Ditchdoc

Early for sure. Depending on your likes, you carry on can have a swimsuit and you can hit the pool deck. If it is a new ship or you are new to cruising, you can spend time wandering around, getting to know your new enviornment. There are things like the cruise app to familiarize yourself with, lunch, making reservations for shows, dinners and so on. Around 1 or 2 the rooms will open and with luck, your bags will be there so you can begin to unpack. Then there is the set sail party and dinner. Point is, there are lots of things to keep you busy when you first board so board early and have fun.

It is a great cruise either way. Should be moderate weather in October. Locking through is pretty exciting and most of the day will be spent traversing Lake Gatun. Puntarenas and Cabo were my favorite ports. You can spend all day just walking the waterfront in Cabo and if you are adventurous, there is an active volcano you can hike in Costa Rica. Due to the long trip, we had the opportunity to meet some really nice people on the cruise and would spend time with them playing trivia, having pre dinner cocktails and so on. A smaller ship, good companionship ... it all hearkened back earlier days of cruising without all the noise and blare of the current mega ships. My only disappointment was seeing the ship depart after the cruise. I wish I had done a B2B. That would have been over a month on board.

No doubt there are all kinds of pet peeves .... Kids handling various food items in the buffet line without putting it on their plate. People trying to get on the elevator before letting anyone off. Littering, anywhere, including onboard a ship. The list is long and the patience short.

Some interesting shots. Some of the sight lines seem to be a jumble brightly painted metal.

I am not sure about a ginger bread house making activity but some ships will have a gingerbread house TOWN set up at the entrance to Windjammer.

Last one Skagway for for the White Pass Railroad Icy Point Straight for the many whales in the area Hubbard Glacier .... well ... for the Glacier These are all standouts that you will remember and talk about for years to come.

Lots of guests dress for the season. The main atrium will have a tree often seasonal music is played. Many guest decorate their cabin door. Some more elaborate than others.

I know its an on going debate of 'is it worth it' but even the lower price, it is over a thousand dollars for a week long cruise for two. I just can not justify it. Especially when I think about what a thousand bucks could stock in my home bar. Then there is Diamond plus that gets a couple 70 cocktails in a week .... that is typically more than enough for us. If we get a little crazy, we might have to pay for a couple extra drinks one night but usually we are turning in drink credits at the end of the day for bottled water.

Some things children might enjoy .... Skagway - White Pass & Yukon Route Railway - Adults and children alike will probably love this scene train ride - it is a one of a kind adventure Icy Point Straight - Forget paying for whale watching - bring binoculars ... at times whales will surface right at the pier. If you land tour --- Denali - dog sled training center Fairbanks - paddle wheel boat river trip Any opportunity to ride the Alaska railroad

Agree .... these days, when going to MacDonald's can cost $30 for two or Ruth Chris at an average of $100+ per person ...... a top notch meal, eight courses, premium ingredients, wine, good service, live music, luxury atmosphere ...... its a splurge .... but a nice one.

Wife and I are both Diamond .... we both get a free 8x10. The quality of the photos can vary depending on who is doing the shoot. We see good and bad and sometimes they are so bad they are not even put in the system. More recently, the old way of printing all the pictures and you get them off a rack has been replaced by a kiosk where you select and an hour or two later you can stop by and pick up what you selected. This makes sense for a number of reasons. Either way, at Diamond, free is free even if the photo is not great.

For a special event .... maybe. I did Chefs table with my wife for our 40th ..... though a bit pricey ... we felt it was worth it. It was a fabulous meal.

Well ... if they serve so-so free food .... maybe you will buy into the specialty restaurants. Its all about marketing.

True ... other factors include .. stability systems that help negate movement No ship is too big when it comes to the ocean and its power consider .... I go fishing on a 20 to 30 foot boat ... in 10 foot waves ... you spend more time going up and down than you do goring forward. Large cruise ships over a a 1,000 feet in length laugh at 10 foot seas, you barely notice. Cruise ships are generally made for near shore where waters are typically smoother. Some people are more prone to motion sickness than others and even small movements induce unwanted affects. You can get into more detail with wave height, period and are they on the bow or off the beam. I have been on cruises where the horizon would move from the top of the window to the bottom and beyond as the ship rolled. Fortunately, this is rare.

Reservations made. Central Park Balcony. Looking forward to not only exploring the ship and all it has to offer but also .... seeing it decorated for the holidays.

Just saw a post from JT Travel that a TA is doing a a "Icon Welcome Event" cruise on January 20. That narrows the window quiet a bit.

Good input ... I would rule out the 27th ... she will be there by then. So now we have a window between the 21st and 26th. Now we just need a lottery Winner gets a rubber duck

It appears the exact arrival in Miami is either not known or a secret. Not known could stem form many variables such as weather, logistics of supply and so on. Secret could stem from marketing, building anticipation etc. The first cruise is January 27. Its obvious the latest Icon could arrive would be early AM on the 27th. Dock time cost money so I would not expect Icon to arrive and spend days at the dock. Though much is prepared and done in advance, there is probably an official process of paperwork and inspection by the Coast Guard and so on. On the other hand, back to marketing and politics, there will no doubt be some kind of welcoming ceremony that includes A welcoming regatta, ships whistles, fire boats spraying water, and general hub bub. My best guess is an afternoon arrival on the 26th with much fan fair as she docks. This would give a full 24 hours or more for on boarding food and supplies before the inaugural cruise the next evening. This is my best guess....it is just a guess.

I wonder about the Captain and those directly involved. Safety and human life come first and there are several decisions when it comes to providing the best care possible. You can bet the Captain collects every bit of information possible and reports are written by everyone involved. Then the Captain no doubt has to file his own report based on all information available. Everything will then be reviewed and scrutinized for cause and what can be done if anything to prevent a future occurrence.

Probably a teen just being reckless. Already some are saying "RC needs to do a better job protecting us". Its truly sad and unfortunate but we have got to stop blaming others for our own ignorance.

Ditto on the "you do not have pay for extra packages to have fun", especially being your first cruise. The WOW factor of the ship and free activities will keep you entertained. Drinks and excursions will always be available, even without packages. It will be a great time and memory regardless.

We have done a central park balcony and liked it. Its a nice view and allows you to people watch. There was very talented acoustic guitar player that would play some evenings in central park and it was very nice to just sit on the balcony, listen, and enjoy a glass of wine. All in all, I think central park is one of the most amazing things ever put on a ship.

Spot On ..... Thanks The NRD is the only reflection on the invoice. There is no separate line item for the $300. To me, its just odd that the choice appeared briefly that one time during check out and there is no mention of the option on the RC web site that I found. Maybe RC makes more off cancelled cruises by keeping the deposits and would rather people do not know about the refundable deposit option. Anyway .... thanks for the info.

Other than the Jones Act that forbids a foreign flagged ship from sailing from a US port to a US port without stopping at a foreign port, no problem.

Just made a reservation on Icon for next year on the RC website. As I was nearing the end of the process, I would swear at one point, I had the option of paying an extra $300 in order secure a full refund up until the final payment date. Not knowing what the future will bring, I elected to pay the extra $300. When the typical email arrived with the reservation information, it contained the typical 50% Per Guest 74 to 61 Days Prior to Sailing 75% Per Guest 60 to 31 Days Prior to Sailing 100% Per Guest 30 to 0 Days Prior to Sailing No where was I able to find documentation I would be entitled to a full refund up until final payment due. No amount of searching makes any mention of this guaranteed refund for a fee. Am I mistaken, can't read or just loosing my mind?