What I liked & didn't like about Icon of the Seas
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ก.ค. 2024
- After sailing on a few Icon of the Seas sailings, here's my list of 7 things I really liked about the new ship, and a few things I didn't care for too.
Our Icon of the Seas walkthrough tour: is.gd/9yElKr
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destination elevators were long overdue. Big office buildings have had this for years. Great add.
We had them on the Seaside class (Seashore) with MSC, it's a real bonus. Really eases things.
As long as people know that it is counting occupancy per entry on the pad
Carnival has had them ever since the vista class
I was on oasis last week and was thinking how they need destination elevators
They just need to add pictures of the different neighborhoods on the destination panel like on the Oasis. Not just a list of numbers.
Just returned from our sail on Icon and it was AMAZING. We didn't even touch some of the awesome eateries because there was just so much to choose from! Loved the variety and loved The Pearl and the smart late night snacks you could find there. We had a room that looked out the front over the bow and it was great. It provided plenty of exercise as we traveled from the front of the ship to the back of the ship several times a day. We put in 12,000 - 15,000 steps a day without visiting the workout center. The staff were all very accomodating and friendly. The shows worth watching. The food worth eating. The drinks worth drinking. It never felt crowded with approx. 8000 onboard. LOVED and can not wait to do it again.
Wasn’t that a reduced capacity sailing? Wouldn’t that be why it didn’t seem crowded on the world’s biggest ship? I am waiting to see the reports on a full capacity sailing.
From what I heard, it's only at half
💯
I think they’ve capped it for the first few months of sailing
I was told by a crew member, it’s at 75-80%. It doesn’t feel crowded at all, even in the elevators.
Yes, and all the kids are still in school! Wait until Spring Break and the summer and let’s see just how crowded it feels.
Icon is growing on me. At first I hated it and now I'm at the point I'm looking to book it...once the price floats down a bit (hopefully)
I have heard 2024 is not the year for prices going down - particularly on the big, popular ships. Check out Emma Cruises...she seems to know a great deal about the industry.
I booked this week on American Discount Cruises for Jan 2025. Around 3K for ocean view balcony, same price directly through Royal was 9K!!!
Dont book these cruises unless you have millions
We are all booked for March 30th. Our first-ever cruise. A surprise for my 9-year-old grandson. Thank you for sharing. ❤❤❤
I would take the baskets out and set aside. I use packing cubes. They would fit nicely in the spot!
Glad you’re having fun
Thank you for your excellent review of the Icon.
I really enjoyed your photos accompanying the video . 👍
The price will keep me away unfortunately. Just came off the Explorer of the Seas and after 3 Oasis class sailings we were surprised at how much we enjoyed that ship. Everyone we spoke to loved the ship. Very happy crew, great entertainment especially the pub guitarist. I do miss the storage we have on Princess…have not found better on any other cruise line and we sail inside cabins only so we can cruise more often.
You hit each point spot on. I agree the space helps break up the crowds. Even with more people there is more than enough room. The baskets in the room look nice but they also squeak when you pull them out. Room isn’t as functional without draws but still a really nice space.
Icon looking great so far, to a scorned cruiser your videos are making me rethink my choices.
Truly, it’s a very impressive ship
Funny I thought the same thing when I saw the baskets - I loved the drawers on WOS. Matt this is awesome we are 50 days away from our IOS sailing and this is a great video filled with suggestions! Thank you as always for all of your content!! If I ever meet you I will FAN GIRL out!! 😄
I hope the prices on the Oasis class ships come down, they give me everything I need on a ship. Not sure I need or want what this ship offers. Thanks for the video.
Matt, great video!! Thanks for reviewing this ship as soon as you could!
To all of the people saying that this video is misleading. This inaugural cruise had a whopping 5300-5500 passengers based off of what Matt said. Therefore this ship was pretty full when Matt filmed this video. It just wasn't at capacity with 3rd and 4th passengers in each cabin which by the way are usually children. If you'd like to see the ship with 3rd and 4th passengers bringing it to max capacity, please wait for a video to be released when children are out of school. Then you will get the video you're looking for.
60% capacity is the cap I heard. I think there will def be some grumpy passengers when it's maxed out.
@@VandelayIndustriesLLC I’ve heard so many different numbers. But Matt said when he was on the ship when he asked he was told figures of over 5,000 each time. And yes I agree, passengers will be grumpy! After all this is a ship catered towards families!Hahahaha
We couldn't agree more about the suite lounge. I think they just need to rethink the layout a little and take a page from the Oasis ships. Maybe make the bar side of the suite lounge and the other half along with the top floor the Coastal Kitchen. But overall the ship is incredible! The destination elevators are a complete game changer but you nailed by saying spreading out the pools makes an incredible difference. The ship has so many great things! Can't wait to sail on her again!
