Oasis not Icon, but I knew what you meant. Icon's pricing will leave me on the outside looking in for a few years at least, and with the exception of the dueling piano bar, there isn't really anything that excites me that much more than Oasis class, they really set a hard bar to beat with that ship.
Yes I agree the ability to upgrade the dining makes a wonderful difference with Royal. I hope to do a review soon without the dining plan to showcase more of the included options, it is quite a difference and I think you would definitely need to purchase the dining plan to enjoy similar quality to Cunard. It is nice that there are options though, as I will have to find a bargain again in order to sail on one of the lovely Queens again since that cost is baked in already.
I can't think of one area where I would agree that Cunard places second to Celebrity. Pricing, perhaps, though Celebrity is no bargain by any means. Entertainment (this trip excluded 🙂) is probably more diverse, but I think the entertainment options on QE were perfectly suited for the demographic. There were certainly no gaps in offerings, just none that were particularly exciting for a thirty something American.
Soon is a relative term. Compared to a typical human lifetime, 298 days is soon so in that sense, I will be cruising again soon. Of course, I hope it will be even sooner than that as right now that many days certainly feels another lifetime away 🙂