© All photographs Royal Caribbean Cruises

Icon of the Seas is the first cruise ship of Royal Caribbean’s innovative Icon class and a true adventure hot spot especially for family cruisers. The 365 meter long ship offers spectacular travel experiences for up to 5,600 guests (7,600 guests max). Onboard you will find the well-known Royal Caribbean highlights with numerous innovations added of course. Guests can choose their favourite holiday, a luxury resort with relaxation on the beach or theme park activities.

And of course, Icon of the Seas offers guests an unparallelled variety in entertainment, an endless array of dining options and no less than five exciting new Neighborhoods each with its own theme.

She was delivered December 2023 and departed Miami for her maiden trip January 27, 2024. Sports icon Lionel Messi named her on January 25 during a spectacular ceremony in Miami by placing a football on a column activating the release of the champangne bottle smashing it into the Icon’s hull.

Some more mind boggling stats: she  measures 250,800 gross tons; 2,805 state rooms; 2,350 crew; 20 decks and she has an ice skating rink, seven pools including the largest at sea, six waterslides, this time including the longest at sea, a swim-up bar and a three-level family townhouse with a built-in slide.

Icon of the Seas is an architectual marvel,  resulting in for example the enormouse globe, The Pearl which is actually supporting the decks above making possible the three-story glass facade behind it in one of the most critical parts of the ship’s superstructure when it comes to structural strength.

According to Jay Schneider, chief information officer at Royal Caribbean: “We’re a brand that believes in chill and thrill,” Many of the ideas for Icon’s  onbaord amenities were based on customer  input. The most striking part of the Icon of the Seas is without any doubt the AquaDome, high atop the ship above the bridge. This huge, dome, the largest ever placed on a ship, features a waterfall almost 17 meters high. During the day, the space serves as a lounge with panoramic views of the sea. In the evening it is transformed into an entertainment hot spot with spectacular water shows. Nearby are Royal Caribbean’s first food hall, the Aquadome Market and the Rye & Bean coffee bar.

In total there are eight Neighborhoods on Icon of the Seas, five of them are completely new and are custom designed for this huge vessel.  

The Surfside Neighborhood is specifically designed for families with varied activities for young and old throughout the day, a swimming pool for adults and separate areas for children and teenagers such as Splashaway Bay. There are several restaurants nearby with delicious dishes for gourmets, a beach-themed carousel, an arcade and the list goes on…

With four swimming pools, cozy bars and an adults-only area, Cloud 17, the three-storey Chill Island district is all about relaxation pur sang.

The Neighborhood Thrill Island is a real adventure island full of adrenaline! It houses the main water park with six record-breaking slides, including a free fall slide and a family slide, as well as the new Crown’s Edge walkway. A mix of skywalk obstacle courses at a height of almost 47 meters. But well-known passenger favourites such as the Adrenaline Peak climbing course, the FlowRider surfing simulator or the mini golf course are also present.

Those who prefer a beach holiday, can indulge in the laid-back beach club feel of The Hideaway-Neighbourhood and enjoy spectacular sea views from the multi-level sun terrace, bar, whirlpools and infinity pool which is the first suspended infinity pool at sea.

Staterooms and suites on board Icon of the Seas. Passengers can choose from 28 categories of spacious cabins with modern facilities. More than 70% of the cabins have floor-to-ceiling windows and private balconies. More than 60 % of the interior cabins admit natural light having windows overlooking the ship’s Central Park or Surfside Neighborhood. Many of the cabins accommodating 3 or 4 people are perfectly suited for families in terms of layout and furnishings. For larger families, up to 6 people, family cabins with infinity balconies are available. This type of balconies transform living space into an open air escape at the push of a button or when closed, add extra space indoors.

And then there is the three-story Ultimate Family Townhouse, by far the most spectacular accommdation onboard. With a living area of ​​more than 164 square meters and a balcony of almost 70 square meters with a hot tub, this luxury suite can accommodate up to 8 people. The Townhouse also has two bedrooms, a private cinema room, an exclusive area with table tennis, and a slide leading from the upper floor to the main floor, never seen before at sea.

Suite guests also have many of the attractive benefits of the Royal Suite class. They have access to an exclusive zone with a sundeck, a lounge and two restaurants (Coastal Kitchen and The Grove)while in the three star-level suite categories Ultimate Family Townhouse, Royal Loft Suite and Icon Loft Suite, the Royal Genie service also guarantees personalized VIP experiences. 

Of course guests will find the ultimate in entertainment on board Icon of the Seas, introducing a new lineup of full-scale production shows across Royal Caribbean’s four signature “stages”: air, ice, water and theater with highlights like the debut of “The Wizard of Oz” at sea with its 600 plus costume elements, the first cast of robots, high divers performing highly dangerous jumps and the Absolute Zero 2,873 sq. ft. oval ice rink, to name just a few.

This revolutionary cruise ship features state-of-the-art and energy-efficient environmental technologies, including an LNG propulsion system, advanced heat recovery systems, fuel cell technology and a shore power connection.

Royal Caribbean Group plans to introduce net-zero cruising by 2035 and the company claims that Icon of the Seas is 24% more energy efficient than today’s design standards prescribe. She is powered by dual-fuel engines running on LNG, has the first waste-to-energy system at sea, capturing waste burning heat, finally has specialized hull paint and a hull air lubrication system using air bubbles both reducing resistance when at speed. She produces 93% of the fresh water needed and has an advanced ballast water treatment system. These sustainability measures make her Royal Caribbean’s most eco-friendly ship to date.

There are currently three ships planned for the Icon Class. The first Icon-class cruise ship, Icon of the Seas, debuted in early 2024 while Star of the Seas will set sail in summer 2025. The third ship is yet to be named. She will be delivered in 2026.

Bookings reached record levels during the 2023/ 2024 winter season, not in the least because of the worldwide publicity around the introduction of the Icon of the Seas.

This succes has made Royal Caribbean order a seventh Oasis-class vessel (February 2024) for delivery in 2028, which at 236,000GT are slightly smaller ships than the Icon-class vessels.

The sky-high pricing for Icon of the Seas -ranging from $345 per person per day to $75,000-a-week for the ship’s most coveted cabin, the Ultimate Family Townhouse – which had already been sold over 90% for 2024 by May 2023! – is a sign of just how much excitement among cruise fans there is for the ship which is the first in a new series of vessels at Royal Caribbean. Due to its giant size, it has more amenities than any other cruise ship. Being packed with spectacular attractions and with its bold interiors Icon of the Seas is proving to be a real passenger magnet.