ICON CLASS UPDATE

[CrimsonCruiser]

It's so hard for me to imagine the look of a new ship from Royal that will stand alone as it's own class, recognizable from a glance because they're almost always trying something different.

With the Oasis classes, I bet no one could have really imagined the split back concept. It was such a new huge game changer to have fresh air flowing through what would otherwise be a solid interior.

And Quantum, visually has the North Star and the pure glass aft for Two70 but interior being stock to the brim with science and tech.

And, yes, while some of the stateroom designs carried over from Oasis, those two classes really are so different that I'm just like..we don't know what we don't know about Icon and it's game changing features/look. But man do I love hearing the thoughts!

[barjpoe]

On 1/4/2022 at 4:11 PM, mattymay said:

Looks like Bayley is getting his Icon info from the Blog

Any more updates on this sphere?

 

[GatorCruiser]

Is it possible that it’s something like the sphere at Epcot? That contains some form of entertainment? 

[Matt]

14 hours ago, GatorCruiser said:

Is it possible that it’s something like the sphere at Epcot? That contains some form of entertainment? 

Like a Grand and Miraculous cruise ship, our passengers has sailed through the universe of fun; and for a brief moment we have been among it’s passengers.

[Matt]

Royal Caribbean's Vicki Freed told travel agents today they had a company-wide meeting to show off Icon Class to employees.

Perhaps a sign that they're preparing to reveal more Icon info sooner than later.

Or it's nothing.

[mattymay]

Icon will debut in the UK. 

https://www.ttgmedia.com/news/new-royal-caribbean-ship-icon-of-the-seas-to-debut-in-the-uk-in-2023-33617

 

[Chili]

 

[twangster]

October debut in Southampton.  Bring your Alaska cruise clothes  

[GKMCruising]

Having never been to or sailed out of the UK - if I decided to try and make the inaugural work, what's the best (cheapest) airport to fly into?

[JasonOasis]

4 hours ago, twangster said:

October debut in Southampton.  Bring your Alaska cruise clothes  

Does this mean she will be an all weather ship? 

On the main page it was also mentioned that Royal is working of some type of event in New York as well after her UK sailing.  It isn't particularly warm in either the UK or New York in the later months of the year so I find it interesting they would launch her from Southampton and are trying to get her into New York possibly after her UK sailings.

Could ICON replace Anthem in New York or be an addition to Anthem in New York?  

[JasonOasis]

10 minutes ago, GKMCruising said:

Having never been to or sailed out of the UK - if I decided to try and make the inaugural work, what's the best (cheapest) airport to fly into?

London has quite a few international airport but from the US your options are limited especially looking for inexpensive tickets.  I would suggest looking at Gatwick, and I think there are a couple airlines that fly from the US to Stansted.  But your best option would of course be Heathrow but Heathrow sometimes isn't cheap at all.

[Ray]

40 minutes ago, GKMCruising said:

Having never been to or sailed out of the UK - if I decided to try and make the inaugural work, what's the best (cheapest) airport to fly into?

Heathrow is the main Airport and as is mentioned Gatwick is also an option. I believe Jetblue fly to Gatwick.

Another option is Dublin with Aer Lingus and then get a connection London. 

Icelandair via Reykjavik is an option 

Also changing your settings to sites outside US may find you a better deal. 

[Vancity Cruiser]

1 hour ago, JasonOasis said:

Does this mean she will be an all weather ship? 

On the main page it was also mentioned that Royal is working of some type of event in New York as well after her UK sailing.  It isn't particularly warm in either the UK or New York in the later months of the year so I find it interesting they would launch her from Southampton and are trying to get her into New York possibly after her UK sailings.

Could ICON replace Anthem in New York or be an addition to Anthem in New York?  

Interesting observation. I think you are on to something here. 

[Jill]

It doesn’t exactly state she will sail in the UK. I’ll take a guess that her TA will be her first sailing. Maybe a 2 nighter media cruise out of Southampton. 

[twangster]

Icon to be homeported in Miami.

