Icon not worth current prices

[deliver42]

I wouldn't pay what they're asking on any Royal ship, unless I was in a top suite. Royal just isn't worth that kind of money in my opinion.

[PhillyFan33579]

15 minutes ago, Sail2k said:

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....

If it is toned down from last week I am really glad I wasn’t on the inaugural sailing. I think another problem with the Hideaway is that it is located right next to the waterpark, the flow rider and the miniature golf course. Our thoughts are they play music fairly loud in the Hideaway area to block out all the noise from the surrounding areas. 

[George C]

I always stay away from new ships , since the cost can be up to 2k more per person than my grand suite in a older oasis class , none are worth more than 3k.

[firefly333]

4 hours ago, Dewaldcruiser said:

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 😉

Book a carnival journey cruise. We had 19 kids. Yes 19. Balconys start around 6k for 14 days with more unusual ports. Not cheap and they attract a older demographic. Families dont book these longer more expensive cruises. Well fewer with young kids. People willing to lay 6k usually arent young families.

 

Or any, longer cruise. I thought it was a awesome cruise. Much better than their shorter cruises. Yes a lot of older folks. 

[alexgtp]

18 hours ago, Ozark_Kid said:

 

 

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

that looks like Peter and Kitra :-)!! 

Edited February 7 by alexgtp

[Badatz2]

1 hour ago, firefly333 said:

Book a carnival journey cruise. We had 19 kids. Yes 19.   Well fewer with young kids. People willing to lay 6k usually arent young families.

 

Or any, longer cruise. I thought it was a awesome cruise. Much better than their shorter cruises. Yes a lot of older folks. 

You can find similar numbers on a lot of the Royal transatlantic cruises. Once on the Serenade from Barcelona to New Orleans we had 6 kids and the Captain almost got a standing ovation when he announced it at the theater on the first night.

[PhillyFan33579]

3 hours ago, firefly333 said:

Book a carnival journey cruise. We had 19 kids. Yes 19. Balconys start around 6k for 14 days with more unusual ports. Not cheap and they attract a older demographic. Families dont book these longer more expensive cruises. Well fewer with young kids. People willing to lay 6k usually arent young families.

 

Or any, longer cruise. I thought it was an awesome cruise. Much better than their shorter cruises. Yes a lot of older folks. 

You will find the same experience/similar prices on longer cruises like TAs on both RCI and Celebrity. We were on Constellation last month with a total of 13 kids. We are late 50s and were two of the youngest people on the ship. This week on Icon we are two of the oldest people on the ship. 

[dadatsea]

On 2/6/2024 at 7:45 PM, Engineroom Snipe said:

"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. 

 

😁

we totally agree ..  We got our points looking for best prices and less family noise and rock walls etc. Oasis ok but I prefer Radiance class glass, looking out at the sea, and  relaxing on the promenade deck on a full deck chair rather than around a crowded pool area and belly flop nonsense.

[marci22]

On 2/6/2024 at 7:29 PM, 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 😉

Look for a TA with group space. TAs posting here are not allowed to advertise but you can use your best googling abilities.

Edited February 8 by marci22

[firefly333]

41 minutes ago, marci22 said:

Look for a TA with group space. TAs posting here are not allowed to advertise but you can use your best googling abilities.

Agree I saw a TA advertising 3 categories of cabins in the 3k range. They still exist if you are willing to pay that much for 2 inclusive. I'm still in the range 2k is more than plenty, a no. 

[UNCFanatik]

I dont understand why Hideaway is the adults area. Its right by the slides and above the Surfside neighborhood. I prefer the adults only area to not be as loud as other areas of the ship. 

 

Its hard to get honest reviews of the Icon right now but hope that more will be coming out soon as people sail more. also, when the ship is not at full capacity, its hard to get a gauge on how certain areas will handle the crowds

 

I am concerned about the access to the ice skating ring where it appears you have to walk through a gift shop and playmakers to get there? Seems like that will be a bottleneck when ice shows are letting out. 

