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Perhaps in the future, instead of scrapping Vision class ships, maybe they can just repurpose them as a tender for Icon class ships...

You're not wrong about this. Going on an inaugural sailing is fun because of the pomp and circumstance associated with it, but if you're not okay with everything not being at 100%, then I agree on waiting a bit longer.

Who says you can't win at the slot machines? I invested $60 out of my free money aka onboard credit and I got back $280!

So, finally... As I said back in the first post on the thread, this was a 12-night cruise on Anthem of the Seas, departing from Southampton, England, and calling at Vigo, Lisbon, Lanzarote, Gran Canária, Tenerife, Funchal and La Coruña. I won't go into a huge amount of detail about our travels to Southampton since that part won't be of much use to most peeps on the board here, but suffice to say we flew non-stop from our local airport (Faro, Portugal) into Bournemouth, England. This is a tiny airport about a 30-40 minute drive from Southampton and which essentially serves a couple of European low-costs. It was a good way to avoid the big London airports and could conceivably be made to work for people coming from across the pond if you fancied a stop on the way to/from your cruise somewhere that has flights to Bournemouth. In the past we could probably have flown straight to Southampton but the airline that served that route from Faro went bust and there is currently only one flight a week on a Saturday, which didn't work for this cruise. Again, however, Southampton could be an option if you can connect in Amsterdam, as KLM operate a twice-daily flight between the two. We pre-booked our airport-hotel-airport transfers with Westquay Cars for £65 each way. A credit card was required to guarantee the booking but we paid cash to the driver on the day. Booking was not as easy as it could have been since I couldn't get their online booking to work for me. Instead I emailed them and then had to call to give them my CC details. We stayed two nights pre-cruise in the Premier Inn Westquay in Southampton. Premier Inn is a well-known slightly upscale budget brand in the UK and this particular hotel is popular with cruisers because of its proximity to the port. It's nothing fancy but was perfectly fine for 2 nights. We added on the breakfast option, which is a bit limited but what there was was nice, and we also had dinner there on our first night. Service was a bit slow but the food was fine (we both had steak) and reasonably priced. The location is great because there are plenty of shops and restaurants in the immediate vicinity including a large mall if the weather decides to be unfriendly. It is usually possible to walk from here to the port, although that depends on how comfortable you are dragging your luggage. We would have done it but our dates coincided with the Southampton International Boat Show which meant the walking route to the port was blocked off and we would have had to go a very long way around. Instead we got a taxi. I used Radio Taxis Southampton, having downloaded their app the evening before. We only had to wait a few minutes and the very short ride cost £6. Boarding for this cruise was the fastest and easiest we have ever encountered. It took us about 10 minutes from getting out of the taxi to setting foot on the ship. Our check-in slot was 11.30 am and I had booked us into Jamie's for lunch at 1.30 pm, so we had time to settle with a coffee in Two70 and then go for a bit of a wander before lunch. This was our first specialty restaurant lunch ever and I really only booked it because we had some OBC to use up. However, I think I might make this a standard practice as it was really nice to avoid the pandemonium in the WJ for that first lunch on board. One of the main reasons we tend not to book specialty dining is that we have very small appetites so we never feel like we're getting our money's worth. However, with lunch costing less than half the price of dinner and having an almost identical menu, I thought it was a reasonable deal. Even so, there was way too much food for us and we didn't even order very much. It was very good and we enjoyed it very much. Lunch menu: Meat plank: Garlic bread: Prawn linguine: Tagliatelle Bolognese: Epic brownie: Amalfi lemon cheesecake:

Image above: Deck 18 - Deck 17 - Deck 16 Deck 16 [Right Image] Panoramic Suite [16002] | Panoramic Suite [16024] Panoramic Suite [16004] | Panoramic Suite [16026] Panoramic Suite [16006] | Panoramic Suite [16028] Sky Junior Suite [16008] | Sky Junior Suite [16030] Sky Junior Suite Accessible [16010] | Sky Junior Suite Accessible [16032] Owner's Suite [16012] | Owner's Suite [16034] Owner's Suite [16014] | Owner's Suite [16036] Grand Suite [16016] | Grand Suite [16038] Grand Suite [16018] | Grand Suite [16040] Grand Suite [16020] | Grand Suite [16042] Grand Suite [16022] | Grand Suite [16044] Deck 17 [Center Image] Panoramic Suite [17002] | Panoramic Suite [17024] Panoramic Suite [17004] | Panoramic Suite [17026] Sky Junior Suite [17006] | Sky Junior Suite [17028] Sky Junior Suite [17008] | Sky Junior Suite [17030] Grand Suite [17010] | Grand Suite [17032] Owner's Suite [17012] | Owner's Suite [17034] Owner's Suite [17014] | Owner's Suite [17036] Icon Loft (1st Floor) [17016] | Icon Loft (1st Floor) [17038] Icon Loft Accessible (1st Floor) [17018] | Icon Loft (1st Floor) [17040] Icon Loft (1st Floor) [17020] | Icon Loft (1st Floor) [17042] Royal Loft (1st Floor) [17022] | Icon Loft (1st Floor) [17044] Deck 18 [Left Image] Icon Loft (2nd Floor) [17016] | Icon Loft (2nd Floor) [17038] Icon Loft Accessible (2nd Floor) [17018] | Icon Loft (2nd Floor) [17040] Icon Loft (2nd Floor) [17020] | Icon Loft (2nd Floor) [17042] Royal Loft (2nd Floor) [17022] | Icon Loft (2nd Floor) [17044]

Couldn't agree more. I've been far more annoyed by adults than children on any cruise I've been on.

We boarded Voyager today and the MDR was open to everyone 1130-130 for lunch. I’m not sure if it’ll be a regular thing going forward, but the head waiter told me it is really reducing the congestion in the Windjammer. Small menu with three choices each for appetizer/main/dessert

I am a RCL newbie and this is live from the Voyager of the Seas. Boarding with the Key was a huge "cluster" this morning in Boston. We had a 10:30 check in plus the Key. Got to the terminal at 10:28. Per the rep at the Key line queue, the line was full and we needed to go to the end of the regular Boarding line. Well, we walked probably 150 yards, passing hundreds of people, the entire length of the terminal to get to the end of the line. I was fuming hot mad. We stood there for about 10 minutes not moving. I told Mrs Fan that I was going back to the Key line to see what was up. I ran into another rep and told her that we had the Key. She said follow me. So she walks us back to the Key line and the queue is nearly empty, but the rep we initially met was not letting anyone get in line. The second rep pulled her aside and kind of pushed us through. The entire time, the first rep was trying to keep Key purchaser's out of the Key line. Finally, she relented and Key purchasers started getting on board. She had been sending Key purchasers to the back of the main line for probably 30 minutes. I have no explanation for her actions and I am still mad about it. Thank goodness for the second rep I met.

There seems to be a lot of hype on the new Icon of the Seas. Bloggers,vloggers youtube influencers and the author/moderator of this blog make statements like they cant wait to sail on it and no doubt will either be invited or make a reservation on this ship come this Wednesday Oct 25 when bookings begin. What many people fail to realize is that these first cruises are a "shake down" cruise. Not everything will run smoothly. It just won't , so dont expect it to. Not every thing will be open. Staff are new to the ship and still in learning mode. Shows, performers, last minute rehearsals, are all in test mode. Dinner reservations, wait times, room service will all be a challenge. Oh you might meet some famous people, top cruise line execs, and get to try out some new stuff., and of course you get the bragging rights that you were one of the first people to be on a inaugural voyage. For me the cons outweighs the pros. I can wait. I will wait.

This is the first I have heard of this happening! Personally I would keep the $10 lunch booked and once onboard if you find out it isn't what the details outlined (print that out and bring it with you!), then you can just not dine and cancel onboard and get the $10 refunded as onboard credit.

To round off our evening on this first night of the cruise, DH made his first nightly contribution to the casino, which he found to be more tight-fisted than on any of our previous sailings, although that didn't stop him having fun while his money lasted, after which we headed to Two70 for Spectra's Cabaret. I am utterly divided about Two70. As a lounge it's lovely but as a show venue it's awful. It's virtually impossible to get a decent seat unless you're prepared to turn up at least an hour before showtime, which we were not. That said, what we were actually able to see of the show was excellent. It was very dynamic and even DH, who falls asleep at 90% of the shows on board, stayed awake the entire time and enthused about it afterwards. And with that, we headed off to Café Promenade for our nightly pre-bed tea and cookies.

I may be biased as I have young children, but I can’t ever recall a time where I was put off or annoyed by children aboard. I can’t say the same thing about hammered adults at the pool who are louder than a lot of rock concerts.

