Haters gonna hate, as the expression goes, and did they ever on social media the instant Royal Caribbean International (royalcaribbean.com) announced plans to build not only the world’s largest cruise ship (again), but one that sails with nearly 10,000 people.
“Floating hellscape.” “Horror at sea.” “Impersonal.” “Monstrosity.” “Lumbering behemoth.” These internet-formed icebergs were meant to sink Icon of the Seas more than a year before anyone, including a boatload of vitriol-spewing critics, had not stepped even a single flip-flop on the 1,198-foot-long luxury liner.
Well, this veteran cruiser just did, and with dropped jaw now back in place, I can emphatically say that the hasty cyber cynics are all wet. Icon of the Seas is neither hellacious, horrendous, impersonal, monstrous nor lumbering. What it is, besides a multi-categorical record breaker five times the size of Titanic, is an engineering marvel that lives up to Royal Caribbean’s chest-beating claim of it being “the world’s best vacation” … albeit with an asterisk to be explained later.
Icon of the Seas is 250,800 gross tons of all-time highs, industry firsts and bar-raising features. From the largest water park at sea and first swim-up bar on a ship to the 28 different stateroom categories and most elaborate stage productions this 63-time cruiser has seen, each maritime milestone was mind blowing on a recent preview cruise of some 5,000 media and travel advisors. Considering how well things went ahead of Icon’s inaugural cruise — it sold out within 24 hours on Oct. 25, 2022 — smooth sailing can be expected, weather providing, when the ship hosts 7,600 paying passengers along with the standard number of 2,350 crew. The first at-capacity weeklong Caribbean voyages out of Miami aren’t expected until summer, according to Michael Bayley, Royal Caribbean president and CEO; for now, the ship will sail at around 80% capacity, a typical ramp-up for new vessels.
That every new or enhanced feature appears to work well right out of the shipyard is as impressive as how easy the mega of all megaships is to navigate. Built with bi-level shortcuts, a two-story Royal Promenade with no dead ends, and smart elevators that use machine learning to whisk guests up and down 18 public decks, the new flagship abounds in intuitive innovation. Dividing the ship into eight “neighborhoods” aids guest flow, not unlike the role “lands” play at Disney theme parks. Spreading passengers out in neighborhoods debuted with Royal Caribbean’s Oasis class in 2009, and its new Icon class takes the concept to another level not only by making each area more distinctive, but by adding wow factor from bow to stern.
Icon of the Seas, like its two sister ships scheduled to launch in 2025 and 2026, is designed with five neighborhoods new to the fleet. The signature zone, if we have to choose just one, is AquaDome, named for the 363-ton apparatus made primarily of glass and steel. Here on decks 14 and 15 is a next-gen edition of the water and aerial show staged on Oasis-class ships, and it’s spectacular. The pulsating show, dubbed “Aqua Action!” makes the most of an amphitheater that is a marvel unto itself. Bringing the show indoors is better for the audience and cast, some of whom are asked to dive from 60-foot-high platforms or rhythmically perform while tethered overhead. Steps away are unique dining and drinking venues including AquaDome Market, the cruise line’s first food hall where the made-to-order gyros and dessert crepes are so worth the calories, but the mac and cheese bar isn’t … unless bland and watery is your thing.
Watery and anything but bland are the four other debuting neighborhoods. Thrill Island (decks 16-17) is home to such fleet mainstays as the FlowRider surf simulator and rock wall, and new adventures highlighted by Crown’s Edge that has plucky passengers literally walking the plank, and Category 6, an honest-to-goodness water park with a half-dozen adrenaline-pumping slides. Chill Island (decks 15-17) contains four of the ship’s seven pools in addition to the industry-first swim-up bar; Surfside (deck 7) is geared to young families; and The Hideaway (deck 15) is an adults-only escape with beach club vibes and paradisical views in and out of the first suspended infinity pool at sea.
The three neighborhoods carried over from Oasis ships are reimagined on Icon, and all for the better. The bougiest of the stateroom categories are within the Suite Neighborhood, topped by the 1,772-square-foot, three-story Ultimate Family Townhouse that sleeps eight. It’s got a multi-level slide, a wraparound balcony, whirlpool, areas for karaoke and watching movies, and even a patio with ping-pong. Bad news: It’s sold out through 2024. Good news: You have more time to come up with the $80,000. Better news: At press time, inside cabins (156 square feet) were going for as low as $1,200 double occupancy, plus taxes and fees, starting in March 2025. A couple Benjamins more get you a balcony.
Rounding out Icon’s eight sectors, Central Park on deck 8 has grown by 20% in terms of greenery over the most recent layout on Wonder of the Seas, now the second-largest ship in the world. Beautified with nearly 31,000 plants, this personal favorite spot is not only lusher on Icon, it’s livelier with the addition of Lou’s Jazz ‘n Blues, a walk-up champagne bar and an inconspicuous shortcut to the bustling Royal Promenade neighborhood on decks 5 and 6. The 362-foot long, two-deck hub of activity keeps abuzz with 15 restaurants, bars and lounges, one being Dueling Pianos, the cruise line’s first double-pianist bar where two ivory-tickling musicians take requests each evening. Royal Caribbean, usually the industry pacesetter, is seven years behind Holland America Line with this concept — shocking, right? — but what is completely new on Icon’s vibrant Royal Promenade is The Pearl.
Talk about wow factor. Visible right off the main gangway for maximum shock and awe, The Pearl is three decks high, measures 50 feet in diameter, and is both an interactive artwork and integral part of the ship’s superstructure. This multi-sensory immersive feature boasts 3,600 kinetic panels that change color and mood to create a sense of water and light through reflective movement. The white steps inside the sphere connect the lower level of the Royal Promenade to the popular Pearl Café, a 24-hour eatery for sweet and savory bites (included) and specialty coffees (not included).
Icon has more than 40 other places to dine and drink, more than half being new to the fleet. The food that comes with no extra charge can be iffy on mainstream cruise ships, but what was served on the preview sail was quite good overall, and that includes the main dining room and Windjammer buffet. The most elevated dining experience on Icon is at the Empire Supper Club, where an eight-course meal comes with old New York ambiance, live music, exquisite cocktails and a $200 per person upcharge. The hot spot seats just 40 each night, so book early if you hunger for a Staten Island spritz, oysters Rockefeller, Wagyu ribeye and the gorgeous “Chocolate Beehive” made with actual honey from the Big Apple.
From New York City to the Emerald City, Icon features the first at-sea production of “The Wizard of Oz.” The plotline hasn’t been changed — there’s still no place like home for Dorothy — but leave it to Nick Weir, Royal Caribbean’s envelope-pushing entertainment czar, to come up with a fresh take that shows tremendous heart, brains and courage for 90 mesmerizing minutes. Weir’s penchant for pizzazz also dazzles with the new “Starburst: Elemental Beauty” ice show (on the largest rink afloat, of course) and the aforementioned Aqua Action! spectacular, which features the first-ever cast made up of high divers, aerialists, synchronized swimmers, skateboarders and robots.
Now, for that asterisk. Spacious as Icon of the Seas may feel across most of the ship, there’s a large population of cruisers who would never consider sailing with 1,000 people, let alone nearly 10,000. For them, “the world’s best vacation” is spent with as few others as possible. But for those who live by the mottos of “the more the merrier” and “bigger is better,” there’s a new wonder of the world sailing out of Miami these days, so climb aboard.