 

I have also read concerns about seating capacity at the Aqua Show

 

Dueling Piano Bar and Spotlight Karaoke will be crazy to get into at full capacity. Spotlight Karaoke on the Oasis ships has always been to small in my opinion

 

I do like the addition of the additional complimentary food venues on the Icon. I feel like Royal has been lacking in this area and behind Carnival with this

 

Lastly, the Pearl does nothing for me. I thought it would be more like the Sphere in Vegas. 

 

Overall, I just do not care for the aesthetics of the Icon. Color schemes are too bright for me. Even in Central Park which to me should have a more serene vibe, the brightly colored shutters on the cabins just take away from that space. I know Icon is geared towards families, I get that, but the bright colors every where are too much for me

 

And good luck getting to hang out in any of those Outlook Pods when at full capacity...

 

Even when the prices drop, the Icon is just not for me  

 

 

[SUgwoz]

1 hour ago, UNCFanatik said:

I am concerned about the access to the ice skating ring where it appears you have to walk through a gift shop and playmakers to get there? Seems like that will be a bottleneck when ice shows are letting out. 

While I agree they probably could have done this better. I don't understand why this gets referenced so often.  There is handful of ice shows, unless you are going to every ice show or hanging out at playmakers during multiple times when the ice show is ending, realistically a person may experience this bottleneck 1-2 times a cruise and can avoid it all together.

 

On the other hand the promenade on other ships can be a bottleneck every time they do a party/activity that results in a concentration of people blocking the entire promenade which is much more difficult to avoid as there is a number of different venues that people want to access at all times.

[UNCFanatik]

31 minutes ago, SUgwoz said:

While I agree they probably could have done this better. I don't understand why this gets referenced so often.  There is handful of ice shows, unless you are going to every ice show or hanging out at playmakers during multiple times when the ice show is ending, realistically a person may experience this bottleneck 1-2 times a cruise and can avoid it all together.

 

On the other hand the promenade on other ships can be a bottleneck every time they do a party/activity that results in a concentration of people blocking the entire promenade which is much more difficult to avoid as there is a number of different venues that people want to access at all times.

 

It gets referenced because it is a bottleneck and an area of concern

 

Yes, I agree about the promenade getting crowded which is good to see that they widened the promenade on Icon

[Joebucks]

Agreed that I would like to sail it, but not at these prices. In another edition of a country where everyone complains "I can't afford to live" while $6000 mass-market cruises sell out just so you can experience a marginally bigger ship ASAP!

[ChutChut]

How are lots of people affording these prices? Credit card debt is at an all-time high, most older Americans don't have anywhere near the retirement savings they should, the majority of Americans don't have $1,000 in emergency savings, car loan delinquencies are at pre-Covid levels and rising, and salaries haven't kept pace. Moreover, there's a stealth debt no one can really gage - the buy/now-pay/later as those companies don't report to credit agencies. Just don't get how people are paying these prices....

[d9704011]

1 minute ago, ChutChut said:

How are lots of people affording these prices? Credit card debt is at an all-time high, most older Americans don't have anywhere near the retirement savings they should, the majority of Americans don't have $1,000 in emergency savings, car loan delinquencies are at pre-Covid levels and rising, and salaries haven't kept pace. Moreover, there's a stealth debt no one can really gage - the buy/now-pay/later as those companies don't report to credit agencies. Just don't get how people are paying these prices....

Maybe it's because there are 10s of thousands of people with plenty of financial means that simply don't fit the bleak profile you've drawn.

[ChutChut]

15 minutes ago, d9704011 said:

Maybe it's because there are 10s of thousands of people with plenty of financial means that simply don't fit the bleak profile you've drawn.

I didn't "draw" the profile. Those aren't stats I pulled out of a hat. Those are the FACTS. Now, I don't fall into those stats but, statistically, at least 1/2 of adults do. I'm merely asking a question. 

[d9704011]

Just now, ChutChut said:

I didn't "draw" the profile. Those aren't stats I pulled out of a hat. Those are the FACTS. Now, I don't fall into those stats but, statistically, at least 1/2 of adults do. I'm merely asking a question. 

