PhillyLady

Okay, errors happen all the time, but if you do not have a travel agent to oversee this, then you have to stay calm and try to negotiate what will be in your best interests.
Saying you will never set foot on a RC ship and they are a horrible company does not get too much cooperation from an agent.  Calm down, take a deep breath, and consider the options more rationally.  Yes, it was their error, so yes, they need to make it up to you as you are a loyal customer.
You also should ask to have the situation escalated to a supervisor.  If you do not go on the June 6th cruise, it will not be the end of the world.  Instead, you need to see what is the best possible alternative RC can offer you--upgraded cabin, additional onboard credit, bigger ship, longer cruise--see what else is out there that could be of potential interest. Maybe book two cruises for the price of the one you miss! Also, in the future, check your reservation every week or so, which is what travel agents have to do.
I mean, the ship could have had to go into dry dock for some kind of issue, and you would still miss the date, but you would probably not have to be so furious.  I have lost so many trips the past few years due to Covid, war in Israel, Russian invasion, etc., that anymore I consider it great if everything does work out perfectly.  Hopefully there will also be future opportunities for more travel!  Best wishes!

Here’s relaxing for you:

Okay, errors happen all the time, but if you do not have a travel agent to oversee this, then you have to stay calm and try to negotiate what will be in your best interests.
Saying you will never set foot on a RC ship and they are a horrible company does not get too much cooperation from an agent.  Calm down, take a deep breath, and consider the options more rationally.  Yes, it was their error, so yes, they need to make it up to you as you are a loyal customer.
You also should ask to have the situation escalated to a supervisor.  If you do not go on the June 6th cruise, it will not be the end of the world.  Instead, you need to see what is the best possible alternative RC can offer you--upgraded cabin, additional onboard credit, bigger ship, longer cruise--see what else is out there that could be of potential interest. Maybe book two cruises for the price of the one you miss! Also, in the future, check your reservation every week or so, which is what travel agents have to do.
I mean, the ship could have had to go into dry dock for some kind of issue, and you would still miss the date, but you would probably not have to be so furious.  I have lost so many trips the past few years due to Covid, war in Israel, Russian invasion, etc., that anymore I consider it great if everything does work out perfectly.  Hopefully there will also be future opportunities for more travel!  Best wishes!

Okay, errors happen all the time, but if you do not have a travel agent to oversee this, then you have to stay calm and try to negotiate what will be in your best interests.
Saying you will never set foot on a RC ship and they are a horrible company does not get too much cooperation from an agent.  Calm down, take a deep breath, and consider the options more rationally.  Yes, it was their error, so yes, they need to make it up to you as you are a loyal customer.
You also should ask to have the situation escalated to a supervisor.  If you do not go on the June 6th cruise, it will not be the end of the world.  Instead, you need to see what is the best possible alternative RC can offer you--upgraded cabin, additional onboard credit, bigger ship, longer cruise--see what else is out there that could be of potential interest. Maybe book two cruises for the price of the one you miss! Also, in the future, check your reservation every week or so, which is what travel agents have to do.
I mean, the ship could have had to go into dry dock for some kind of issue, and you would still miss the date, but you would probably not have to be so furious.  I have lost so many trips the past few years due to Covid, war in Israel, Russian invasion, etc., that anymore I consider it great if everything does work out perfectly.  Hopefully there will also be future opportunities for more travel!  Best wishes!

Okay, errors happen all the time, but if you do not have a travel agent to oversee this, then you have to stay calm and try to negotiate what will be in your best interests.
Saying you will never set foot on a RC ship and they are a horrible company does not get too much cooperation from an agent.  Calm down, take a deep breath, and consider the options more rationally.  Yes, it was their error, so yes, they need to make it up to you as you are a loyal customer.
You also should ask to have the situation escalated to a supervisor.  If you do not go on the June 6th cruise, it will not be the end of the world.  Instead, you need to see what is the best possible alternative RC can offer you--upgraded cabin, additional onboard credit, bigger ship, longer cruise--see what else is out there that could be of potential interest. Maybe book two cruises for the price of the one you miss! Also, in the future, check your reservation every week or so, which is what travel agents have to do.
I mean, the ship could have had to go into dry dock for some kind of issue, and you would still miss the date, but you would probably not have to be so furious.  I have lost so many trips the past few years due to Covid, war in Israel, Russian invasion, etc., that anymore I consider it great if everything does work out perfectly.  Hopefully there will also be future opportunities for more travel!  Best wishes!