She will visit Southampton after the handover ceremony in October/November-ish then possibly sail across to New York, maybe a quick visit in Boston then continue down the coast to Miami.   

Exact plans are still TBD but Michael Bayley has stated she will be homeported in Miami.  

They are planning some sort of big media event for Icon in NYC but there is some internal debate over timing of that, such as soon or wait.  

 

[AspiringCruisePlanner]

41 minutes ago, twangster said:

Icon to be homeported in Miami.

She will visit Southampton after the handover ceremony in October/November-ish then possibly sail across to New York, maybe a quick visit in Boston then continue down the coast to Miami.   

Exact plans are still TBD but Michael Bayley has stated she will be homeported in Miami.  

They are planning some sort of big media event for Icon in NYC but there is some internal debate over timing of that, such as soon or wait.  

 

Does this mean I should book a cruise on Oasis in Jan 2024?

[brycemo]

On 1/5/2022 at 10:11 AM, mattymay said:

Well, after a little bit of digging, I have something to add to this... 

Royal Caribbean have filed a trademark for the phrase AquaDome. It's there as both "cruise ship services" and "restaurant and bar services". It's not necessarily in reference to this creation... but if it is, what do we think it is? The trademark was filed back in January, but I haven't seen anything about it since.

 

Other trademarks of interest are "Zone Zero" and "Absolute Zero" - Personally am hoping it's an ice bar!

[JohnK6404]

52 minutes ago, brycemo said:

Other trademarks of interest are "Zone Zero" and "Absolute Zero" - Personally am hoping it's an ice bar!

Zone Zero is the virtual reality experience/room on Odyssey... can't wait to see more on Icon!

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/cruise-activities/zone-zero

[Matt]

6 hours ago, Jill said:

It doesn’t exactly state she will sail in the UK. I’ll take a guess that her TA will be her first sailing. Maybe a 2 nighter media cruise out of Southampton. 

I think given timing (October) it will be 1-3 sailings and then off to USA

[brycemo]

2 hours ago, JohnK6404 said:

Zone Zero is the virtual reality experience/room on Odyssey... can't wait to see more on Icon!

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/cruise-activities/zone-zero

Oops, of course it is! Big mistake on my part - got too caught up in the excitement of new information... The suspense is killing me!  

[twangster]

Royal Caribbean has been very excited about Icon, hinting it's something else and a game changer.

The last time they were this hyped about something the big reveal was the World Cruise.  

I look forward to icon and seeing some evolutionary changes but I'd caution anyone about getting too hyped about it.  

[smokeybandit]

I heard one of the evolutionary changes was figuring out an algorithm that made the elevators actually work correctly.

[Moby Dick]

16 minutes ago, smokeybandit said:

I heard one of the evolutionary changes was figuring out an algorithm that made the elevators actually work correctly.

Wouldn't that be something!

[Chili]

2 hours ago, twangster said:

Royal Caribbean has been very excited about Icon, hinting it's something else and a game changer.

The last time they were this hyped about something the big reveal was the World Cruise.  

I look forward to icon and seeing some evolutionary changes but I'd caution anyone about getting too hyped about it.  

They still hype North Star and bionic bar , I think think they are the biggest waste of space I’ve ever seen.

[twangster]

6 minutes ago, Chili said:

They still hype North Star and bionic bar , I think think they are the biggest waste of space I’ve ever seen.

North Star in Alaska and the sounds of NZ was pretty awesome.   While the ship is at sea not so much.  

Bionic Bar is for marketing purposes.  Roughly half of any given typical cruise are new to Royal guests and the marketing of flashy things like the Bionic Bar helps to draw this segment of the market.  FWIW it was pretty busy on Wonder more frequently than I have seen before.  I may not use it but I recognize it serves a function that appears to be working.  

[Chili]

26 minutes ago, twangster said:

North Star in Alaska and the sounds of NZ was pretty awesome.   While the ship is at sea not so much.  