While we were finishing up our lunch, they announced that the cabins were open so we headed off there. Our luggage had already arrived (earliest ever!), which was great as it meant we were able to unpack straight away. There was a copy of the Day 1 Compass on the bed, which pleased us greatly as there had been none at Guest Services. Instead, where they would usually be, there were QR codes to scan for a digital copy. After our cabin steward came to introduce himself I made sure to ask him to get us a paper copy every day. Our cabin was an obstructed balcony, 6560, which had I had seen recommended by various previous cruisers due to having very little obstruction. As you can see from the pics, they were correct. Really the only obstruction is the davit to the right that blocks your view aft. Views of and from our obstructed balcony cabin: These two were taken on arrival in Vigo and you can see how little obstruction there is: And these two show that there's plenty of water visible! With everything unpacked, we headed out to explore the ship a bit more before sailaway. Luckily the weather was cooperating and although it was cloudy it wasn't raining. A few brave souls using the pool (too cold for us): The North Star bar was consistently packed solid for the entire cruise: The brand new Norwegian Prima was also in Southampton but we left first! Bye bye Southampton and Prima!

@Matt is the man !!

So, here we are in Wikiki getting ready to board the NCL Pride of America for a 7 day cruise around the Hawaiian Islands. We've been staying at the Hyatt Regency on Waikiki Beach. Went happy hour tonight and here is what we saw when we walked into the poolbar. A WHOLE new spin on a chair hog! PS-This trip is for our 50th wedding anniversary and RCL does not have a package deal like this. Will let you know how the Pride of America was.

Taxi fares between Miami Airport and the cruise port are fixed at $27. Uber/Lyft rates will vary depending on time and demand.

Lava flows are flowing

Having the MDR open on embarkation day seems to indicate that the staffing shortage has eased a bit, which is great news. If that wasn’t true I doubt they could staff the WJ, the Key lunch, the MDR and whatever specialty restaurant(s) is open.

and flip side of the coin -- i don't necessarily want to be surrounded with people who are complaining the whole time that things aren't running at 100% (all present company EXCLUDED, we are on the same page here ) there are many who many not understand that there will still be kinks needing to be worked out/run through and are not seasoned enough cruisers to know that things happen. i think one of the best things about this forum is getting the benefit of knowledge + experience from others that can help reframe your perspective of cruising. for me, it helps me focus on the good and not the bad; and also helps me prepare better as much as i can to mitigate some of the "speedbumps" that could be incurred. even little stuff like bringing a magnetic light into the bathroom or getting proper luggage tags that are protective over the ship tags in case of inclement weather. this made me laugh harder than i should have just imagining it all hahaha

I won't lie, watching the bloggers walking around with their cameras on Wonder was quite entertaining for me. Wonder was a bit unique because of the delays and overall pandemic situation which led to the deployment change from Asia to the US and also contributed to supply chain and staffing issues. But I agree taking part in the earlier sailings of a new ship you absolutely have to temper expectations. Probably the biggest complaint I heard about Wonder were from folks that were upset everything wasn't running at 100%. I dont fault them at all. Royal, for obvious reasons, doesn't heavily market that this could be a possibility. I think they made the right decision this time around with delaying the inaugural until after the holiday season to avoid the first cruises falling over the holiday season where the demand is usually higher at premium prices.

i just grabbed a bunch of those small colored envelopes on amazon. they came in a stack of 100, i think, but i know i'll get use out of them for other places too -- when at the salon, or other appointments it is customary to leave a tip behind. this way i don't have to awkwardly wait or finagle a handoff. i can have it ready to go and discreetly leave behind with the intended recipient as i'm ready to depart. can also write notes on them if needed and they are not too big or small (at least for us).

And there you go, two opposite opinions! Must be the internet! Haha!

Yes accidents do happen, I don"t know why the towel was on the floor!

We ate all our dinners in the MDR on this cruise. We had My Time Dining and I had booked us a set time of 8 pm each evening. Although this kind of defeats the purpose of MTD it means we can count on having a table just for ourselves. It's not that we don't like to be social but we talk to each other in Portuguese so it can be a bit awkward if you're sharing a table with others who don't speak the language. With the My Time set-up, we can still chat with the people at the tables next to us but that awkwardness is eliminated simply by the fact of being at a different table. Our waiters always brought us a printed menu and I can confirm that the menus in the app were accurate. Day 1 menu: Maryland-style crab cake. I used to really love these (even though I have been told on numerous occasions that they are nothing like the real thing). However, since the restart they have not tasted the same and I was a bit disappointed not to have chosen the mushroom soup instead. One of the things I really like about European sailings are the pie and curry options on the menu. These were previously only offered on sailings out of Southampton but now appear to be available on other European sailings. They certainly were on our Odyssey sailing back in May. Chicken Saag: Prime rib, which DH asked for with fries: Blueberry and pear cobbler. It was nice enough but nothing really special. And the Royal cheesecake, which DH said was a bit disappointing in that it came without any strawberry sauce. Later on in the cruise, it would occur to us to ask for some strawberry sauce to go along with it.