Thanks Matt. Great to hear your own, personal Pros and Cons.
Also - congrats in advance for hitting 300k. Almost there 👍👍
Thanks a ton!
Congratulations on 300K subscribers Matt! Great work gets rewarded. Cheers!
Thanks a ton!
Awesome glimpse, thank you. ☀
First time on a Royal Caribbean cruise the end of this month. Hoping this ship is going to impress us. Can’t wait to see it.
Thank you, enjoyed that, I think the family would really enjoy it. You've convinced me to try it.
Hope you enjoy
Hi Matt! I was just on the Inaugural sailing and was very impressed with this ship. I do agree with you about the lack of drawers in the staterooms. My husband and I had an interior balcony stateroom, in the Surfside neighborhood, on Deck 14. Absolutely love the new layout of the bathroom and did like the closets with ample room and plenty of hangers. Unfortunately, the lack of drawers did make it harder to store intimate items. I used packing cubes to help keep those items more organized in the few shallow drawers that were offered and the baskets below the closets. Love your videos.
I can’t wait!!!!
Glad to hear about no chair shortage at the pools even at 1 PM. Lets see if this holds at 100% capacity. I hope RC and Icon can eliminated chair-hogs. I played this section back several times and did not see many empty chairs littered with people belongings like past cruises. Great video as usual and look forward to our WOS cruise this spring. We decided to wait for Star being we live in Central Florida.
Matt, concerning the baskets, You can use a towel to drape if front of them or take a decorative pillow case
Good point!
Ship looks beautiful 🤩
1:44 Second sea day on Day 3 of second sailing was packed all over deck 16 and 17. There were no lounge chairs in the sun to be found without a towel on them at around 1 PM (most were empty, just reserved). Windjammer always felt packed for breakfast. The elevators were often overcrowded along with the pools and whirlpools. I was surprised such a big ship could feel so packed.
Will be on it this August 😊
it sounds like an absolutely incredible ship. If Icon or one of her sisters ever makes it across the pond, we'll be sure to book a cruise.
For room storage , use packing cubes and take away the baskets and place them at bottom of the closet temporarily for dirty clothes
Packing cubes? Can I post a pic please I can’t get a visual? Tia
@@ab2396 there is a really you tuber Life well cruised , she is good blogger and she loves packing cubes
I'm waiting to see what it looks like for summer sailings. Right now it looks like a dream
to walk around with hardly any lines or people.
Ok, the elevator thing is awesome. I REALLY appreciate that as a Logistics officer with a Lean Six Sigma background. I also say this as someone who never takes the elevator and takes the stairs all day every day. Gotta earn that food!
the auqa dome seating should have seats with back support vs bench/bleacher seating theme.
MSC Seashore had destination elevators and it was a cinch to get from one deck to the next. That ship also has 20 decks. Glad to see RCCL added destination elevators to Icon. I just got of the Allure of the Seas with the old school elevators and there was always a wait except early in the morning. I am not a fan of the wire baskets for storage but I really like all the USB ports and outlets in the room.
thanks Matt
Loved the destination dispatch elevators also. Wish there was more storage in the cabins. I stacked the baskets and put all four under my bed and used the cubbies as usual. However really obvious that there was less storage in these rooms. I had an infinite oceanview balcony. I saw you on the ship but did not want to bother you - but nice kinda meeting you. Haha.
I'm sure I would have fun...that being said the decor looks like something out of an Austin Powers movie!
And for $200/person you can even eat the "mutated, ill-tempered seabass"!
It was under crowded cause it was sailing with 4900 passengers compared to around 6500-7000 on most sailings. But that being said, the oasis class ships were great with crowd control since the ship was so massive
I love the tour of the ship. I like how all of the shots were taken to depict the look and feel of the ship. With that said, I feel like this is a sponsored video. While the ship is amazing and I would definitely sail on Icon, there seems to be a few misses about how many "extra pay" restaurants and. venues there are. And that the cost is out of this world. Those that sail first, received promotions and discounts to market the ship. But overall, I think it is an amazing ship, nothing is perfect, but definitely the best ship I've seen that would suit me and my husband to date. We've sailed serval times on several cruise lines. Thanks again for the video!
To be fair, there are lots of extra cost restaurants on all of Royal Caribbeans ships, not just icon.
We are on the 2nd sailing! 😊
Same!