Your question was 'How are lots of people affording these prices?'  I provided you with a plausible explanation/answer.

[SUgwoz]

25 minutes ago, ChutChut said:

How are lots of people affording these prices? Credit card debt is at an all-time high, most older Americans don't have anywhere near the retirement savings they should, the majority of Americans don't have $1,000 in emergency savings, car loan delinquencies are at pre-Covid levels and rising, and salaries haven't kept pace. Moreover, there's a stealth debt no one can really gage - the buy/now-pay/later as those companies don't report to credit agencies. Just don't get how people are paying these prices....

This reads as a list of article headlines that gets highlighted every couple months.   There is of course people struggling, but also a percentage of the population that is doing fine.  Look at the healthcare industry, there is still staff shortages, and traveling providers are getting offered double pay contracts.  Also just have to look at the stock market, no doubt its creating a disparity, however, those invested at this time are doing quite well.

 

I also think ironically that some of the ships are being filled up by people that are actually saving money by going on a cruise vs. normal travel.  Family of 4 can cost easily upwards of $10k plus on international travel or highly popular tourist spots like Disney, a cruise can be a discount even a significant one.

Edited February 13 by SUgwoz

[ChutChut]

3 minutes ago, d9704011 said:

Your question was 'How are lots of people affording these prices?'  I provided you with a plausible explanation/answer.

No - you proceeded to imply I somehow fabricated those stats, etc. 

[ChutChut]

3 minutes ago, SUgwoz said:

This reads as a list of article headlines that gets highlighted every couple months.   There is of course people struggling, but also a percentage of the population that is doing fine.  Look at the healthcare industry, there is still staff shortages, and traveling providers are getting offered double pay contracts.  Also just have to look at the stock market, no doubt its creating a disparity, however, those invested at this time are doing quite well.

 

I also think ironically that some of the ships are being filled up by people that are actually saving money by going on a cruise vs. normal travel.  Family of 4 can cost easily upwards of $10k plus on international travel, a cruise can be a discount even a significant one.

Good point - and I do think the disparity between the "haves" and the "have nots" is increasing.  And it may well be cheaper for a family to cruise than book a land vacation. I know my daughter and I did a 26-day transatlantic cruise out of Ft. Lauderdale to the Europe/Baltics for less money than Disney for one week (this was right before Covid, though). 

[firefly333]

4 minutes ago, ChutChut said:

Good point - and I do think the disparity between the "haves" and the "have nots" is increasing.  And it may well be cheaper for a family to cruise than book a land vacation. I know my daughter and I did a 26-day transatlantic cruise out of Ft. Lauderdale to the Europe/Baltics for less money than Disney for one week (this was right before Covid, though). 

A 26 day cruise from florida to the baltics sounds exactly like what I'm looking for. Wish they would post one that long from florida. I booked a 13 and 10 day from pc may 2025 .. fall is free waiting for something like yours. 

[Cruising89143]

Read the exact same type comments when the Oasis entered service. Took a while before prices dropped. A long while. People paid it then and they’re paying it now. 

[mramella]

1 hour ago, ChutChut said:

How are lots of people affording these prices? Credit card debt is at an all-time high, most older Americans don't have anywhere near the retirement savings they should, the majority of Americans don't have $1,000 in emergency savings, car loan delinquencies are at pre-Covid levels and rising, and salaries haven't kept pace. Moreover, there's a stealth debt no one can really gage - the buy/now-pay/later as those companies don't report to credit agencies. Just don't get how people are paying these prices....

 

I heard on CNBC the other day that Money Market accounts are at an all-time high (over $6 trillion in cash). That's a lot of cash!

[stringbean10]

We sail on Icon on Saturday & can't wait -  WEEEEEEEEEEEE! 

 

I don't think I've spent one second of my life on another board - let's say SilverSeas, for example, saying what is NOT for me and how I WOULD NEVER PAY THAATTT!!!

 

People are something else - lol!