Icon of the seas

[winifred]

Hi I wondered if anyone might have information on this new ship? I see it is going to homeport out of Miami but sometimes they do a cruise out of Europe first to sort out any issues, but  I can’t seem to be able to find out when that is, I can only find bookings for the cruises out of Miami.
Any information or thoughts on this ship would  be appreciated. . 

[John Bull]

The "Maiden Voyage" is rarely a ship's first cruise with paying passengers.

A cancelled / delayed Maiden Cruise is bad for PR, so there'll be a cruise or two or three planned before the Maiden Cruise. But the razzmatazz is reserved for the "Maiden Cruise" - other names like "inaugural" or "showcase" or "pre-Maiden Cruise" are used

 

Like a lot of cruise ships built in Europe (Icon in Finland), a few early cruises are planned out of a convenient port - Southampton  is favoured by many.

Cruise lines need to start earning money at the earliest opportunity, but like any big projects there can be delays, so early cruises are often cancelled - sometimes before they're even announced.

Those cruises need to be in waters handy to shipyards and marine equipment suppliers - you don't want a breakdown mid-Atlantic.

Late in the day, it may be necessary to sail the first cruise (or the first two or three) with workmen aboard to finish off - again that needs to be convenient to supplies and workforce.

 

Before her Maiden Cruise we were invited to a "showcase" on MSC Magnifica in Southampton - an excellent weekend "on-the-house" But we weren't the first to sleep in that bed.

 

Icon's Maiden Cruise is currently planned for January 2024, so it'll be a while yet before we know of any cruises prior to her crossing the Atlantic

 

JB 🙂

 

[wowzz]

44 minutes ago, John Bull said:

The "Maiden Voyage" is rarely a ship's first cruise with paying passengers.

Try telling that to the thousands booked on P&O 's Arvia maiden voyage scheduled for December, which was cancelled a few days ago !

[John Bull]

2 hours ago, wowzz said:

Try telling that to the thousands booked on P&O 's Arvia maiden voyage scheduled for December, which was cancelled a few days ago !

 

I'm almost always inclined to incorporate words like "rarely" into nearly everything I say or write because on rare occasions definitive statements can prove to be embarrassingly untrue - as probably would my post if I hadn't used the word "rarely" 😏

 

I could never understand the desire to be the first to see or do something - from  maiden voyages to theatre first-nights to being the first in town to buy the latest  phone or motorised conveyance.

I let others be the guinea-pigs, then when all the glitches have been ironed out I'll join in.🙂

 

JB 🙂

[wowzz]

Just now, John Bull said:

 

I'm almost always inclined to incorporate words like "rarely" into nearly everything I say or write because on rare occasions definitive statements can prove to be embarrassingly untrue - as probably would my post if I hadn't used the word "rarely" 😏

 

I could never understand the desire to be the first to see or do something - from  maiden voyages to theatre first-nights to being the first in town to buy the latest  phone or motorised conveyance.

I let others be the guinea-pigs, then when all the glitches have been ironed out I'll join in.🙂

 

JB 🙂

Fair point JB.

I have to say, I agree with you 100% about being on maiden voyages, etc. Being an "early adopter " means you get all the problems, and normally pay more as well !

[winifred]

Thanks for replies I’ll just have to keep checking I just thought the ship looked amazing and thought there might be a chance we could go on it without the hassle of a flight to Miami!