I'm sorry Chilean sea bass killed me! Looks like Royal really spared no expense 😉
Person of culture
We'll see how the crowding is when she's sailing at full capacity. I hope the prices come down though. It's out of our budget 😢
I thought this was a test cruise that was at half capacity. Full capacity, holiday time, and school out with many children running around would feel a lot more different.
I purposefully waited for the revenue sailing, not the test cruise, to make this video
@@RoyalCaribbeanBlogthat was still at like 80% I heard
It’ll probably come down once the next icon class ship comes out. There’s still a lot of people wanting to get on the worlds largest cruise ship hype
I have NOT yet had my worst cruise on RCL. They have ALL been tremendous new experiences. I always choose the biggest, newest ships. RCL has it figured out.
We haven't noticed any crowding at the shows, other then the Aqua show but it's always been popular. We've seen several other shows and they were not crowded. After the ice show was a little of a pain, having to walk through Playmakers to get out. That was a poor design. We really love the Icon, it's just a step above.
In terms of the suite lounge, I wonder if they found that not as many suite guests actually use the lounge portion? I mean, especially with so many places to be on Icon, I imagine they expect less lounging by suite guests and more people visiting for CK
Very interesting! Such a beautiful ship but I am a little sour about them charging for some of the bites. It should be complimentary. LOVE the destination elevators! I experienced those once on Carnival Panorama. Unfortunately Carnival abandoned them with the XL class. Big mistake!
I didn’t like them on panorama took way to long that ship isn’t even that good! I was excited they rolled back on Mardi Gras
I meant that big not that good. sorry love you panorama💙
@@parkerjensen7698 wait time wasn’t too long, but that could be because we went a few months after cruising restarted in Nov 2021. Just curious when did you go on panorama?
Sounds like they prioritized public spaces over exclusive luxury areas. This is a plus in my books. Decor is stunning and creative.
Also looking forward to Icon #2 and 3 to see if it results in moderating the price.
Great video.And particularly think the under crowd is for the prices.Almost $ 3k for person.Not everybody can afford it. Hopefully next year be cheaper than this one
If Boleros was dead across the promenade, it would make sense for them not to have the noise bleed, but its upstairs. To me its like, "fine its upstairs, but I'm on this deck" where activity on the same deck divides one's attention more easily-whatever the thing may be
Iam waiting for the prices to come down, its unaffordable for us to book our tickets right now, although we’re really looking forward to this ship
It’s nice that Icon Of The Seas has more complementary food. One of the main reasons I normally choose Carnival over Royal Caribbean is because Carnival ships tend to have way more complementary food than Royal Caribbean ships.
Also, i’m glad they changed the elevators. The wait time for elevators is a huge problem on both Freedom class and Oasis class ships.
I think weight might be a contributing factor for the baskets, a basket is far less weight then a drawer, then multiply that by how many on the ship.
But I don’t know if that’s the reason. I personally would like drawers as well Matt.
To be honest, I don't think it's the weight. I've noticed way less drawers in newer (non 5 star) hotels. I am wondering if it has more to do with people leaving stuff behind in drawers...with baskets it far less likely someone doesn't see something. Hampton Inn's and the like have gotten rid of bed size drawers in some of the rooms...they put a second shelf to stick your phones, or whatever. Hard to miss seeing stuff, so no drawers to clean out...less calls about less items...no mailing stuff back to people (in the case of the hotel). It may be cheaper design (because drawers have moving parts and baskets can nest when shipping) and additionally may weigh less...but I don't think it is about the weight...although who knows.
Is there do main dining room??
Thanks for the video. Quick question regarding the elevators. I noticed there is a handicap button on the screen. Do you know what that does exactly?
One of our biggest issues on big ships has been getting an elevator empty enough for my wife’s power wheelchair so I am curious if that button is related to this.
Matt, do this trip and video again in Mid-Summer when all the kids are out of school and the ship is at full capacity! This video kinda sounds like you are trying to sell it for Royal Caribbean with all the “feels so uncrowded” stuff.
Yea but Matt is not the only TH-camr to say it didn't feel crowded. I watched another channel, and they said the same thing. And those folks are not Loyal to Royal. I'm just saying. Maybe you just book it and report back 😊.
We are doing icon in June. Not sure why it’s hard to believe the ship is indeed well optimized 🤷♂️
I look forward to seeing some footage in June. I’d like to see how crowded the Hideaway is. Other vloggers reporting it is crammed already and I’m afraid when school is out and more families are sailing, more adults will want to be there too, as I do. Another vlogger complaint is how LOUD the music is in the Hideaway. Is this true? Is it a place like the Solarium where one can go and relax on a lounger and get some sun while reading a book or more of a nonstop party?
