SweetPea

Sorry for the extra picture above.
as we were walking this morning we spotted the full moon

Yesterday was a very busy day. We had breakfast in Coastal kitchen and then off to hide ducks. We hid ducks till lunch at Johnny Rockets and then immediately went for the bridge tour.

 



after the tour we went for a 3 o’clock show. We saw The ventriloquist again but a different show this time ,he was very funny. We lost another hour at 2 pm.time will not change today.
dinner last night was 150 service was off we may not go back there on this trip.

Filet

veal

 
fried cheesecake

Lunch in Coastal kitchen


lobster pie

swordfish

We always feel that way after Izumi as well! It's all the carbs lol.  And you went on your last night so you're getting the cumulative effects of SC eating all week 😂
We have the ATS coming up on Utopia as well in March 2025. Looking forward to that one quite a bit.
I can't believe it's over already! Thanks for sharing your week with us. I am still jealous of the Yeti 😉

If I don't feel that way at the end of a cruise I feel I've done something terribly wrong.
Thanks for sharing and safe travels home!

Ok, recap of the last night.
We had dinner at Izumi sushi.  It was really good this trip!
Seaweed salad.

Various rolls and some nigiri 🍣 


 
After dinner they had to bring in a wheel barrow to haul us out of there.
We may not have to eat for a week.
Once recovered, I managed to play 3 card for a bit and came away a whole $25 richer.  I'll take it.  Came away up quite a bit over all. 😉
This morning we were off by 7:30 and at the airport by 8.  We board in just about 2 hours.
Final Thoughts:
It’s going to be hard to go back to Oasis.  We liked it that much.  The ease of movement, the new layouts and venues. The hideaway, swim and tonic. Just incredible!
My only complaint was playmakers.  It’s bigger than oasis, but we didn’t spend any time there because it is constantly loaded with teenagers playing air hockey and various other things.  (It’s right next to the teen club). Also, the ice show crowds.just make it not a good vibe.  They seem to be aware of the issues but may not be something they can fix until second generation of icon class.
Really that was our only gripe.
Other than night one we didn’t spend much time in coastal kitchen or the grove. For no other reason than just so much to do and explore on that ship.
We have Utopia up next in A1 ATS.  After that, we are going to Try Celebrity and have an Edge Villa booked on The Excel when it comes out in 2026.
Cheers all and thanks for putting up with our shenanigans!

Wouldn't you have preferred "I-CON-ADA"? Not even sure if that was funny, lack of sleep. 😴
@JohnK6404 Love the well-organized preface. Happy 20th! Our anniversary is 6/1 and we usually wind up sailing right after it. Have a cruise booked for 6/2 the next two Junes. It's our 22nd this year.

I think you picked the right title! Sounds fun! Looking forward to following along!

Phew! All done! The most stressful part of committing to a live blog is naming it!  🤣
@Lovetocruise2002 sets the bar so high! I waffled between “ICON Sea Clearly Now” and “ICONic Anniversary Cruise”.  I hope I made the right choice!  😀
Once again, starting the blog a little early to get a head start. We set sail in 7 days! It’s so crazy how time flies… we booked this cruise almost 19 months ago back in late OCT 2022 when they first opened up the bookings for Icon!

 
My wife (Christine) and I (John) will be celebrating our 20th Wedding Anniversary 💒 🍾 a little early on this cruise. Our actual anniversary is June 4th… the not so clever “6404” in my screen name!  😆
It will be just the two of us this time since none of our cruising cohorts could make this sailing due to scheduling conflicts (both couples booked, but had to back out early on… they are soooo jealous! 😉). Our last “solo” couple cruise was back in OCT 2021 on Oasis shortly after the return to cruising.
There will be a number of new experiences during this vacation both on land and on the cruise. Of course, Icon is completely new to us! So excited and ready to go!
This itinerary has eluded us to date. We had booked this itinerary on Harmony prior to the shutdown. Harmony turned into Symphony (moved us as Harmony’s planned dry dock was moved up at that time), but when Covid hit, that sailing was of course cancelled. This will be our first visit to Costa Maya and Roatan!
 