Virgin are that desperate they will actually match your RC tier level in their new rewards being launched next year! Virgin Voyages, the adults only cruise line that offers cruises from Miami, is adding a new loyalty program. The new loyalty program will not only reward those who sailed during the cruise line’s first year of operation, but they will also match your loyalty status from other cruise lines. Virgin Voyages plans on rolling out the most lucrative rewards program at sea in 2023. However, the cruise line is offering VIP perks right now for those who sailed in 2021 and also those who have sailed twice in 2022. Sea Blazers, those who sailed with Virgin during the cruise line’s first year of operation in 2021, will have access to Deep Blue Extras as well as Red Hot Booking Bonus months. (perks at listed farther down in this article) In addition, they will receive additional perks including a $125 bar tab bonus for life. Those who sailed with Virgin twice in 2022, will be coined Sea-Rovers and receive Deep Blue Extras and access to Red Hot Booking Bonus Months. On top of that, they’ll get a $100 Bar Tab Bonus through 2024. With the cruise line’s Match and Sea More Program, they will match (and give you more) than your current loyalty status.

Yes and No - Yes - Because that's what pays the bills - Kids want all the things bought for them, so families, from a financial perspective, pay the bills more than "loyal" guests or solo guests. Also, new = flashy. Which gets eyeballs and sells cabins. No - there are neighborhoods to spread out the passengers. Adults can chill where they want, just have to be aware of where the kid areas are. I cruise solo, but also have a lot of friends who cruise with their kids, so I don't mind the kids so much. Do I care about solo cabins, nope. They're overrated IMO as they don't show any price value. Would I like more solo/single services, sure, but I don't need them. Cruise VACATIONS are what you make of them. Doesn't matter if it's Enchantment or Icon - I'm on a cruise - that is all that matters to me. YMM (and will) V

I would say Icon very much caters to families. My kids are going to go absolutely nuts over the slides and pools and will never want to get off the ship.

Yes to all of the above. I always head to the bar right away and request bottled water. Pretty much any time I am heading to my room, I stop and get water. I like to stock my fridge with them, about four to six at all times in there since I drink it all day. I usually do the UBP, but with the Diamond voucher, I am going to do the refreshment package. The water alone will pay for itself.

You can have the gratuities removed at Guest Services when you board. The daily service charge does go towards your waiters and room steward as well as the behind the scenes crew that make those departments run smoothly. Drinks have a gratuity added on each purchase or when the drink package is purchased them and that's where the bar staff gets their gratuities. That isn't part of the daily service charge. Unless you don't use sheets or towels, you do use the laundry.

I would suggest splitting your party between the one vehicle that is driving and parking at the port and put the rest of your party in an Uber or Lyft. Drop off will be in the same place. You drop off passengers and luggage before parking. Port Everglades has a surface lot adjacent to the terminal. The issue with Port Everglades is that there is a security checkpoint to enter the port, so traffic tends to bottleneck right there at the entrance. That would potentially hold you up a bit in the first run to drop off people.

I’ve not seen any restrictions/restricted areas onboard and I just got off Adventure today. seapass cards never had a mark identifying status, the wristbands were done away with-I believe in February, or that may have been the mandatory masking….it all blurs together. I’ve been sailing monthly since the restart, the only remnant I see of past restrictions are employees and customers who choose to wear a mask, it’s optional, but a reminder of how things were.

They are… just don’t forget the funnel cake for dessert! (Same place as the chicken sandwiches, Snack Shacks).

It is a full yes that it is catered to children and families.......hence more rooms to accommodate larger families. Royal is a more family line but there are ships that are more grown-up friendly. Icon is not really focused on grown-ups, its more for families. Thats my opinion and the main reason as a solo adult it doesn't appeal to me.

Royal Oasis class meets Celebrity Edge class at CocoCay... Royal Icon class is a result of the get together.

It sure seems that way. Even Royal Caribbean Blogs video felt like it is catered to families. So far, I’m not feeling it. I don’t have children and it seems like a lot of what is there is catered to children and/or families.

Oh wow! I hope this doesn't happen on Icon!