@@RoyalCaribbeanBlog
Because we sailed when ships were 80% covid capacity and we sailed the same ships last summer. Night and day. That not crowded talking point needs to be tabled or have an asterisk until it's at 100% plus if the reporting is accurate
TFS, I've heard my cruise in MAY is already sold out so we will see what a full ship looks like.. I can't wait, I do believe since the ship is so big so many things to do that it wont be as crowded all the time..Surfside & Water slides yes!!
Matt, what is the Celebration Table about, my daughters birthday is on our cruise is it worth it????
Celebration table is good if you have a big group and want something private for a celebration. It might be overkill for what you want.
I’m not buying the “doesn’t feel crowded” I’m going to wait for more reviews when they have full bookings. You mentioned that it’s not a full cruise and adding a couple thousand more guests can and will make a HUGE difference.
Also … and this may not seem big … at its widest point Icon looks to be about 8 feet wider according to the specs I found online. That may not seem like much but it definitely sheds light on how the bathrooms I’ve seen on video, both here and other channels, look bigger. Even the clip we have all seen of Wonder and Icon side by side at Coco Kay … Icon looks wider.
This is something all cruise ships need to strive for. The showers on a lot of ships are awfully small and the bathrooms def needed a little more room at a minimum. This is def. something they got right. Hope they tweak the next two ships in this class. Sounds like they got a lot right but I think they def need to make venues larger...maybe space out the music venues a little more and fix that cut through the sports bar - not a smart design.
Hi Matt, I was on the maiden sailing too, agree with most of your comments, for me what really caught my attention was the chairs, cushions etc, how clean will these be in 6 months and many passengers later? I hope RC keep up their standard.
I’m on the ship right now 9:30 PM. Everything is closed. Surfside shut down nowhere to get food. Windjammer is shut down nowhere to get food again 9 PM on a Thursday night. Nothing is open. A few bars are open on the promenade that’s it. Everything else again is closed.
I thought the Pearl Cafe was 24 hours and the pizza is open til very late.??
@@kimkelly4586 I don't know what was going on but they were not open.
One thing RC seems to fail at is having food open later. Because people on vacation just simply eat later so closing stuff down at 8 is such a blunder
I really hope they bring one of the Icon class ships to Australia soon. I REALLY want to try the ship but flying all the way to America for a cruise is so expensive :(
Seems like they're already having problems with overcrowding for the shows at less than full capacity (as reported by others). The Aquatheater is "bigger" but looks like less seating. Wonder if this will be addressed in the future..
They’ve always had problems for shows on all of the ships. Every cruise I’ve been on if you don’t reserve a place a month ahead you can barely make it to the biggest venues
@@Naomi-xu4hq I don't disagree but at less than full capacity and tons of people are forced to stand.. seems like they didnt plan on that. Oasis class ships the aquatheater is relatively OK in size
Was disappointed we can't use Diamond status drinks for milkshakes at Desserted.
Hey Matt, what would you say is the deepest pool on the ship? Being 6.5, It's always good to find one to get a decent swim if it's ever empty.
Patagonian toothfish. The name "Chilean seabass" was invented by a fish wholesaler named Lee Lantz in 1977. He was looking for a name to make it attractive to the American market. Well I hope they will pay the crew more.
They forgot to mention its wild caught and gluten free🙃
12:08 leave your personal undergarments in a packing cube. Put the whole packing cube in the basket. Stays neat, tidy, and private. Problem hopefully solved there.
@ 11:28 2words, packing cubes, keep stuff in packing cubes. 😆😆
3/4 full, no crap it won't feel as crowded
When we going to get a Cruise Compass for Eastern Caribbean?
I'm so glad I just switched from clear to solid colored packing cubes!!! I don't want anyone seeing my undies... and I'm sure nobody wants to see them as well! 🤣 Really good warning Matt. If going on Icon, get solid colored packing cubes!
I like clear!! I can arrange so there’s no problem.
Go on it again when it's fully booked.
Hey, Matt! Just returned from Harmony of the Seas and despite being a modern ship the power switch of bathroom light is still outside! Have they fixed that on Icon? Best regards!
In watching the vlogs from my favorite cruisetubers, I also agree with that it seems like they removed some storage. But....did you find the cabinet behind the mirror? not drawers, but packing cubes or dollar tree fabric bins can go there for those pesky undergarments and then swim clothes or kids clothes can go in the bins
Are the beds comfortable? Just took my first ever cruise and with RC and the only downside was how uncomfortable the bed was.
I sail both Carnival and RC and do prefer RC but they really need to stop with the adding costly dining. Carnival does a better job of included food.
What are your thoughts on the size of the venues like schooner bar?
Bunch of cry babies in the comments today huh.