* Time for some trip details…
Cruise Details:  
Icon of the Seas, 7-night, Western Caribbean & Perfect Day itinerary Out of Miami, FL 5/11/24-5/18/24 Itinerary:
Day 1 (5/11):    Miami, FL Day 2 (5/12):    * At Sea * Day 3 (5/13):    Roatan, Honduras Day 4 (5/14):    Puerto Costa Maya, Mexico Day 5 (5/15):    Cozumel, Mexico Day 6 (5/16):    * At Sea * Day 7 (5/17):    PDCC, Bahamas Day 8 (5/18):    Miami, FL Cabin Details & General Plans/Stuff:
Ocean View Balcony Stateroom (Deck 12, Midship, Starboard side) Selected Traditional Dining (5:00 PM) Purchased the Deluxe Beverage Package Purchased VOOM Surf+Stream Package Purchased 10-Photo Package Purchased a-la-carte specialty dining lunches (Chops Grille, Hooked, and Izumi Hibachi) Purchased Chef’s Table... wanted to try Empire Supper Club, but the $472 charge for the 2 of us was a little too steep this time around! Purchased the Day Pass to Hideaway Beach (CocoCay) Purchased “Semi-Sub Glass Bottom Boat and Monkey & Sloth Park” excursion in Roatan (Christine insisted) Purchased “Chacchoben Extreme Tour” through Native Choice in Costa Maya Purchased admission to Nachi Cocum in Cozumel Purchased Crown’s Edge for both of us (Note: Christine is terrified of heights, but insisted on joining me when I booked it! 😳) Booked all major entertainment via Cruise Planner (The Wizard of Oz, Starburst: Elemental Beauty, Aqua Action!, Headliner: Adam Kario, The Effectors: The Origin Story, Adult Comedy LIVE! (x2) What did we skip this time?
The Key… we do not feel it’s worth it right now with all of the changes and price increases. We’ve purchased it 4 times since 2019 – very familiar with the changes to the program over the last 5 years. It’s also been holding at $49.99/day pp for our sailing! Unlimited Dining Package… tried it for the first time last OCT/NOV on Wonder. We enjoyed it, but we don’t feel it’s necessarily worth purchasing every cruise (our decision will likely be based on cost and itinerary). Will try it again down the road. Currently selling for $420.99 pp! We traditionally purchase the 3 Night Dining Package, but also skipped it this time and elected to go with specialty lunches and Chef's Table for a change. Miscellaneous Stuff:
Flight on Southwest Airlines out of Islip/MacArthur Airport (ISP) on Long Island (NY) very early 🥱 on FRI (5/10) morning to Ft. Lauderdale (FLL). Taking a shuttle (SAS Transport Service) from FLL directly to our hotel. Staying overnight at the InterContinental Miami (booked a Bay View room). Plan on exploring Bayside Marketplace and some other local areas as time permits. Our current plan is to use Uber or Lyft from the hotel to the port on SAT morning. We booked the earliest boarding period available (11:30-12:00) for our sailing (completed check-in right after midnight). We likely will arrive a little earlier just in case! We love to start our vacation and exploration of the ship ASAP!  🚢🍹🧉🍷  * Oh yeah! We'll finally be Diamond after this sailing!  🥳 🎉 🍾
 
I think that’s it for the synopsis... now we just need to pack this weekend! 
*** As always, please let me know if you have any questions or would like me to post pictures of something you are interested in... I'll do my best to keep up throughout the sailing!
 
My current iPhone lockscreen… always a pic of the next ship we’ve booked!
Having at least one in the hopper, even if it's a year away, helps soften the pain of disembarking the ship! 

 
Have a good night everyone!

Edited as Mrscalvink669 is technically challenged after a few drinks

Back on board, Marla has asked the helicopters And search and rescue dogs to stand down.
Had to stop at rye and bean for a pick me up 😜
Expresso Martini

Chai Old Fashioned

Hideaway Beach is where it’s at if you’re not traveling with kids! 

The hideaway vibe at Coco Cay is pretty lit!

IMG_7092.mov  



😎😎😎

I know everyone keeps asking about the gym so I just wanted to fill you in. I stuck my head in and it’s beautiful, huge, tons of machines. It was pretty busy in there.
 
Then I promptly turned around and went to get some soft serve. 

After a nap in CoCo Cay, we finally hit Rye & Bean for some caffeine. The espresso martini and the coconut cold brew are both excellent, beautiful view too! I should’ve taken advantage of this earlier. 

I carry the Tide stain wipes, always have, and they work. But I rarely bring anything in case I need to do some quick laundry. I normally do a load in the hotels, when I did my traditional S2S2Ss. But I got the sheets based off a recommendation and love them, they cut down on my laundry detergent bill. 

That cup holder that attaches to the luggage will be one of my best Bezos purchases. I don't carry a purse, so I always have to take off my travel backpack and dig for my passport and sometimes paper boarding pass. This will hold two drinks and that. Plus, while I am having my snacks, I can keep my drinks within reach. 

Wait...aren't you "anti fly to the port"? Don't you just use the cup holder in your car? lol

Maybe I jumped the gun on taking her off moderation. 😂

Psst... wrong live blog. What did you drink at CocoCay? 🙈
@calvink669, keep an eye on your better half, lol.

You know you need at least one post from Wonder. I think you need to do that for the record for most cruises blogged in one blog!

I have the laundry sheets. Make sure you bring a stain stick or equivalent! They are not my fave but definitely are convenient for travel!
I thought about that cup holder, but opted for a bag that goes over the handles as well. My backpack has too many compartments and the older i get, the less i remember which compartment i put what ... 

I have the laundry sheets. Make sure you bring a stain stick or equivalent! They are not my fave but definitely are convenient for travel!
I thought about that cup holder, but opted for a bag that goes over the handles as well. My backpack has too many compartments and the older i get, the less i remember which compartment i put what ... 

You know you need at least one post from Wonder. I think you need to do that for the record for most cruises blogged in one blog!

I have the laundry sheets. Make sure you bring a stain stick or equivalent! They are not my fave but definitely are convenient for travel!
I thought about that cup holder, but opted for a bag that goes over the handles as well. My backpack has too many compartments and the older i get, the less i remember which compartment i put what ...