week.  Try laying out at Cloud 17.  We were about midship or more towards the back but before the hot tub.   It was not an "adults only" spot but the two days we laid out there we saw very few kids.  There is really nothing around there to attract them.  One time the band was playing across from us on deck 16.  Perfect volume.   Try it out,  I bet you will like it.

First time. 

 

second time. 

 

One day we laid out by the Crown's Edge.  Nice and relaxing. 

 

 

There are several places you can go where it's almost all adults.  There are several places kids will not want to hang out.

I agree 100 percent. Cloud 17 is definitely much quieter than Hideaway. I am curious why they made the last minute decision to switch the adult area from Cloud 17 to the Hideaway. I find it interesting how much shade there is on the ship. I assume part of it is due to the sun being lower in the sky this time of year, but every pool has lots of shady areas in close proximity. 

[GetToLivin]

I'm definitely priced out of Icon, so my little self thought to do a mock booking on Utopia, you know, being 3-4 nights it'd need to be less expensive, right? I was wrong! Essentially the same price with less time 🤡 I'll be sailing the "oldy" Oasis Class ships for my foreseeable future 😉

[erby2283]

34 minutes ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

29 minutes ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

I agree 100 percent. Cloud 17 is definitely much quieter than Hideaway. I am curious why they made the last minute decision to switch the adult area from Cloud 17 to the Hideaway. I find it interesting how much shade there is on the ship. I assume part of it is due to the sun being lower in the sky this time of year, but every pool has lots of shady areas in close proximity. 

The Hideaway on Icon is nothing like the Solarium on other RCI ships. It’s more of a party atmosphere there than a relaxed, quieter area. I am curious to see what Hideaway on Coco Cay will be like. The only port we are getting off the ship this cruise is at Coco Cay so we can check out Hideway and see if it worth the $50 per person we spent 

Do us other future Icon cruisers a favor and share your displeasure about how loud the Hideaway is on Icon if you get a survey. Perhaps if enough people complain, they’ll make another change. Cloud 17 being the original adults only area was the deciding factor when choosing this ship back in 2022  - now it’s like false advertising. Hopefully first week in May will still have enough quiet areas like @Ozark_Kid experienced. 

[Engineroom Snipe]

8 minutes ago, GetToLivin said:

I'm definitely priced out of Icon, so my little self thought to do a mock booking on Utopia, you know, being 3-4 nights it'd need to be less expensive, right? I was wrong! Essentially the same price with less time 🤡 I'll be sailing the "oldy" Oasis Class ships for my foreseeable future 😉

"Oldie but Goldie" when you compare the price and experience.

 

I am a repetitive poster who is willing to cruise at the right price point.

 

One could accuse me of being a cruise mercenary and I would have a difficulty defending the argument. 

 

😁

[colesc15]

1 minute ago, erby2283 said:

Do us other future Icon cruisers a favor and share your displeasure about how loud the Hideaway is on Icon if you get a survey. Perhaps if enough people complain, they’ll make another change. Cloud 17 being the original adults only area was the deciding factor when choosing this ship back in 2022  - now it’s like false advertising. Hopefully first week in May will still have enough quiet areas like @Ozark_Kid experienced. 

I'm the complete opposite. Hideaway with the dj is one of the things I'm most excited for on icon. We spend all day at oasis lagoon on Coco cay so I expect hideaway to be very similar. Can't wait! 

[Engineroom Snipe]

4 minutes ago, erby2283 said:

Do us other future Icon cruisers a favor and share your displeasure about how loud the Hideaway is on Icon if you get a survey. Perhaps if enough people complain, they’ll make another change. Cloud 17 being the original adults only area was the deciding factor when choosing this ship back in 2022  - now it’s like false advertising. Hopefully first week in May will still have enough quiet areas like @Ozark_Kid experienced. 

Sometimes, it takes years to change anything 'Royal'.

 

Remember "Dynamic Dining"?

 

That was an absolute fiasco that took almost two years to stop.

 

I would never place that type of "load" on @Ozark_Kid for just posting an opinion and answering questions to the best of their ability.

[PhillyFan33579]

40 minutes ago, colesc15 said:

I'm the complete opposite. Hideaway with the dj is one of the things I'm most excited for on icon. We spend all day at oasis lagoon on Coco cay so I expect hideaway to be very similar. Can't wait! 

Obviously I have a limited experience on Icon, but I think that is a pretty good analogy from what I have seen on this cruise so far…Hideaway is a lot like the swim up bar area on the Oasis Lagoon at Coco Cay. I enjoy the party atmosphere at Coco Cay at the Oasis Lagoon, but I also like having the option to go to a quieter place on Coco Cay as well (Chill Island being my go to place). 

