Steve in Orlando Posted May 19, 2022 Report Share Posted May 19, 2022 After watching Matt and all the fun chaos on the first sailing of Wonder - we started thinking that maybe we should try the inaugural sailing for Icon and be part of that craziness. Assuming that many other people have the same idea, especially the bloggers/vloggers/press - do you think it is worth the effort to secure a cabin? or should we wait a week or two (or more) for them to shake out the cobwebs for a better experience? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennyB Posted May 19, 2022 Report Share Posted May 19, 2022 ooohhh...great question...I'll be following! We were just talking about this also! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vancity Cruiser Posted May 19, 2022 Report Share Posted May 19, 2022 I have never been on inaugeral but from all accounts I have heard I will never book one. Two issues - often the first sailing can be cancelled, especially now adays with the global supply chain issues. Secondly, from what I've heard, a lot of shows and/or venues are not actually ready to go by the inaugeral. I have twice now cruised on ships first sailing back (post shutdown) and will never do that again. I just feel that going on a cruise after the crew has had a few weeks under their belt is a much smoother experience. Just my opinion. KristiZ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennaRCB Posted May 19, 2022 Report Share Posted May 19, 2022 The inaugural sailing of Icon might be a bit different than Wonder because it is supposed to debut in the UK first before coming to the US. I could be wrong, but there may be fewer bloggers/vloggers onboard on the 1st sailing because it would require flying to the UK. The first sailing leaving from the US might have more of that "vlogger" atmosphere, lol. I really enjoyed being on the inaugural Wonder sailing, although some entertainment was not fully ready. If this is important to you, you might want to wait a few weeks in case the same thing happens on Icon. Tanner, JennyB and Jamesszy94 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve in Orlando Posted May 19, 2022 Author Report Share Posted May 19, 2022 20 minutes ago, JennaRCB said: The inaugural sailing of Icon might be a bit different than Wonder because it is supposed to debut in the UK first before coming to the US. I could be wrong, but there may be fewer bloggers/vloggers onboard on the 1st sailing because it would require flying to the UK. The first sailing leaving from the US might have more of that "vlogger" atmosphere, lol. I really enjoyed being on the inaugural Wonder sailing, although some entertainment was not fully ready. If this is important to you, you might want to wait a few weeks in case the same thing happens on Icon. Like the vloggers - we will probably wait for the first US departure too. And I understand about things not being 100% yet. More of a soft opening than a Grand opening. Same thing is true of every new venue. Just debating with ourselves if rubbing elbows with Matt and the Royal elite makes up for it. whitsmom 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpeedNoodles Posted May 19, 2022 Report Share Posted May 19, 2022 I suspect there may be a RCB Group Cruise associated with one of the early sailings of Icon. I'll be waiting on that. JennyB, WAAAYTOOO, whitsmom and 1 other 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thorntor Posted May 19, 2022 Report Share Posted May 19, 2022 PLEASE WAIT. We did the first and second voyages of Princess Regal and Royal in Europe and it was horrible. Folks are learning their new jobs and the ships themselves had minor issues, one that comes to mind is ceiling tiles coming loose in the main dining room. I also made the mistake of buying a Ford Explorer the year Ford made drastic model changes - won't buy a new car model again either. Steve in Orlando 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JC Pats Posted May 19, 2022 Report Share Posted May 19, 2022 I was on the 1st sailing of the restart (Adventure from Nassau) and Wonder Inaugural. Was it perfect, no, not by any means, but it wasn't a disaster either. I think, as with all things, having expectations in line is key. If you want the wizbang, everything running "smoothly" and all entertainment up and running, you'll probably want to wait 3 or 4 cruises for that to happen. But an Inaugural has certain swag (small stuff, but still cool) they give out and it's nice to be among the 1st to test out the ship and crew. That's another thing, for a new ship, they recruit their best for it. Wonder being the example here (and Adventure to a lesser extent), the service for her 1st cruise, was better than expected. It is a bit of a novelty and usually more expensive than the other cruises that year (minus holidays). YMMV, but I wouldn't hesitate to book an Inaugural again. If you do book it, book it quick, as in as soon as you hear the sailings are live quick. whitsmom and Steve in Orlando 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spang1974 Posted May 20, 2022 Report Share Posted May 20, 2022 I have heard that inaugural sailings from the UK aboard previous RCI ships were nothing to write home about. I personally would wait until the crew and staff are up to speed. WAAAYTOOO 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted May 20, 2022 Report Share Posted May 20, 2022 It's still too early to really know what, where or when the inaugural sailing will be. Look at Odyssey - the inaugural moved 8 times and in the end was nothing special. Then they had the maiden voyage after she had been in service for several months. Wonder too. It was supposed to head to China where lots of people booked the inaugural only to have it changed. Then the new maiden voyage nearly didn't happen as scheduled. Royal has not officially announced an inaugural Icon sailing. Michael Bayley has dropped hints and innuendo about it. However keep in mind a lot can change and not everything that he hints at ever comes to fruition. If I was a betting man I would not put money down based on what he has hinted at with an off the cuff comment that wasn't answering the question the interviewer had asked. That is not a commitment. Only when Royal officially announces her opening schedule will we know there is a 50% chance that might occur as announced. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BowTieBrigade Posted May 20, 2022 Report Share Posted May 20, 2022 Between staffing shortages, supply line problems, and the natural time it takes for the staff to get used to their new surroundings, I don’t think it’s worth the price, which is higher on the inaugural sailing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Done Posted May 20, 2022 Report Share Posted May 20, 2022 Price is the main negative factor for me. I'm CHEAP!! I say this after getting half a tank of gas for $57.00! I'm still in shock! Spang1974 and WAAAYTOOO 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jill Posted May 20, 2022 Report Share Posted May 20, 2022 We did the third sailing on Wonder and it was great. Obvious staff shortages and food overall was acceptable. (not great) We will likely do the same with Icon depending on when she actually gets here. I’m not a fan of cold weather sailings so if she launches 4th Q or 1st Q, I’ll wait until spring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.