Okay, errors happen all the time, but if you do not have a travel agent to oversee this, then you have to stay calm and try to negotiate what will be in your best interests.
Saying you will never set foot on a RC ship and they are a horrible company does not get too much cooperation from an agent.  Calm down, take a deep breath, and consider the options more rationally.  Yes, it was their error, so yes, they need to make it up to you as you are a loyal customer.
You also should ask to have the situation escalated to a supervisor.  If you do not go on the June 6th cruise, it will not be the end of the world.  Instead, you need to see what is the best possible alternative RC can offer you--upgraded cabin, additional onboard credit, bigger ship, longer cruise--see what else is out there that could be of potential interest. Maybe book two cruises for the price of the one you miss! Also, in the future, check your reservation every week or so, which is what travel agents have to do.
I mean, the ship could have had to go into dry dock for some kind of issue, and you would still miss the date, but you would probably not have to be so furious.  I have lost so many trips the past few years due to Covid, war in Israel, Russian invasion, etc., that anymore I consider it great if everything does work out perfectly.  Hopefully there will also be future opportunities for more travel!  Best wishes!

Okay, errors happen all the time, but if you do not have a travel agent to oversee this, then you have to stay calm and try to negotiate what will be in your best interests.
Saying you will never set foot on a RC ship and they are a horrible company does not get too much cooperation from an agent.  Calm down, take a deep breath, and consider the options more rationally.  Yes, it was their error, so yes, they need to make it up to you as you are a loyal customer.
You also should ask to have the situation escalated to a supervisor.  If you do not go on the June 6th cruise, it will not be the end of the world.  Instead, you need to see what is the best possible alternative RC can offer you--upgraded cabin, additional onboard credit, bigger ship, longer cruise--see what else is out there that could be of potential interest. Maybe book two cruises for the price of the one you miss! Also, in the future, check your reservation every week or so, which is what travel agents have to do.
I mean, the ship could have had to go into dry dock for some kind of issue, and you would still miss the date, but you would probably not have to be so furious.  I have lost so many trips the past few years due to Covid, war in Israel, Russian invasion, etc., that anymore I consider it great if everything does work out perfectly.  Hopefully there will also be future opportunities for more travel!  Best wishes!

I did think about this when I first saw the design. The objective was to split up the usual high-traffic areas to prevent anywhere from being too crowded -- which it does a great job of -- but for anyone with kids of split age groups, this does present an issue. 
But... these ships are increasingly built to be like theme parks with distinctly different areas. And if you've ever been to Disney or any other type of theme park or water park with kids of different ages (where one wants to ride coasters while the other wants to meet Cinderella, or one wants to be in the kiddie pool while the other wants to go on slides), you know you either need to split up or compromise. 
To me, it's not that different from any other Royal boat where there are things to do all over the ship. I often find myself going with one kid to karaoke while my wife takes the other to play sports. Then there are times when we say to one of them, "too bad, we're going to stay together and spend time as a family now." It's just a reality of being on a massive ship with a million things to do. 
I've gone on cruises with just my family of 4, to groups as big as 5 families, all with kids of various ages. It's hard and perhaps even unrealistic to keep everyone together on a cruise when there's so much to do. 
 

I don’t think PR had too much of a role - the insurance companies have the most weight in these situations. 

