TheMaxRebo

Icon has been much less notice than other ships It just opened two days ago for the Feb 10th sailing and I am still waiting for it to open for my Feb 17th sailing

according to the "Making an Icon" videos it was the Chairmans idea/mandate to "build me this"

I was watching a live stream and they were at the Rye and Bean and they mentioned getting cold foam (like at Starbucks) on the espresso martini - and it looked pretty tasty.

That's really cool - as we are doing the Supper Club when we cruise next month it would be nice if they continue to provide those for guests and not just for this sailing (but not keeping my hopes up)

How were the drinks? Definitely intrigued by a few of these

I've watched a ton of ship your videos and the placement of Absolute Zero is the one things that seems really poorly designed - all the other areas seems to flow well with multiple ways to get there but the ice rink you seem to have to go through Playmakers and then down stairs to get there (besides the one small elevator)

I think it is just b/c of the size and the fact it fits up to 6 - just not a lot of rooms that can (saying this as a family of 5 and has booked one of these - though glad I booked early as got it for much less those prices quotes above) So when booking it, almost have to compare to the price of 2 rooms as that is what larger families/groups often have to do

Hope everyone has an amazing trip! Will be following along, hoping to gain some insights for my cruise next month

But if Royal had to pay the employees more (basically they cover what is currently paid by gratuities) it would still fall back to the customer as they would increase the cost of the cruise to cover that - potentially more as it would get taxed differently (Royal would have to pay more in taxes on more income vs the employees paying tax on the gratuities) The difference is it would make their cruise rates look higher compared to competitors who would still have it separate so unless the whole industry changes it's unlikely to change for Royal to role that in

BTW - here is the menu. My understanding is there are two additional appetizers and one additional dessert not on the menu

Best bet for that might be in the Aquadome area, at least during the day Probably not really much of an area for that outside

Naming convention wise this makes a ton of sense Downside is the adults only area is right down from all the water slides and above the family area so definitely won't be a quiet area Will be very interesting to see how it works out

Just a heads up, looks like they have switched which areas are the adults only area on the ship - was to be Cloud 7 but now will be the Hideaway ... saw it mentioned in a cruise critic article and now appears that way in the app

Saw it mentioned in an article by cruise critic and it is now showing this way on the app - while initially indicated to be the Cloud 7 area, it is now the Hideaway that is the 18+ only area and if you want to rent a day bed there you can't for anyone in your party undier 18 Definitely helps avoid confusion given the new Hideaway area on Coco Cay but feels like this area is a bit small and right below the Water Park so won't be very quiet Thoughts?

She's all docked at Miami - very cool watching the live streams this morning - very impressive watching the ship make the turn around to come back to the dock. Just over a moth til we board, can't wait!!!

According to a video I saw from a crew member there the beach will open with the first Icon sailing (which departs Miami on the 27th) - they had a party there fore the crew yesterday though for them to test things out One thing i noticed was the DJ music was quite loud so at least for the event, definitely going for a party/Las Vegas pool vibe

Noticed some of the menus for the Aquadome Marketplace places were posted My kids are going to get a lot of those Nutella and banan crepes lol

I do like how on Icon they have added a number of new complimentary food options, like the Aquadome marketplace But also like how NCL took a place that was underperforming as an upcharge and just made it included vs retheming it

I noticed that aspect too which makes it seem unique and should provide even just good people watching and stuff even if no show going on

I will say, a big reason we booked it was for the space and # of beds as we are a family of 5 - but it was also something new to try with the infinite balcony, so definitely will report back on both aspects!

We are staying in one of th family infinite balcony rooms on the Feb 17th sailing so I can let you know how it is after that lol

Arrival party set for 7am on Jan 9th in Miami:

We are two adults and 3 kids (though our oldest is 14 now, so that does help a bit) - we are booked on Icon in one of the new family infinite balcony rooms - they sleep up to 6. Definitely not the cheapest option, just as Icon seems more expensive than older ships, but a bit less than suites on the same ship We also have done an ultra wide ocean view on Symphony of the Seas that also slept upto 6 One nice thing if you can get two connecting rooms is the two full bathrooms If you can't find connecting rooms one other option we have done on a cruise is get rooms that face each other - so we did one balcony room and then an inside stateroom that was directly across the hall

just a reminder that check in for the cruise is tomorrow, January 3rd (or really tonight at midnight) ... good luck everyone!

Thanks for sharing .... I feel like I will be spending a lot of time in the Aquadome area