Back from Icon - Honest Review

[chodnett]

Note: This was the sailing where the maintenance issue was discovered.

 

 

We just returned from an incredible 7-night Eastern Caribbean sailing aboard Icon of the Seas in Ocean View stateroom 4180. Our planned itinerary included St. Maarten, St. Thomas, and Perfect Day at CocoCay, but due to a maintenance issue onboard, we missed St. Thomas. Despite that hiccup, the overall experience was fantastic. Here’s a breakdown of the highlights and lowlights from our trip:

 

**The Ship:**

Icon of the Seas is a stunning vessel, truly living up to its name. From the moment we stepped onboard, we were impressed by the spacious design. Despite the ship’s size, it never felt overwhelmingly big. The elevators are incredibly efficient, and there is ample seating throughout the ship, which was a pleasant surprise. However, considering the ship is still so new, we did notice more wear and tear than expected—stains on the carpet and some peeling art, which was surprising for a ship that isn’t even a year old.

 

 

**Neighborhoods:**

- **Surfside Neighborhood**: We spent a lot of time here, particularly at Surfside Eatery (great shrimp cocktail!) and Surfside Bites. However, on sea days, Surfside became overwhelming. The noise, overstimulation, and crowded conditions made it feel like you couldn’t escape, especially as parents. On other ships, you can switch off with your partner on the main pool deck, but here, you feel trapped. Also, the baby splash area was quite underwhelming, considering an entire neighborhood is dedicated to kids’ pool play.

- **Royal Promenade & Pearl Area**: Loved the openness of the Royal Promenade with ocean views, but the Pearl area does get crowded. It's still a beautiful focal point of the ship.

- **Category 6 Water Park**: We hit the water park on a port day in St. Maarten and had an absolute blast. No crowds, no lines—we rode everything multiple times. Highly recommend making use of this space when the ship is in port!

 

 

**Shows & Entertainment:**

- **Starburst (Ice Skating Show)**: One of the best I’ve seen at sea! The Absolute Zero ice skating venue is fantastic, though it’s odd that you have to walk through a retail store and Playmakers to get there.

- **Aqua Action**: This show in the Aquadome was nothing short of spectacular—easily one of the best shows onboard.

- **Crown’s Edge Zip Line**: Totally worth the cost. I had so much fun that I got to do it twice, and the included video was a nice touch.

 

 

**Dining:**

- **Main Dining Room**: Our dining room staff, Yatin and Richard, were fantastic—especially with the kids. The food was typical cruise fare, but the service elevated the experience.

- **Izumi Hibachi**: We were pleasantly surprised by how good this specialty dining experience was. The food was exceptional, and the show element was very entertaining. Highly recommend for anyone who loves hibachi.

- **Windjammer**: We ate here on our last night, and the food was average. It's a reliable option, but nothing stood out.
  
**Perfect Day at CocoCay:**
This was our 16th visit to CocoCay, and it was as good as ever. Royal Caribbean continues to deliver a top-notch experience on their private island—best in class, in my opinion.

 

 

**Other Notes:**

- **Bars & Service**: I never experienced a crowded bar onboard, and the service was always fast and friendly.

- **Casino**: The ventilation in and around the casino was excellent—no smoke smell whatsoever, which was a huge plus.

- **Kidfinder Feature**: A cool new feature Royal is piloting is "Kidfinder." You can put a wristband on your child and track their location in the Royal Caribbean app. It’s a great feature for families.

 

 

**Challenges:**

- **Crowds on Sea Days**: The pool deck was slammed on sea days, and finding a chair was nearly impossible. We even encountered some weird aggression from fellow guests, which was disappointing. There’s plenty of entertainment around the ship, but if you’re hoping for pool time on sea days, it’s tough.

- **Scheduling of Adult-Only Activities**: I wasn’t thrilled that many adult-only activities were scheduled during times when you have to pay for childcare in Adventure Ocean.

- **A/C Issues**: The heat onboard was intense at times, and some guests reported their A/C wasn’t functioning properly.