I would wholly disagree with this assessment. The Icon is certainly “adult friendly” and quite possibly more adult friendly than the rest of the fleet. I think it’s possible the surfside neighborhood may be a sticking point for some people because of the kid craziness but this neighborhood does an excellent job of containing the chaos. My parents (both seniors) were on the ship in February and can’t wait to go back with us all in November for Thanksgiving. They both agree it’s the best ship in the fleet with so many dining/drink and entertainment options that you can’t possibly see and do it all in a week. 

Okay, there has certainly been a lot of hype about this ship, and a colleague (adult) is doing a back-to-back with her mother (senior) this Fall, so I was somewhat interested in learning more about the huge new Icon.  I have to say, I skimmed through your video just to hear at the end that in your opinion the ship is not too adult friendly.  We, as a mature couple, have always had a good time on our previous RC cruises, but there were a nice mix of ages.  We are not really into adult-only cruises, but we do not necessarily want to be on a cruise which is completely child-centered.  Did you do any grown-up things, like go dancing, listen to a band, or attend a comedy show, or anything that was not focused on the young one? Is there good shopping variety, or are there decent spa services? 
Anyway, it was a very nicely constructed video, and I cannot believe you even did pricing--very helpful to those interested in a future booking! Your shots were clear and interesting, your pace was great, the narration was smooth, and you covered a nice variety of topics. 
Yes, I agree the ship is probably way overpriced--that is what happens when there is a lot of demand.  
Sorry I cannot subscribe--your video is actually one of the few cruise videos I have ever watched on Youtube! After fifty years of cruising I rarely have a need to look at those types of resources.  But, I do like chatting a bit on this forum, so thanks for sharing.
I know your son will look back on these experiences and treasure them all, along with his father's excellent documentation.  Best wishes!
 
 
 

Okay, there has certainly been a lot of hype about this ship, and a colleague (adult) is doing a back-to-back with her mother (senior) this Fall, so I was somewhat interested in learning more about the huge new Icon.  I have to say, I skimmed through your video just to hear at the end that in your opinion the ship is not too adult friendly.  We, as a mature couple, have always had a good time on our previous RC cruises, but there were a nice mix of ages.  We are not really into adult-only cruises, but we do not necessarily want to be on a cruise which is completely child-centered.  Did you do any grown-up things, like go dancing, listen to a band, or attend a comedy show, or anything that was not focused on the young one? Is there good shopping variety, or are there decent spa services? 
Anyway, it was a very nicely constructed video, and I cannot believe you even did pricing--very helpful to those interested in a future booking! Your shots were clear and interesting, your pace was great, the narration was smooth, and you covered a nice variety of topics. 
Yes, I agree the ship is probably way overpriced--that is what happens when there is a lot of demand.  
Sorry I cannot subscribe--your video is actually one of the few cruise videos I have ever watched on Youtube! After fifty years of cruising I rarely have a need to look at those types of resources.  But, I do like chatting a bit on this forum, so thanks for sharing.
I know your son will look back on these experiences and treasure them all, along with his father's excellent documentation.  Best wishes!
 
 
 

Okay, there has certainly been a lot of hype about this ship, and a colleague (adult) is doing a back-to-back with her mother (senior) this Fall, so I was somewhat interested in learning more about the huge new Icon.  I have to say, I skimmed through your video just to hear at the end that in your opinion the ship is not too adult friendly.  We, as a mature couple, have always had a good time on our previous RC cruises, but there were a nice mix of ages.  We are not really into adult-only cruises, but we do not necessarily want to be on a cruise which is completely child-centered.  Did you do any grown-up things, like go dancing, listen to a band, or attend a comedy show, or anything that was not focused on the young one? Is there good shopping variety, or are there decent spa services? 
Anyway, it was a very nicely constructed video, and I cannot believe you even did pricing--very helpful to those interested in a future booking! Your shots were clear and interesting, your pace was great, the narration was smooth, and you covered a nice variety of topics. 
Yes, I agree the ship is probably way overpriced--that is what happens when there is a lot of demand.  
Sorry I cannot subscribe--your video is actually one of the few cruise videos I have ever watched on Youtube! After fifty years of cruising I rarely have a need to look at those types of resources.  But, I do like chatting a bit on this forum, so thanks for sharing.
I know your son will look back on these experiences and treasure them all, along with his father's excellent documentation.  Best wishes!
 
