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Whoever you were talking to was either smarter than all of us or far dumber than all of us. The Panama Canal does flow from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and the elevation does drop about 85 feet in that time. But I'm not sure if it has any effect on the ship or that the passengers would notice one way vs. the other.

I've been through it myself and when talking to friends with kids as well: There seems to be a misconception that you spend a lot of time IN THE WATER at the pool deck on cruises. The pools are small and fine to stand around and chat but at the end of the day, they're basically water tanks. You can't really enjoy them in a way you'd enjoy a pool at a resort. My kids have been on a half dozen cruises since they were 2 up to now the oldest is 11, and I'd say the time we spend IN THE WATER on cruises is pretty minimal compared to what we do when we go to a resort (when our kids spend the entire day in the water.) There so much more to do on a cruise. You stay busy. It's hard to explain, but I wouldn't be too worried about not being able to use the main pools. It's not the focus of the vacation in the same way it is at a resort.

This is something I'm curious about. Royal has always nailed ship design. Oasis Class is just perfect. But from the second I saw Icon it just seemed visually busy and loud. Now that we can see around the ship, the views of the ocean seem incredible. There seem to be so many areas within the Promenade and Aqua Dome area that provide big beautiful sea views, which I know was a major focus. But it seems like that means they've had to put all the infrastructure, walkways, stands, etc., on the interior of the ship, which makes the Aqua Dome area look busy and closed off. Similarly, the pool deck just seems like a big mess of partial levels and stairways and dozens of separated seating areas. The crazy array of pastel colors of the slats you mentioned doesn't help. Combine that with the slides and the whole thing just looks like a jumbled mess. Again, I trust Royal and I think it'll be beautiful when onboard, but from afar there definitely doesn't seem to be the elegance of prior classes.

Ben & Jerry's used to be an exciting, special thing. It hasn't been for like 15 years. Just no reason to have the partnership.

Yes, seen plenty of photos and it's definitely out of water, but that could mean anything. There may be some additional work to do under the water line.

It could be any number of things. It could be logistical, having to do with dock capabilities, labor, perhaps the location of items that need to go onto the boat, etc. If the furniture, for example, is being sourced out of an area that's easier to get to Cadiz than Finland, maybe it's easier to stop there on the way. They're in completely different areas of Europe facing different bodies of water so it may be easier to bring the boat to the appropriate people and cargo rather than the other way around. Perhaps the Finland port is more expensive and better for heavy duty construction while Cadiz is cheaper and better for putting on finishing touches, etc. Again, no evidence to support any of this, but all could be viable reasons for something like this. Doesn't seem too odd to me.

We'll be on this sailing with two other families. 6 adults and 9 kids in all! Looking forward to our first sailing on a Quantum class ship. We've done multiple on Oasis and Voyager ships. Hoping this can live up to the others!

This is what Disney has done and it's what converted our family from Disney World vacations to Royal cruises. Disney World used to be a manageable vacation where a family could choose between a budget, mid-priced, or luxury vacation -- but at the end of the day the core experience was the same for everyone. Slowly but dramatically, everything skyrocketed in price, while the focus of new construction and innovation shifted entirely to creating more luxury options. Disney stopped worrying about accommodating families on a budget and looked solely to becoming an experience where more money bought you a better experience and the baseline costs got you less and less. Royal has seen the same increase in demand and sadly appears to be going the same direction in, 1) seeing how much people will pay for the baseline experience while 2) providing more and more pressure to upgrade to the next level.

We're going on Odyssey in March and, even though the ship is still so new, I'm oddly nervous about it. The Oasis class ships are so large and open I always felt it the design of that class was a triumph for Royal. For my kids, without the water slides, the massive pool deck, the Abyss, the carousel and Boardwalk, Central Park, the big Promenade, and the Aqua Theater shows, I worry there's not going to be enough to keep them interested. It just seems like a very different environment.

There are some people on the boat you can follow on social who are posting periodic photos. It seems as if they had some of the staff/crew join the ship in Finland, not sure if it's for rehearsals or simply to help get the ship ready. On Instagram, @iampoppybristow, @paulagilabert, @brie.dias, @ichkogranat, @anuka1220, and @gustavo_fujikawa are on the ship. Some of them were on previous Royal contracts as part of the aqua show and are joining on for the first cast of Icon. I'm sure there are other accounts (feel free to post in replies). No photos of the inside of the ship so far, but updates here and there.

Yeah... weird. I was waiting for this article to say something interesting. I was unaware of some of the green capabilities of Icon, but other than that, I'm not sure of the informational value this provides anyone, whether they know anything about cruising or not.

If it's a cruise that begins and ends in the US, you're likely okay with a birth certificate. I went on a cruise in 2022 with my mother-in-law, who doesn't have a passport, and she was able to get off at Coco Cay and Nassau. She only needed the birth certificate to get onto the ship. Once there, her card was all she needed to get on and off the boat.

Yes, the answer to your question depends upon weather you want there to be a formal night. If you want to dress up, there will be a night for you to do so. If you don't want to have a formal night, there isn't one.

