The day has finally come when Royal Caribbean released details of its newest upcoming ship, Icon of the Seas. There’s a lot to unpack in this announcement!
Timing and Location of Icon of the Seas
Although Icon of the Seas will finish construction next fall, it will have extended sea trials due to its size. Therefore, the first sailing of the ship is scheduled for January 28, 2024, out of Miami, Florida. Itineraries go on sale next Monday, October 24, for Crown and Anchor Members. Reservations open to the public on Tuesday, October 25, 2022.
Icon of the Seas will alternate Western and Eastern Caribbean itineraries, with a stop at Perfect Day at CocoCay on every sailing. Unfortunately for UK fans, the ship will no longer sail out of the UK before heading to the United States.
Size of Icon of the Seas
Previous information leaks on the size of the ship were incorrect. Icon of the Seas will be 250,800 GT, making it the world’s largest cruise ship. With a length of 1198 feet, it’s 10 feet longer than the current record holder, Wonder of the Seas.
The ship has 20 decks and will hold up to 9950 people, including a maximum of 7600 guests and 2350 crew members. Whoa.
New Features of Icon of the Seas
The LNG-powered ship features a lot of the biggest, longest, fastest, first-of-its-kind features on board including:
- 7 swimming pools, including one with a swim-up bar!
- 6 water slides
- Surfside neighborhood with large splash park for kids
- Largest ice arena
- Crown’s Edge, a rope walk/thrill drop
- AquaDome enclosed water theatre with largest waterfall at sea
- Cloud 17, adults-only area
Unfortunately, Royal Caribbean still has not released what The Pearl is for! And, we don’t know details about the restaurants on board.
Check out this video to see renderings of the ship:
And this video on the Top 5 features:
Cabins on Icon of the Seas
Royal Caribbean is introducing a few new cabin types on Icon of the Seas including:
- Ultimate Family Townhouse, a 3-story cabin that includes a slide, movie space and private entrance to the Surfside neighborhood
- Surfside Family Suite, which features an alcove for the kids’ beds
- Family Infinite Balcony, which features a bunk area for kids and sleeps up to 6, with a living space that converts into an open-air balcony
My Thoughts on Icon of the Seas
My first thoughts are: Whoa! Holy guacamole! Wow!
Icon of the Seas is a floating resort in the truest sense. It’s one of those ships that you could spend a week on without getting off at any ports.
I love the idea of the enclosed water theatre, as wind and rain frequently prevent water shows from happening on Royal Caribbean’s other ships. I’m also excited about the variety of pools on board.
But to be honest, the gigantic size of the ship gives me pause. Almost 10,000 total people? Yikes! I’m also a bit concerned with the potential price of cruises on this ship. I wouldn’t be surprised if the prices rival Disney Cruise Line prices. But, we’ll have to see.
What do you think of the new Icon of the Seas? Are you interested in booking a cruise on it?
Author: Nancy
Nancy lives near Dallas, Texas, with her husband and three kids. Her favorite vacations include the beach, cruising and everything Disney.
Sounds like a lot of fun… if it wasn’t so huge with so many people on board!
I guess I’m a traditionalist here but no. Just no. That’s simply way too big. As a you-don’t-smell-bad-for-a-fat-boy compliment, it’s not as ugly as some other new mega liners.
Definitely not for me! Too much going on, and too many people. Maybe I’m getting old, but just the thought of going on something like that stresses me out. My kids would love it, though.
Yeah, I get it. My kids would absolutely love it too.