ICON of the seas - what are your first thoughts

[bgoff60]

We got the sneak peak promo footage on our last cruise and I have seen additional 'footage' since I have been back...

Is it just me getting old or does it seem like they are trying to out-do Disney in being family and kid forward???

Seams like a lot of footage effort emphasized all the young cruiser activities.  Yes they still have a Solarium type area but many the other activities seem to be kid focused...

Is RCI trying to redefine their target demographic?  (For this class of ship???)

[njkruzer]

Amusement park on the water. Don't think it's for us unless we're bringing our granddaughter.  But never say never.

[notscb]

11 minutes ago, bgoff60 said:

Is RCI trying to redefine their target demographic?  (For this class of ship???)

 

There's a cruise youtuber who I follow who just posted a video with a similar sentiment. RCL is definitely sending a message based on how they unveil their new ship designs, and I think a lot of folks are wondering if RCL is going to be their main brand line for much longer.

 

For me- as an often solo traveler- I'd never step foot on ICON of the seas with how they've designed it for kids and families. They've really downplayed the adult spaces and activities in their marketing.

 

I'd really like to see RCL do something along the size of Carnival's Mardi Gras or go back to a vision class size ship for smaller, unique ports and cruises. I know their Caribbean and Bahama cruises are making them the most money, but I'd like some differentiation in their new product offerings.

[neverbeenhere]

If I’m not mistaken most of the Royal’s ships already or soon will look like Candyland. One or two ships going over the top for the kid market seems like a great idea. Send more families to the Icon and keep some of the rest of the ships a little less kid friendly. 

[luv2sailAgain]

1 hour ago, bgoff60 said:

We got the sneak peak promo footage on our last cruise and I have seen additional 'footage' since I have been back...

Is it just me getting old or does it seem like they are trying to out-do Disney in being family and kid forward???

Seams like a lot of footage effort emphasized all the young cruiser activities.  Yes they still have a Solarium type area but many the other activities seem to be kid focused...

Is RCI trying to redefine their target demographic?  (For this class of ship???)

I  agree with you. After the promo footage, I was disappointed. It didn't seem to be the right fit for me. My college age kids  will leave the nest sooner or later. The family focused areas seemed to be in the prime spots.

[monorail81]

Meh. No thanks. I like to see the ocean from a quiet space on a deck when I’m sailing. Much like Oasis class ships, it doesn’t look like there will be such spaces on Icon. 

[goldfish65]

Doesn’t suit my tastes. 

[Ashland]

4 hours ago, njkruzer said:

Amusement park on the water. Don't think it's for us unless we're bringing our granddaughter.  But never say never.

Agree...I wouldn't have booked it but our extended family that includes 4 grandkid's were sold on it !!

Oh well...this cruise will be for them and I know we'll have fun.

[zeroed]

I think it’s hideous and sailing on a ship filled with little kids would be hell on earth.
 

I also think that if the economy gets as bad in 2023 as some predict and once all the COVID era cruise credits are expended that cruise bookings in general will see a slow down especially among young families. That’s primarily who Icon is marketed towards. Sure some grandparents will foot the bill but not enough to fill an entire ship. 

[Thisguylikestocruise]

The CEO specifically said Icon is for families with children. 

[sgmn]

9 hours ago, bgoff60 said:

We got the sneak peak promo footage on our last cruise and I have seen additional 'footage' since I have been back...

Is it just me getting old or does it seem like they are trying to out-do Disney in being family and kid forward???

Seams like a lot of footage effort emphasized all the young cruiser activities.  Yes they still have a Solarium type area but many the other activities seem to be kid focused...

Is RCI trying to redefine their target demographic?  (For this class of ship???)

Think it's definitely aimed at young families.  Not sure how they'll fill it in term time, maybe with pre schoolers or home schoolers? The ship is the destination rather than the ports 

Would be nice if they rethought their decision to not build small ships again, especially with more and more ports around the world restricting the size of cruise ships 

 

[Cruise a holic]

We are "young" senior citizens.  Love the look of the Icon.  Have booked it.   Yes, they are attempting to attract younger and multigenerational travelers.  Why not?  Biggest market share.  The senior market share is shrinking.

 

 Like the idea of choice and will continue to sail on Oasis class and above even if we sail just the two of us.  We can hang in the adult only areas.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[barbeyg]

RCI has always been family friendly, so this isn’t surprising. And we have to know that someone at a board meeting at some point said, “CocoCay is such a hit (and money-maker). It’s too bad we couldn’t plop it on a ship.”  Followed by a wide-eyed pause……😂

 

That said, I remember when Oasis came out, and we wondered if we would ever sail her, or that class. We weren’t interested, other than Central Park. Didn’t like the limited ports Oasis class could sail. And now we love Oasis class. 🤷🏻‍♀️ We get that the ship IS the destination.
 

I know we will sail Icon one day, but not at this ‘new ship’ price. We could sail Celebrity in a suite for the price of a JS on Icon.  So, we will wait for prices to come down, and will def give her a try. 
 

Edited November 27, 2022 by barbeyg

[barbeyg]

8 minutes ago, Cruise a holic said:

We are "young" senior citizens. 