Everything Disney is now outrageously expensive. Until the past 10-15 years, Disney World was sold as an affordable family vacation for everyone. Park tickets were reasonable and they had on-site resorts that ranged from luxury to budget level. Now, the only audience they cater to across the board is those with little or no limitations as far as cost. They quit building budget and moderate resorts years ago. Now, all they do is build Deluxe resorts that are >$600 per night even at off-peak times of year. They finish one and start the next one. Meanwhile, everything at the park is now an upcharge or part of a deluxe package. Meanwhile, their customer service used to be amazing. They'd do everything to make sure you had a great 'magical' trip. That's completely gone now. It's no better than dealing with Royal. It's sad because Disney World used to be such a great vacation. The cruise line is no different. Disney Cruises are almost always at least 50% greater in cost than their equivalent on Royal. All that said -- and I know I'm going to get pushback here on a Royal message board -- you do get what you pay for. Disney's Deluxe resorts are phenomenal and the cruise ships are beautiful and spotless. However, I would say that the newest Royal ships (Oasis, Quantum Class) are just as nice as the Disney ships, and there's a lot more to do. The only thing that we found to be consistently (much) better on Disney was the food. Royal's MDR is a joke at this point. Disney's MDR food we found to be exceptional. In any event, we used to be a Disney family. We went to Disney 5x in 6 years from 2013-19. Now that our kids are a bit older and Disney has so few affordable options left, we've defected entirely to Royal.

We were on it last year. Had no issues with it whatsoever. It's not as new, obviously, as a Oasis class ship. But we found it clean and in good shape. It at no point felt 'old' other than perhaps the furniture and materials in the room. If you like the itinerary, I wouldn't think for a second about going on Adventure. We had a perfectly good time.

Yeah, that I definitely will do with my kids, but I try to walk straight through the area and not stop. Honestly, the Solarium (particularly on those ships) isn't that interesting for kids anyway. There are tons of loungers and seating in the main pool areas. It's one thing on Oasis Class where the Solarium is a huge, beautiful area with a panoramic view off the front of the ship. There's not much to do on the Freedom Class Solariums except walk through them.

The Cafe is the cafe. I don't know the layout of all the ships, but on Oasis Class, you don't need to enter the actual Solarium to access the Solarium Cafe. Particularly on Oasis Class ships, the Solarium is a large, enclosed area that is well-defined. For me, it's pretty straightforward. Are there other ships where there is food available for all ages in the Solarium?

But this is a very different scenario than what we're talking about. Kids acting noticeably out-of-line in general is not something I see very often on Royal (to the point of someone's comment above, most of the bad behavior I witness on cruises is by adults). If a kid is in the Solarium, however, that's another issue. But, I'd also argue that's not the kid's fault. The Solarium exists for the sole purpose of being an adults-only section of the ship. I've seen some complaints on here before that there are kids often in the Solarium. I haven't personally witnessed this on any cruise I've been on, but if it's an issue, Royal needs to staff up and ask the kids to leave the area. The Solarium is nothing if not an adults-only area. That's what it should be.

I think this is perfectly reasonable. I wouldn't fault anyone for choosing to go when there are going to be fewer kids if you are cruising Royal either way and aren't taking kids along. The entitlement thing I haven't seen much though. We've done 3 Royal cruises in the past year, and we sailed on Wonder this past Spring Break. It was obviously full of kids. But I wouldn't say I ever felt like people were letting their kids go too crazy or weren't parenting sufficiently. At no point did I feel like people were acting entitled, at least from the standpoint of what they were allowing their kids to do or how they were allowing them to act. I think people annoyed by the % of kids and families on Royal are perhaps hypersensitive to it because they have a beef with the increasing number of kids to begin with. Overall, I've felt like the kids on cruises we've been on over the past couple years have been overwhelmingly well-behaved.

It's fine for adults to enjoy those things. My point is, they're put there to attract kids and families. Families and kids is Royal's target. Hence why Celebrity and Virgin don't have those things. If, as an adult, you want to go to Disney World and stand in line to meet Mickey, go ahead. But if the park wasn't targeting kids, Mickey wouldn't be there in the first place. Celebrity matches Royal C&A levels for anything Platinum or above. So anyone who has invested time and money into gaining Royal status can sail with Celebrity, avoid most of the kids, but still get their loyalty benefits.

This is a question I've never really understood. If you want fewer kids on the boat (and that's totally fine -- I get why you would want a more adult vibe), then why wouldn't you just cruise Celebrity (Royal's sister brand targeted more towards adults) or Virgin (where they have brand new ships and there are literally no kids allowed)? Royal is a cruise line targeted to families. They have carousels and giant slides on their boats! I totally, totally understand wanting an adult vacation without kids running around. But then why not just go with one of your equivalent options that would significantly minimize your concerns without having to worry about sailing at an off-peak time?

I have two kids and always cruise with my family. I'm as pro-kid and pro-family as you'll see on this message board. That said, while I think it's fine for kids to be in a bar area (it's no different than a restaurant), I don't think there's need for kids to sit at an actual bar top, particularly at night if there are adults who would otherwise be sitting there. There are very few bars on Royal ships where the only area to sit is the bar itself. Just sit anywhere else. I feel like plenty of bars on land allow kids in the bar itself but not to sit at the bar top. It just seems like a reasonable compromise, particularly on a family friendly cruise ship.

They're definitely being generous in using the term 'legends'.

Ubers are very easy to get and take to the port. Same goes with getting off the boat and getting back to the Orlando area. Never had a problem getting one within 10 minutes that took us directly to the boat. I would recommend checking both Uber and Lyft. One is sometimes much cheaper than the other.

As far back as I can remember the WJ has closed at 9. However, I have noticed in recent cruises that there are limited options for late-night eating, particularly on larger ships where there are more people who may want to grab a bite. It's pretty much Sorrento's or nothing. In walking around the ship in the late evening (10-midnight), I have wished for other options on a couple recent sailings. I feel like, trapped on a boat, providing another option would be nice.