[cynt]

@PhillyFan33579 thanks for posting. We love new ships! Icon had us pumping the breaks. It is more expensive than our week in Maui before the fire!  We just can't wrap our minds around $10K for a balcony on Icon. We were going to just do it but the accountant in us said wait it out. The price will fall eventually. We hope.

[firefly333]

2 hours ago, cynt said:

@PhillyFan33579 thanks for posting. We love new ships! Icon had us pumping the breaks. It is more expensive than our week in Maui before the fire!  We just can't wrap our minds around $10K for a balcony on Icon. We were going to just do it but the accountant in us said wait it out. The price will fall eventually. We hope.

I've seen various TAs advertising group space in the 3k range. .. 3.2k, 3.5k that they had unsold I'ventory. No one I know would book at direct rates.   ... though to me over 3k is still high for just a plain ole balcony.

Edited February 7 by firefly333

[Tlbecker1]

4 hours ago, firefly333 said:

I've seen various TAs advertising group space in the 3k range. .. 3.2k, 3.5k that they had unsold I'ventory. No one I know would book at direct rates.   ... though to me over 3k is still high for just a plain ole balcony.

We did book a group rate for a OV balcony for $1400/pp. I figure that it will be a one and done for us.

[Dewaldcruiser]

I have been around Royal for a long time, starting with Song of America.  They have changed their target demographic over the years from the traditional "older cruise couples" to what is now a water park at seas, very family friendly cruise experience and from their latest financials, it appears to be a very astute decision.

 

Along with this approach has come more expensive ships and much higher fares.  Seeing how full the Icon of the Seas is, these higher fares do not seem to diminish the demand for cruising on these family oriented ships.  So much so, that the price of Royal's Luxury Line, Silversea Cruises, are become much closer to the mainstream Royal Caribbean cruise.

 

If you are looking for a quiet, mostly kid free cruising experience it may be a good time to go this route.  I know I have.  And as a plus for some of the posters here, dress codes are enforced in the dining room 😉

[FamilyCruiserUK]

As a parent i know my family would really enjoy Icon, however not at the prices. Yes it offers more then Oasis class but still not enough to warrent the price. We have a week booked on Allure in Oct 25 for 2 adults, 1 child for £1735. Icon is easy double that price.

 

My main concern about Icon is the pools and area to sunbathe. The pools look small and shallow and the top deck just looks cluttered and covered. Most of the pics i have seen the sunbeds are few and far between and in the shade. The kids area looks like it's for younger children, maybe up to 8 years old. 🤔. Water slides do look great though. 

[OCSC Mike]

15 hours ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

If they don’t drop, I will be happy to continue cruising on Oasis class ships and below.

 

I was never interested in Icon class for various reasons and after reading a live blog involving several people on the inaugural plus your comments, I have even less interest.

 

The added food venues (the ones in the Aquadome I think with the crepe and greek places) are the only aspect that appeal to me. Otherwise I'd rather just keep sailing Oasis class (especially Wonder) for less money. We love our Oasis class routine and I'm a creature of habit anyway. Icon class just isn't for me.

[Cruise a holic]

We are booked on the Icon .  We sail in a month- While the ship was expensive, we booked the day the reservations opened up, so we paid much less then the prices today.  However, I am guarded as to the experience for adults on this ship.  We hope that the suite area, which we love on the oasis class, will not be taken over by kids-  Also, based on the video's, the suites, seem very small.  Will report back on the family surfside suite.

[Twenty2020]

8 hours ago, firefly333 said:

I've seen various TAs advertising group space in the 3k range. .. 3.2k, 3.5k that they had unsold I'ventory. No one I know would book at direct rates.   ... though to me over 3k is still high for just a plain ole balcony.

 

I've seen as low as $2800 on a few dates... But they are getting picked off fairly quickly. And when gone, don't expect to see anything close to that going forward. 

 

Edit: as I said that... I went and looked and those appear to be all gone..

 

Now you can enjoy your $6500 balcony. Lol

Edited February 7 by Twenty2020

[SUgwoz]

The ship is designed, marketed, and even priced towards families (3/4 person bookings cheaper than 2 person).  It's good they committed to a particular demographic.  Just like Disney commits to theirs, and adult/luxury lines commit to theirs.  

[Sail2k]

I have heard that they have toned the music down a notch at the hideaway on this weeks sailing...I have no idea if that is true or not, but have heard and read that it appears quieter.  We will find out in 3 weeks....