 

 We can hang in the adult only areas.  

 

We are as well. 🙂 Will sail her one day ourselves.  And we said the exact same thing about the adult areas. 

[FamilyCruiserUK]

For us with a young (9) daughter we will eventually sale on her, if she comes across the pond.  Just more to do on Icon and Oasis class ships for us. We like to have quality family time together rather then send her off to kids club.

Royal ticks the boxes for us, family frendly and more of a 3* cruise line. If we want adults only or a more upper class star raiting then we will go for Cunard or celebrity. 

[MarvinTMartian]

Maybe if we took our grandkids.  Maybe if we just wanted to see it.  But probably not.

[LuCruise]

Ship looks amazing for families.  In fact, we booked it at a ridiculous cost just so we can go with both kids before they are too old (doesn't help that we are limited going forward to Dec holiday time for travelling with both kids).  Having said that, I can't see DH and I booking Icon without them.  Vice versa, we probably wouldn't take our kids on something like Serenade or Grandeur, whereas DH and I would have no issue sailing on these if it was just us.  Royal was always family friendly but in recent years have been trying to add more things for families with their amplifications.   And I agree...Icon isn't for everyone, but Royal isn't getting rid of the other ships in their fleet.  That's one thing that I love about Royal, they have different ships that appeal to different demographics and definitely has a ship for everyone.

Edited November 27, 2022 by LuCruise

[Cruiser 5452]

RCI needs to get back to building ships as opposed to floating amusement parks.  

[CruisingWalter]

12 hours ago, bgoff60 said:

Seams like a lot of footage effort emphasized all the young cruiser activities.  Yes they still have a Solarium type area but many the other activities seem to be kid focused...

Is RCI trying to redefine their target demographic?  (For this class of ship???)

 

The ICON class is going to be unapologetically a family ship with a massive waterpark on the top deck. It's not made for everybody. But if you have a family or a group of families who want to travel together on a ship that literally has 'everything' this would be it. And with over 80% of the cabins able to hold 3 or more passengers it will be FULL of kids.

 

If this ship is not for you, that's perfectly fine, RCCL has about 30 other ships you can sail on. And I think that's exactly their mindset. Not every new ship is made for every passenger and I can see a lot of adults who have no kids avoiding this ship. And that's not a problem for RCCL, you can sail one of their other ships or maybe their other lines like Celebrity. 

 

The Oasis Class has been far and away their most profitable class of ship and this builds on that. Will I sail on it as a 57-58 year old at the time it comes out? You betcha because the ship looks outrageous and I really want to see that indoor AquaTheater. Will I sail on it twice? Maybe, let's see how the first sailing goes. 

 

As someone who has sailed on 8 cruise lines (hopefully 10 by the end of 2023) I don't have the need to complain when a cruise line comes out with a specific type of ship that may or may not appeal to me. Cruise lines have to appeal to many markets and RCCL is in direct competition with Disney, NCL, and Carnival for the family market. Putting a full waterpark on the top of a ship is truly brilliant and will draw many more families than a single AquaMouse waterslide or a roller coaster that costs $15 to ride. I'm going to be real curious to see how many of these they build. My guess would be three. 

[crewsweeper]

I hear what RCCL is trying to do in their marketing.  But I'd be interested in actually seeing what winds up being available for adults.   While I haven't cruised Disney, I do know several older adults who have cruised Disney Dream without kids and had a great time.

DW wants to go on the Icon.  So we'll probably do it in the winter of 2025 when most kiddos are (or should be) at school.

[loman]

I will probably sail on it once , but a few years down the road. 

And only when school is in session.

I priced an inside for a friend and it was twice the price of Oasis class.

We will wait for the new ship novelty to wear off , as its not worth it to me.

We like Oasis class the best , and limit our choices to those ships.

 

[CruisingWalter]

40 minutes ago, crewsweeper said:

I hear what RCCL is trying to do in their marketing.  But I'd be interested in actually seeing what winds up being available for adults.   While I haven't cruised Disney, I do know several older adults who have cruised Disney Dream without kids and had a great time.

DW wants to go on the Icon.  So we'll probably do it in the winter of 2025 when most kiddos are (or should be) at school.

 

Disney is FANTASTIC for adults. Excellent food, great bars and the adult only sections of the ship are fun. Plus there is something so fun about seeing the characters on the ship that makes it a little more magical. Seeing Donald Duck in a tuxedo for formal night was my favorite. And to this day, still the best mixology class I've taken on any ship. We actually got in and made seven, yes seven, cocktails. They were half cocktails but still packed a punch for a 45 minute class. 🙂 

[John&LaLa]

Gonna be super crowded during holidays, spring break, and summer with all the quad cabins

[goldfish65]

2 hours ago, John&LaLa said:

Gonna be super crowded during holidays, spring break, and summer with all the quad cabins

and with the mass migration to FL.

[Cruising89143]

It looks like they’re taking Coco Cay and placing it on a ship. We just returned home from the Symphony a few weeks ago. First time back on an Oasis class ship in ten years and we have decided that the O class is just too big. Never say never but at this time the Icon does not interest us. I’m sure that it will do great as plenty of people will love it. It’s great to have so many options to choose from.