goldfish65

I've done two short solo cruises, found that an inside cabin was very cozy by myself; two occupants would be another story. And you get double points. It is nice to have the freedom when it's only yourself to think about.

One could bring a box of the crackers onto the ship.

Probably the reason it’s prohibited to bring paint aboard, someone would do an extreme cabin makeover. “Our daughters love Barbie…” 😁

Thank you all for your replies. Sometimes I overthink things. The cabin will be fine.

We have a balcony cabin on Freedom. All balcony cabins have the bed by the balcony. We would like it so much better if the sitting area were by the balcony. Is it possible to transpose the bed and the sofa positions? With a handsome extra tip to the cabin attendant, perhaps? Please don't flame me, I am merely asking. Thanks!

One wonders if the little boy will be chiding his parents from now on, "let's go, we don't want to be LATE!"

Hammock (double size) if you have a balcony. Cozy throw blanket. Thermal mug. Pen/note pad. Empty soft bag to accommodate purchases and to make repacking easier. Ziplock bags, and bag for dirty laundry. Fresca and Coke Zero.

Thanks as always for your superb impressions. I hope to visit there again. The arrival is especially picturesque and memorable.

Did this TA in Oct 2022. It was meant to be a trip of a lifetime, and it was. We had five nights at the Hotel Nouvel, a renovated art-nouveau mansion on a pedestrian street. Doing your homework before makes a huge difference. For example, 1 pm is the vermouth hour. A guided tour of the Gothic district will give you an understanding of Barcelona's history and charming customs. The Catalan people know who they are. So different from how our culture is in the USA. Don't try to do too much. There are many rooftop restaurants. Shopping was wonderful, definitely bring an extra bag! Consider an excursion in Valencia to see how Paella is prepared and enjoyed. Having a suite is a worthwhile enhancement, if you can. There will be things to do on the ship. A ship tour was a highlight. Chef's table was lame. The musicians were exceptional, one of the aspects I enjoyed the most. A TA is a rare and fleeting opportunity to disconnect from everything and just "be."

The cruise line has to go by the book according to the terms in the cruise contract. If they stay involved in your arrangements, and you were displeased, you could claim they were negligent.

Hop on YouTube, that place looks pretty dope!

Any dummy can post on Reddit. I wouldn't worry at all.

Sister and I were on Spain-Florida in '22. The big thing for me was being far away and undisturbed for a long time. It was easy to carry our purchases onto the ship instead of wrestling to pack them for an airplane ride home, and more relaxing. I brought some good books to read. The two ports were fun. Ship tour was a highlight. Chef's table was not. Officers were seen often and very cordial to talk with. We were in a suite and it was worth it.

Royal hyped it so much! The best vacation land or sea bar none, they claim. Pricing is tricky but they seem pretty good at it. If they make it cheaper and get too trashy of a crowd, then they will alienate people who have real money, and people (such as myself) who pretend to have money but don't want to "lie down with dogs." Just my opinion. 🙂 High-end resorts that I know of are keeping their prices high right now, even though it creates lower occupancy.

Right now, Icon is an experience you can't get anywhere else. So they can price it as such. If they lower the price, they lose some cache' and once that's gone, it's gone.

Advice from my Dad, whatever you think you might spend, double it.

To continue the barrage of questions, Is your cabin temperature comfortable? Is it true that the thermostat will not go below 68 deg?

@cruisinghawg Is there an outdoor space closer to the waterline? Like on smaller ships there's the promenade on deck 4?

Same, but my TA wants the final bill for me to receive a bonus offer. Any tips on the easiest way to get my bill now?

The stories on the internet and YouTube are exaggerated; they are meant to get people worked up. A travel agent's expertise is valuable in saving you money and avoiding pitfalls. Seems like all the cruise lines have their pricing strategies and cutbacks, so in order to "move on," the option is to find other forms of vacation.

My long-time travel agent was on a pre-inaugural cruise and said, it "spoiled (him) for any other ships." Would you agree with that statement?

Thank you for taking the time to showcase the ship. I vowed I would never set foot on such a big ship, but now that I see, Icon is a game-changer. There are still deals through travel agents, I jumped on an inside guarantee for Sept. 2025. It was $2000 less than Royal's website.

Radiance and Vision. Freedom was very mall-like.

Be sure to spend time the suite lounge, and have spirited conversations with other elites about your extensive travels, especially comparing which places you hated the most. Other topics include how well you've done with your investments, how busy life is traveling between your different homes and building new ones, how fascinating it is to collect expensive things. Golf. 😅