Icon of the Seas is a vast improvement over previous ships. Royal Caribbean has applied countless lessons learned to truly make this the ultimate cruise ship. You will not be disappointed. Yes it is the world's largest cruise ship, but it never felt crowded. I can not recommend it enough.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
If you complete all of your tasks in the app ahead of time the embarkation process is super easy. It really could not be easier to board the ship. It took about 10 minutes from Uber door until I was onboard.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
Royal Caribbean has come up with some excellent new dining venues and improved on the old ones. AquaDome Market (especially GNGR) is wonderful. The only food I paid for the entire trip was a Campfire Cookie at Playmakers. I made it a point to sample food at all of the complementary venues and was not disappointed.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
Activities were top notch. Despite having 6700 guest on board the ship never felt crowded. There are so many different venues to relax.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
The main shows were excellent. The new AquaTheater is a vast improvement over Oasis class ships. The Royal Theater & Studio B are amped up with the latest technology which augmented the shows very well. Get in the app as soon as you can and get reservations for all of the shows. You will not be disappointed.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
As always the Royal Caribbean staff were excellent.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
It is apparent Royal Caribbean applied countless lessons learned to maximize the layout, and features of Icon. It is easy to move about the ship, and as I said earlier it never felt crowded. I particularly liked the destination elevators and escalators. The staggered pool decks make a portion of deck 15 ceiling two stories which gives it a very open feel. Every part of the ship is well thought out and an improvement from previous generations.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
I had the least expensive room possible, a standard interior. It was the closest interior room to the forward elevators. I would highly recommend are particular room because it is convenient to the elevators and the Royal Prominade. Despite our walls connecting to the elevators on one side and the Music Hall on the other it was completely serene and quite. The new bathrooms (particularly the showers) on Icon are a vast improvement.
Ship tip
Skip the Windjammer and enjoy some of the other venues like AquaDome Market or Surfside Eatery.
The port appears to be very modern and clean. We rented a car from Coastal Car Rentals which is located right in the port. It was quick, convenient and reasonably priced. We used the car to head straight to Club O Beach.
We took the Royal Caribbean excursion to Trunk Bay on St. Johns. Trunk Bay was absolutely gorgeous. I sincerely do not think I am over stating it is likely the most beautiful beach I've every visited. The sand was perfectly white and soft. The water was clear and very calm. I would highly recommend a visit to Trunk Bay.
It was a Perfect Day. Enjoyed the super calm water at South Beach in the morning. Early afternoon we hit up Chill Grill and spent some time at Chill Island beach. Plenty of chairs. Finished off the day in Oasis Lagoon. Food was as expected and tasty. No complaints.
Super simple. We didn't do luggage service so just walked off the ship, straight through customs and into a waiting Uber. Took about 10 minutes from stateroom to Uber.
I loved your recommendation about skipping the Windjammer. We’ve always enjoyed it for meals, but the repeat feedback about the other venues have made us rethink the plan for Icon. Thank you for sharing!
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