 

**Disembarkation:**
One of the smoothest disembarkation experiences we’ve ever had. From stateroom to sidewalk in 15 minutes—fantastic!

 

**Final Thoughts:**
Despite some minor issues, this was a fantastic cruise. Icon of the Seas truly lives up to its hype in terms of entertainment, dining, and overall experience. The ship’s design and features are impressive, and it’s clear Royal Caribbean is pushing the boundaries with what they can offer. I’d highly recommend this ship, but just be prepared for busy sea days and potential hiccups like the maintenance issue we encountered. All in all, a memorable and enjoyable trip!

[firefly333]

The new kidfinder you can track in the app sounds like a great new thing parents will love and have asked for.

[goldfish65]

May I ask if your cabin was ever not cool enough?

[Another_Critic]

2 hours ago, firefly333 said:

The new kidfinder you can track in the app sounds like a great new thing parents will love and have asked for.

They need a parent finder, to find the "parents" of unruly kids. 

[chodnett]

1 hour ago, goldfish65 said:

May I ask if your cabin was ever not cool enough?

Consistently not cool enough. We’d set the thermostat to 66 (lowest it can go), and it would stay at 71 or so, but honestly felt warmer than that.

[firefly333]

1 hour ago, chodnett said:

Consistently not cool enough. We’d set the thermostat to 66 (lowest it can go), and it would stay at 71 or so, but honestly felt warmer than that.

I keep my house at 74 and no wonder I thought my cabin was freezing cold. 

[time4u2go]

7 hours ago, chodnett said:

- **Crowds on Sea Days**: The pool deck was slammed on sea days, and finding a chair was nearly impossible. We even encountered some weird aggression from fellow guests, which was disappointing. There’s plenty of entertainment around the ship, but if you’re hoping for pool time on sea days, it’s tough.

This seems to be a common complaint for this ship...too many people in/around the pools.

[chodnett]

48 minutes ago, time4u2go said:

This seems to be a common complaint for this ship...too many people in/around the pools.

I think their mistake was splitting up the kids pool area with the main pool area. It's smart on paper, but in execution it's flawed. Now, you have one main pool for everyone on the main deck, with a bunch of smaller pools. And you put all the kids on a lower deck. 

 

Perhaps a better strategy would have been to put the adults-only section on a different deck, and spread out the kids and family areas on one deck. I think the "Surfside" concept would actually work where the Hideaway is. You would have Category 6 and Surfside on the back of the top pool deck. 

 

Put the hideaway where the old Boardwalk is and give adults a true private retreat with no reasons for kids to go back there.

[SUgwoz]

49 minutes ago, chodnett said:

I think their mistake was splitting up the kids pool area with the main pool area. It's smart on paper, but in execution it's flawed. Now, you have one main pool for everyone on the main deck, with a bunch of smaller pools. And you put all the kids on a lower deck. 

 

Perhaps a better strategy would have been to put the adults-only section on a different deck, and spread out the kids and family areas on one deck. I think the "Surfside" concept would actually work where the Hideaway is. You would have Category 6 and Surfside on the back of the top pool deck. 

 

Put the hideaway where the old Boardwalk is and give adults a true private retreat with no reasons for kids to go back there.

That would also mean relocating the arcade, carousel, candy shop, Surfside bites and eatery.  Also  adventure ocean is located alongside Surfside.  On top of that the pool area would be in the shade majority of the day because of the slides and pool area above. 

 

Edited 9 hours ago by SUgwoz

[Another_Critic]

3 hours ago, SUgwoz said:

That would also mean relocating the arcade, carousel, candy shop, Surfside bites and eatery.  Also  adventure ocean is located alongside Surfside.  On top of that the pool area would be in the shade majority of the day because of the slides and pool area above. 

 

She's at the shipyard this week, so they better get busy with the relocating.  😄

[ARandomTraveler]

8 hours ago, firefly333 said:

I keep my house at 74 and no wonder I thought my cabin was freezing cold. 

Me too! I hate air conditioning