Icon's got it right!!

We arrived about one hour earlier than our scheduled time, scanned in on the spot, and on the ship in less than 5 minutes. We were welcomed with applause, a vibrant crew and unlimited champagne.

When we boarded, we went to the Aquadome Market. Five different stalls with different offerings. It was uncrowded, food was good, and had great views out the glass enclosed Aquadome. The welcome aboard buffet in the Windjammer included all the premium offerings....filet mignon, grilled lamb chops, lobster, stone crab claws, shrimp, scallops, and every kind of carved meat you can think of. Well presented, no limits, incredible variety, great taste. Izumi for lunch at sea was the normal experience. It was entertaining, food tasted good, great location in Central Park, although as usual..quite loud. We pre-booked this on the website prior to boarding and we were limited to the main offerings, premium offerings carried an extra cover charge. Hooked for dinner is located in the Aquadome where if you schedule it correctly, and get the right table, you can see the Aqua show while eating dinner. We had no limits on the menu, and all offerings were excellent. Being from Maryland, we had to try the "Maryland Crabcake"....pretty close to what we get at home, one of the best we have had on a cruise ship.(crabcake served in main dining room was not as good) Clam chowder was very good, served in a bowl the size of a dinner plate. Other appetizers we had were oysters prepared 2 ways, and we also had mussels. Our main coarse included lobster, fish and shrimp, where you could make substitutions if necessary. We had sides of seasonal vegetables, cole slaw, and lobster mac and cheese. No room for dessert, but the ones we saw, looked delicious. The restaurant became packed after 8pm, and service at that point did get slow. The only downfall was the volume of noise after the restaurant got full, extremely loud, unable to carry on any kind of conversation. Main dining room food was very good, and they did accommodate some special requests. They had a special menu for the maiden voyage on the second night with all the premium selections, with no limts or extra charge for lobster (usually your second one has a $16.95charge). The cod offered on the second days' brunch was particularily good. Another stand out was the Carne Asada served later in the cruise. It seemed to take some time for bread to arrive at the table, I believe our assistant waiter was a little overwhelmed, although the dining room was only 60% full. If you are lucky enough to get our waitress Marie, your service will be second to none...absolutely fantastic.

Daily activities were endless, something for everyone. Very large cruise directors staff. All 7 pools were heated, along with the water that was in the waterslides...which we tried 4 of the 6, multiple times. Hot tubs were open 24 hrs, closed some of them on a rotation for cleaning, but there was always a few open. Adults only "Hideaway" with aft facing views from deck 15, was a little crowded, but no children. Music at all times, and attentive bar service.

Wizard of Oz was a highlight. This production would give anything on Braodway a run for its money. Performers, sets, and having a live orchestra put the icing on the cake. One and a half hours of unbelieveable talent. Aqua show was also very good. Slack line acrobats and aerialists added to the diving and swimming. Great venue, however a little uncomfortable seating. Ice show was different with a round rink rather than a square one. Special guest performer/juggler was captivating. Dueling pianos were very entertaining, audience participation is a must, and added to the performance. There was so much to offer, we did not have a chance to see it all...just an excuse to come back.

We were told that the ship did not sail at capacity. I think for this reason, the ship seemed overstaffed. Always someone to help. At venues such as shore excursion, next cruise, loyalty desk, and photo...they scanned your card and put you on a list and it allowed you to relax comfortably in one of the many public areas nearby.

The immense amount of open space, chioce of places to eat, acres of open decks was staggering. Hundreds of deck chairs always open....(chair hogs were disappointed) In my opinion, the biggest improvement were the elevators. Two banks of twelve elevators. When you arrived in the elevator lobbies, there were many kiosks where you entered the floor you wanted to go to. It would direct you to one of the "lettered" elevators that would take you to your floor. Very efficient, and kept the kids from pressing every button.(there are no buttons inside the elevators) The "Pearl" was impressive, and definetly unique, but I could not really figure out its purpose.

We had an ocean infinite balcony on deck 10. Interesting concept that some liked, some did not like. With the window closed and the shade down, it was like an inside cabin. With the shade up, it was like a panoramic oceanview cabin. With the shade up, and window open, it was a balcony cabin. You had your choice. We had a similar cabin on the Celebrity Edge where the balcony portion was seperated from the room with french doors. On the Icon, it is only seperated with curtains. Many thoughts went through my head at first...With the window open, the air conditioner shuts off and the room temperature and humidity ends up being the same as outside. Kind of negates the fact that the Icon was to be more energy efficient. Icon will probably stay in warm climates, this type of room may not br enjoyable in the cold where if the window was open, the entire room would end up cold. I have to say, we had incredible weather, and it was a pleasure to have the window open with the wonderful breeze and mild temperatures. We sailed the last evening with the window open all night. When we did close it, it did not take long for the room to return to our 68° that we had the thermostadt set to.

Quick and smooth, no complaints.