Initial thoughts on Adventure. There are some cool areas on this ship however I'm not sure I like the way it's laid out. The Imperial lounge is very cool looking though. And the Blue Moon lounge. The Internet on this ship could be so much better. My room is nice. 8352. Aft Starboard. it's a spacious ocean view balcony seems to be a couple of feet wider than a regular balcony which is nice. The smoking issue doesn't seem to be any different than any other ship with a casino. The promenade is OK. It's Cafe promenade has Starbucks though and I think pizza since no Sorrentos. Overall Adventure is probably not my favorite. I like Jewel better than this one. The ship needs renovations. Windjammer is better on the smaller ships IMO though. I'm apparently in the noisy section. More to come.

The prices for the Wonder maiden voyage weren't really astronomically high. But that was during the time when COVID was still a main issue. Royal was trying to get people back to cruising back then. Now with all of that (seemingly) behind, Royal might place higher prices for the Icon. I am hoping with you that it doesn't.

Bayonne views

Boarding was quick. Was on before 11 am. Windjammer was ready open and the crew were pumped.

I don't see Royal Caribbean International ever going backwards to smaller ships. It's not their thing. RCI is a mass market cruise line. Smaller ships with less thrills-based activities is Celebrity's target market under the umbrella of Royal Caribbean Group fleet and ships. All they need to do is better share loyalty programs between brands and you've got no reason not to sail X when you seek smaller ships with fewer thrills on board. At least they recognize loyalty members from within the family of brands. Carnival doesn't do any sort of loyalty recognition between their brands. If you renamed Celebrity Edge to Royal Caribbean Edge and they operated it under the RCI brand you've got the newer smaller ship that can do the canal minus the water slides and zip lines. They are unlikely to do that so for those guests seeking newer but smaller ships look towards Celebrity.

We knocked on the DL door in July and the guest who opened the door actually asked to see our set sail passes, lol. I guess he deputized himself as the DL police.

I like to bring thank you cards and put the money in that.

@Psycho and Barb, they need an emoji with like fire coming out of its head!! Chair hogs, ugh!! I really can’t stand that entitlement!

All they have to do is grab a replacement towel from the towel station early in the morning when nobody is around…The towels are out and ready but nobody around to hand them out. We have seen chair hogs stop and grab a handful and use them to mark out their chairs.

I don't know that you can add on the land part separately with Royal. With enough research you could DIY your own your land tour and come out ahead pricewise, but it's definitely not as convenient as having all of the arrangements taken care of for you with respect to lodging and transportation. Remember as a single, you're still paying for a hotel room which isn't discounted for solos. So the savings really only comes in not paying for 2 train/bus tickets or 2 included tour excursion tickets.

Also thought it interesting that you think you don’t use the laundry. Air dry?

Happy 50th, and no I'm sorry, that towel would be on the floor.

Air draft has always been an elusive number largely because it is not a fixed number. Height above water line varies depending on loading of fuel, supplies, cargo and passengers plus ballasting and even water conditions like salinity and temperature. "Decks" is also an elusive number. NCL on many ships starts their deck numbering at 1 all the way down below the waterline where no guests ever go. By the time you reach their highest deck it's 18 but only 14 decks are passenger accessible. Yet these same ships with 18 claimed decks are not as tall as Quantum or Oasis class. Some Royal ships have a deck 0 and and deck 00 but unless you are on a behind the scenes tour you'll never see them. Oasis has a deck 18 where loft suite bedrooms are located yet Oasis is often referred to as having 17 decks mostly because that is what passengers can a press button for in an elevator. Having said all this it does appear Icon should have a higher air draft compared to Oasis. Despite that not being able to fit into New York, or Vancouver it doesn't really limit their deployments. For 10 years Oasis operated without going under a bridge once in service and so did her sisters in class once they entered service. I'd hardly call a few bridges around the world as limiting Icon's deployment opportunities. Quantum class have sailed under two bridges since entering service, Verrazano Narrows and Lion Gate. Bridges are not a hindrance to most cruise ports around the world. All ports except two... at least for modern, large cruise ships.

My daily coffee is either Sidamo Guji or Ethiopian Harrar, both natural process, bought as whole, green beans. I roast them in batches of 12 ounces (just to full city roast, just as first crack dies down) so the roasted beans are always between 2 and 12 days old, stored in special containers that allow them to outgas CO2. I grind them immediately before brewing. My water is a consistent 212F, and my drip brewer simulates a pour-over. It's the best coffee in the world. I fully expect to hate the coffee on my first cruise, much as I hate coffee almost everywhere except my house.