Great video Matt
Nothing but a paid commercial for RC.
@a.leehilliard4716 why are you here ?
The ship caters to people with kids. Little thought was given for mobility challenged people. Aqua dome has a whole seating area accessible only by stairs and the adults only forward below the flow rider TWO sets of stairs, and then , ironically a lift for access to the infinity pool.
PLEASE DO A VIDEO ABOUT COASTAL KITCHEN / THE GROVE. There’s no content on TH-cam about them really
Great job on the review. Wasn’t critical. Just your honest opinion.
Thanks!
How was the ramp situation? I won't be on Icon, at least for now, until December 2025. If I can get someone to pony up a few bucks for an inside, I'll go and write a review.
I wonder how much of the appearance of less crowds is due to the pricing of the cruise itself.
I'm wondering the same. The prices will probably keep it from ever being sold out. In a way that's good. Not the prices lol, but the prices could be working in favor of the crowds.
This cruise was not that expensive if you booked when they first opened the reservations. Our balcony room for our sailing in November is currently $5500 MORE than what we're paying. I imagine a lot of people aren't paying the current rate if they booked early. Going forward I can't imagine these prices will stay this high. That would be crazy.
I've never been on one of the very largest class of ships. How was the no-mid ship elevator situation. It doesn't strike me as ideal for a lot of people...
they need the storage above the bed. I will be using my suitcase under the bed for storage
0:15 *Are those fake green plastic trees there to create shade for the sun beds?*
So you found it uncrowded? It was at capacity for the cruise for travel agents and bloggers?
I recorded the narration for this video on the revenue sailing
Thank you, Matt.
Regarding the destination elevators, I noticed the ♿ symbol, could you explain how hitting this button would improve access/elevator use for a mobility impaired person?
Appreciate your insights on Royal Caribbean and especially this latest video on the pros and cons of the Icon.
I have seen that at some hotels that have these elevators in NYC. Basically by hitting the Wheelchair icon, the doors stay open a bit longer to give the person more time to board their elevator.
I will let you know for sure when my family goes in April. I really really hope all these alleged improvements will result in less congested elevators. It was so frustrating for my wife to constantly wait for an elevator because they are too full to fit a power wheelchair. Crossing my fingers and toes.
The entertainment venues are to small and open concept does not work, i worked as a full time dj for over 10 years it is going to become the ships Achilles heal
How hard was it to find Coconut Ranger Cookies?
Good question! Those are the best.
I have to respectfully disagree about the elevators. I was on one of the 3 nt sailings last week and I had many long waits for the elevator and many were still packed.
I think ordering Utopia might over the long term be a mistake since everyone seems to like this new layout. Not saying Utopia will be bad just the timing of release.
I agree, and I think it was also a mistake making icon the new biggest cruise ship in the world. As the Oasis class has now lost its whole USP of the world’s biggest, and they have to fill six of those ships. The Icon could have still had the accolade of the ultimate family experience while still being a bit smaller than the Oasis Class, which I think was the original plan. Icon was originally meant to be around the 200k ton mark, but somewhere the decision was changed to make it the ultimate biggest. I fear now the Oasis class will just be known as the inferior brother to Icon
2:30 One thing you rarely see in Royal pools, adults.
That’s cause adults know that kids do number 1 in the pool.
Does Royal have a Chapel room on there ship's like Carnival
I feel like there may have been one on a radiance class ship. I don't think I've heard of one on any of the other classes. Sometimes there is a priest and/or rabbi. You can always check a deck plan!
Liberty still does
Uhm have you seen the prices?
Most regular family cruisers will not be on the Icon for a while…
So yeah it will not “feel” as crowded because people sailing now are mostly adults that can pay the high fees…
Not saying there are zero kids/families on board, but for now and during the school year, you will not find as much crowds in the family areas…
I just looked at the cost of an interior cabin on Star of the Seas for 2025. I doubt I’ll ever be able to afford this class of ship.
Hi Matt, is Icon your new favorite RC ship?
Not sure yet
I cancelled. Looks like a shopping mall. I’ve learned that oasis class ships are the limit for me.
If you think icon looks like a shopping mall but oasis doesn’t, I’m not sure I see your line of thinking
Isn't it like 2000 dollars plus and they make you pay for extras ?
I plan to put undergarments in the actual drawers. No big deal.
@5:30 Ben and David couldn't get into any specialty restaurants and you did supper club twice? lol
Not sure when they booked the ship, dining package, or when they got onboard to make reservations 🤷♂️
What about having to exit the ice skating show through playmakers. That is really weird and playmakers gets way too busy.
Totally agree that’s not great