 
 

Theres a bunch of different kinds of these cruises, but I been on all 11 of the Rock Legends Cruises. They are charity run so they seem to attract more of the big names on each cruise. I don't go for the cruise amenities. I go because the aging big names are performing 3 to 20 feet in front of me. That is a thousand plus dollar ticket to any shows on land. And theres over 20 bands per cruise. And if that is not enough, I run my video cameras in their face with 300x zoom. I can count their nose hairs if I want. On land you go thru metal detectors and no video cameras allowed. Only cell phones get a pass any more and those are only now getting better. Then you get meet and greet on elevators and toilets and buffet lines. It's like the legends are just like us. They get pestered abit, but it's not like what happened to the Beatles 50 years ago. So I dont book balconies and opt for a port hole room, since Im not in the room much. I played golf on only one of the 11 cruises and only because a lady asked me really nice to join her there. I rarely do the formal dinning because its small portions and way too slow. I heap it on at the Buffet and wolf it down as I look over the schedule for the rest of the days bands. It's almost impossible to see ALL of the bands so Im always running around to all the venues to see as many as possible. To get up to the front rows you have to wait for over an hour and even longer. 2 hour waits for the theater. I rarely watch at the theator. The Deck stage and the Studio stage is standing room in front of the stage. So that is where I mostly go. It's loud, but they perform right in front of you. It's so amazing. Sammy Hagar pouring his rum into my drink mug. Same with Rick Springfield. They both partnered to make their own rum brand after Sammy sold his Tequila brand. The access to this kind of rock and roll is matched by no other venue. I am so tired when its over in 5 days, but then I play with pics and videos all the rest of the year, and I am floored by what I did. Some people complain about service compared to regular cruises. But Im glad staff stays out of my way. On the first cruise staff came out and sold drinks at the theator all thru the shows. That has never happened again. Fabulous. Room service is as friendly as any other cruise and I leave them a tip. Rock Legends Cruise 2025 will be different. The woman that created this cruise passed away. A young lady has replaced her, and she seems too young for the job. I have not bought an advance ticket and may finally miss a Rock Legends Cruise. They started booking bands much too late and I think most big names have their schedules already finalized. But it has been 11 fabulous cruises. I stand all day every day, but there is plenty of seating for those that sit until everybody has to stand, hah.

We sailed on Icon on Feb 24. Since then I have spent way too may hours creating a video review of our cruise. Yes it only took 2 months.  It's geared for family with kids.
Please watch the review if watching YouTube videos about cruises is your thing. 🤣
Spoiler alert: ... we liked it?
 
 

As mentioned above, the combo of having seen it enough times and the 2:30pm start time is why we haven't been going.

Yeah, I think you’re right. I sort of felt like that the last time but was thinking maybe it was due to less energy with the audience being so small.
I do think in general for shows and small events they could be marketed more through the app. 

For this specific show they should have different questions pretty often. I mean there’s at least an hundred different questions you can ask any married couple. There’s so many newlywed board games they can borrow from.
Some of the entertainment is based on the participants, and if the host isn’t pulling information out of them to get a story the show can become very dull.
 
 
 
 

Allergies, adjustments to new geography (high altitude to low altitude, cold to hot, dry to damp, etc), travel eating patterns causing some "disruptions" or even just...getting old.

Strongly disagree. Our go-to spot at PDCC is within ear shot of the music and not that far from the Oasis Bar but we don't find it loud at all.
To each his own but the Oasis pool is so large that I don't personally find it loud unless you're right on top of the DJ/bar.