Bionic Bar is for marketing purposes.  Roughly half of any given typical cruise are new to Royal guests and the marketing of flashy things like the Bionic Bar helps to draw this segment of the market.  FWIW it was pretty busy on Wonder more frequently than I have seen before.  I may not use it but I recognize it serves a function that appears to be working.  

Maybe if they put bionic bar inside North Star in might be as interesting as rising tide.

[twangster]

https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2022/04/07/icon-of-the-seas-be-homeported-miami

 

[AspiringCruisePlanner]

This is pure speculation, but I found this after poking around and I think I'm on to something.  The posts are from the Hemiva Oy Facebook page.

"Hemiva Installation Oy specializes in the manufacture and installation of high quality marine interiors. The company’s primary function is the manufacture of world-class suites for luxury cruise liners."

For reference, they built the royal lofts, crown lofts, owners, and aquatheater suites for Oasis and Allure when they were put together at the Meyer Turku shipyard.  They also built suites for several other Royal Caribbean ships.

Here's a post from them back in November.  It sounds to me a lot like a royal/royal loft suite. Large bathroom, walk-in closets, balcony with a jacuzzi, and, a large clue, a grand piano.  257 square meters is 2766 square feet.  To put that in perspective, the Royal Loft Suite on Wonder of the Seas is 1524 square feet, only slightly over half the size. 

The only bigger suite at sea for cruise liners that I found would be the Regent Suite (~3000 square feet).

Even if this isn't for Icon, it will be interesting to see what it looks like when it's finished.  Also, what does maid's cabin mean!?

Hemiva Oy also confirmed involvement in Icon with their latest Facebook post.

 

Here's the full size photo of the construction.

 

[Al Miller]

On 4/7/2022 at 9:40 AM, Chili said:

They still hype North Star and bionic bar , I think think they are the biggest waste of space I’ve ever seen.

The one redeeming quality of BBar is I do not feel any pressure to leave any extra gratuity other than the included. 

[BesaidCruiser]

On 4/7/2022 at 3:40 PM, Chili said:

They still hype North Star and bionic bar , I think think they are the biggest waste of space I’ve ever seen.

I would Agree and Disagree. North Star is a great attraction but i agree it don`t has to be on every Class of Ships. Same to BBars, it shows what is Possible. Some Poeple freaking out to see it, to me it`s "Ok, it`s nice." It`s not a must have, but i don`t need to have it on every Ship.

[FionaMG]

On 4/6/2022 at 4:38 PM, GKMCruising said:

Having never been to or sailed out of the UK - if I decided to try and make the inaugural work, what's the best (cheapest) airport to fly into?

Another potential option, in addition to those other posters have suggested, is with KLM connecting in Amsterdam as they have a twice-daily flight from Amsterdam to Southampton Airport. If you can make it work, you would bypass the big city (big hassle) airports and the long transfer.

Also, thinking slightly further out of the box, and depending on the destinations available from your home departure airport, look at other cities that have flights to SOU, as you could perhaps make one of those work, although they wouldn't necessarily be proper connections, i.e. you'd likely need to collect your bags and recheck them. Look at Dublin, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Manchester.

[mattymay]

11 hours ago, Al Miller said:

The one redeeming quality of BBar is I do not feel any pressure to leave any extra gratuity other than the included. 

It's great for socially awkward people.. I'll walk half the ship to start up a conversation with Bionic Barman! 

 

Also he doesn't give you dirty looks for ordering 2 drinks in 5 mins.

 

[JasonOasis]

On 4/7/2022 at 8:40 AM, Chili said:

They still hype North Star and bionic bar , I think think they are the biggest waste of space I’ve ever seen.

I agree with you about bionic bar when it was first introduced there were lines to get a drink, there were crowds of people taking pictures who where in line for a drink.  We are on Wonder of the Seas right now there is literally no one at bionic bar and I've seen no one using bionic bar. The same was true on my previous cruises on Anthem in January and Symphony in October. I would like to see Bionic Bar replaced with something else because the WOW factor has worn off for most people.