I was on Icon Maiden and it truly was a set apart experience.  I don't mind RCL pricing up significantly for Icon class ships, especially in the first 2 or 3 years.  My real issue is that they hiked pricing on the rest of the fleet.  I've got 7 booked RCL cruises and the pricing is significantly higher than pre-COVID, way more than inflation.  The most interesting thing to me is the squeeze between the mass market segment and the premium segment.  For apples-to-apples cruise lengths and ports you can now book Celebrity or Princess for the same price as Royal.  Virgin and Holland America are still a little higher.  I've got a side-by-side pair of cruises out of Galveston where the 7 day Princess with drink package and gratuities is exactly the same price as Royal with gratuities but no drinks package (I'm D+ so this is an equivalent cruise for me).  I'll be interested in my reaction to consecutive cruises to the same ports on different cruise lines.  I've got a 15 day Oceania which is definitely higher price as it is a luxury small ship line but their alcohol drinks package is $30 pp / per day including gratuities.
If you follow RCL bookings they are definitely not negatively impacted by their huge price increases but I have to wonder if the "empty nesters" move to better alternatives over the next 3-5 years. 

GTY Balcony every time. We never had a bad surprise. We prefer to keep the money for excursions

I am cheap, I only book the cheapest option available and look at my bookings everyday and re-price if it gets any lower than what I pay 😂
I do Royal Up, but never gotten anything so far.
I am happy with regardless of where we sleep, as long as I am on a ship! 😁 I am not too difficult to please.

There is some interesting insight in this CNBC story.  Watch the video for more detail than the text.  https://cnb.cx/3TXKkyj

Dear Someone_else,
Well, welcome to these boards and discussions about RC.  There are dozens of cruise forums, and more than a dozen cruise lines, and there are always complaints, questions, reviews, and discussions.  Some people post the same question on different sites and responses will vary. Often folks disagree, and everyone's experiences are individual and unique. Remember, all these forums are used by fellow cruisers, who are busy with their own lives, but do enjoy sharing their cruise experiences. 
You were seeking feedback with an issue, and you received a lot, so you can either use some of the advice for your situation, or just realize your concerns will never be resolved.  Then the choice is cancel the cruise and choose another ship, or another cruise line, or do some other kind of vacation that suits your family better. Unfortunately, in no way, shape or form is this a "government" issue (I know, I worked in government at one point in my life). You are simply a dissatisfied consumer. 
Remember that cruises today are mass market experiences, and the cruise line has no responsibility to meet every person's needs or wishes, nor do they try.  Sometimes negative publicity pushes an event toward a more positive outcome, but also having worked in the travel industry at a very early point in my life, kindness and friendly relationships are a better choice in the long run. The bottom line is no one is making you spend money on a RC cruise, so if you are not happy, spend it elsewhere.  Please continue to participate in forums and share your cruise experiences, because that educates others, and hopefully, will create future improvements. Best wishes.

Dear Someone_else,
Well, welcome to these boards and discussions about RC.  There are dozens of cruise forums, and more than a dozen cruise lines, and there are always complaints, questions, reviews, and discussions.  Some people post the same question on different sites and responses will vary. Often folks disagree, and everyone's experiences are individual and unique. Remember, all these forums are used by fellow cruisers, who are busy with their own lives, but do enjoy sharing their cruise experiences. 
You were seeking feedback with an issue, and you received a lot, so you can either use some of the advice for your situation, or just realize your concerns will never be resolved.  Then the choice is cancel the cruise and choose another ship, or another cruise line, or do some other kind of vacation that suits your family better. Unfortunately, in no way, shape or form is this a "government" issue (I know, I worked in government at one point in my life). You are simply a dissatisfied consumer. 
Remember that cruises today are mass market experiences, and the cruise line has no responsibility to meet every person's needs or wishes, nor do they try.  Sometimes negative publicity pushes an event toward a more positive outcome, but also having worked in the travel industry at a very early point in my life, kindness and friendly relationships are a better choice in the long run. The bottom line is no one is making you spend money on a RC cruise, so if you are not happy, spend it elsewhere.  Please continue to participate in forums and share your cruise experiences, because that educates others, and hopefully, will create future improvements. Best wishes.