The North Star is a great attraction it had been a while since my husband and I had been on a Quantum Class ship so we were surprised to see Royal was charging to North Star on Anthem while the ship was at sea but there was never any shortage of people going up in the North Star while at sea and while in Port. We went up while in port only because I didn't think it was worth paying $29.95 to go up while at sea but had it been free I for sure would have been trying to book a North Star sunset ride to get a picture from that vantage point.  

[Matt]

I think the "hype" about the bionic bar is purely about marketing.  In short, the bionic bar fits really well for quick 30 second commercials. 

Because it looks different (and is different), it's an attention grabber. 

[Rayma]

The very first concept drawings of Silja Serenade (a.k.a Grandmother of the Seas - mother to Voyger/Freedom class and grandmother to the Oasis class ) from the 1980ˋs had a mysterious ball above the promenade.

The myterious ball was not on the final thing so bumer, no clue what it was suposed to be . It still looks familiar, doesn’t it!

Source & an interesting read for ship nerds: https://valkeatlaivat-blogspot-com.translate.goog/2018/11/silja-serende-special-laivan-tulevaisuus.html?_x_tr_sl=fi&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=fi&_x_tr_pto=wapp

 

 

[CrimsonCruiser]

10 hours ago, Rayma said:

The very first concept drawings of Silja Serenade (a.k.a Grandmother of the Seas - mother to Voyger/Freedom class and grandmother to the Oasis class ) from the 1980ˋs had a mysterious ball above the promenade.

The myterious ball was not on the final thing so bumer, no clue what it was suposed to be . It still looks familiar, doesn’t it!

Source & an interesting read for ship nerds: https://valkeatlaivat-blogspot-com.translate.goog/2018/11/silja-serende-special-laivan-tulevaisuus.html?_x_tr_sl=fi&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=fi&_x_tr_pto=wapp

This is WILD to look at! It's both REALLY dated but also easy to see where our beautiful promenades came from.

Maybe the ball was an observatory? Ooh ooh! Or a stationery precursor to the the North Star!

[smokeybandit]

15 hours ago, Rayma said:

The very first concept drawings of Silja Serenade (a.k.a Grandmother of the Seas - mother to Voyger/Freedom class and grandmother to the Oasis class ) from the 1980ˋs had a mysterious ball above the promenade.

The myterious ball was not on the final thing so bumer, no clue what it was suposed to be . It still looks familiar, doesn’t it!

Source & an interesting read for ship nerds: https://valkeatlaivat-blogspot-com.translate.goog/2018/11/silja-serende-special-laivan-tulevaisuus.html?_x_tr_sl=fi&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=fi&_x_tr_pto=wapp

 

 

I'm trying to figure out the guy wearing a heavy coat carrying a briefcase like he was up to no good while the lady in the sun dress peeks in curiosity. And the lady on her balcony in a trench coach acting as a lookout while wearing her covid mask for anonymity.

[Bradinmississippi]

On 4/6/2022 at 10:38 AM, GKMCruising said:

Having never been to or sailed out of the UK - if I decided to try and make the inaugural work, what's the best (cheapest) airport to fly into?

I always try google.com/flights and just type in London. The site will give the best prices at various airports. If I think that is out of my range I try surrounding metro areas.

[AspiringCruisePlanner]

Okay, maybe that large sphere is the docking station for a submarine. Looks like this company has already produced submarines for use on cruise ships. Also, they just announced this new model. Could be?

https://electrek.co/2022/04/27/electric-submarine-manufacturer-u-boat-worx-announces-nine-passenger-nexus-series/

[smokeybandit]

18 minutes ago, AspiringCruisePlanner said:

Okay, maybe that large sphere is the docking station for a submarine. Looks like this company has already produced submarines for use on cruise ships. Also, they just announced this new model. Could be?

https://electrek.co/2022/04/27/electric-submarine-manufacturer-u-boat-worx-announces-nine-passenger-nexus-series/

I doubt they'd launch them from below the water line.

Here's how Viking is doing it

 

https://www.signatureluxurytravel.com.au/world-first-submarine-adventures-on-viking-expeditions-ships/