GJ_123 Posted February 7 Report Share Posted February 7 Just out of curiosity I wanted to ask anyone who did the Icon inaugural sailing (or is onboard just now), HOW WAS IT?? We are going on in a few weeks time, never been so excited for a cruise ever. It looks incredible. Did it match your expectations, or exceed it? Do you have any tips/suggestions for anyone that's going on soon? What are the main things you liked? Is there anything you disliked? I'd love to know! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCSC Mike Posted February 7 Report Share Posted February 7 Check the live blog forum. Several moderators were on it and sharing thoughts & pics all week. Lovetocruise2002, GJ_123, Neesa and 2 others 4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted February 7 Report Share Posted February 7 See this link for all our thoughts: https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/44501-mods-gone-wild-icon-inaugural-sailing-january-27-february-3-2024/ Cactus527 and OCSC Mike 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCSC Mike Posted February 7 Report Share Posted February 7 1 hour ago, Lovetocruise2002 said: See this link for all our thoughts: https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/44501-mods-gone-wild-icon-inaugural-sailing-january-27-february-3-2024/ Yeah, that. I was posting from bed on my phone and too tired/lazy to post the link. That's why Matt pays you mods the big bucks and you can be a suite snob. Cactus527, Neesa, ScottD and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GJ_123 Posted February 7 Author Report Share Posted February 7 1 hour ago, OCSC Mike said: Yeah, that. I was posting from bed on my phone and too tired/lazy to post the link. That's why Matt pays you mods the big bucks and you can be a suite snob. 1 hour ago, Lovetocruise2002 said: See this link for all our thoughts: https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/44501-mods-gone-wild-icon-inaugural-sailing-january-27-february-3-2024/ Thanks it's appreciated, I'll have a look Lovetocruise2002 and OCSC Mike 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MR_Soccer Posted February 7 Report Share Posted February 7 5 hours ago, GJ_123 said: Just out of curiosity I wanted to ask anyone who did the Icon inaugural sailing (or is onboard just now), HOW WAS IT?? We are going on in a few weeks time, never been so excited for a cruise ever. It looks incredible. Did it match your expectations, or exceed it? Do you have any tips/suggestions for anyone that's going on soon? What are the main things you liked? Is there anything you disliked? I'd love to know! Definitely exceeded and like you anticipation was the highest ever. Entertainment and music everywhere. Never felt crowded (even the windjammer) and lots of different quality food options. There are some little things like the elevators and process getting on and off the ship in Miami and the different ports that really just made things noticeably easier than other ships. Make your reservations for all the shows (comedy, wizard, aqua and ice show). If Phoenix is playing in the Music Hall, I would not miss. Dueling Pianos was probably the most in demand non reservation venue. We tried to go twice 20-25 minutes early and it was standing room out into the promenade. Really liked the pearl cafe, park cafe, and aquadome market areas for comp food. Found the pool deck had too much shade and not enough loungers. Lots of chairs and flat mats. If you are not out chair hogging early on the sea days you will get your steps in trying to find a pair of adjustable loungers in the sun. IMO, Main dining room continues to decline in service and quality. Make sure to check your seapass card when you get it to make sure your dining is correct. We asked for late seating and were given my time dining (when talking to head waiter a couple more couples showed up in the same situation). Tried the first two nights and bailed rest of the week, replaced with both comp and $$. Found it kind of liberating and more flexible to get to other entertainment we had not planned on. Hard to throw a rock and not hit a bar. Cool thing is they really put a lot of effort into creating some great drinks and have some kind of signature at each one. The 1400 at the 1400 lobby bar is the one that is probably most signature. Had a balcony on deck 14 aft. Comfortable room, bathroom was an upgrade form other balcony rooms in the fleet I have been on. Liked the light/heat control panel, nice touch. Didn't like the overhang on the deck. Aft cabins on 14 on both sides have a varied overhang (ours was probably 12-14 feet beyond the edge of the balcony) pretty much total shade on the deck until sunset. It's a massive ship....there is 1:100 model of the icon in the aft elevator bay of deck 14 that gives a good perspective that deck maps don't. It will probably be hard to see everything or spend as much time in the different spaces as you may like. KristiZ, Lovetocruise2002, GJ_123 and 1 other 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted February 7 Report Share Posted February 7 3 hours ago, MR_Soccer said: Never felt crowded (even the windjammer) I think this will be the thing to keep an eye on as Icon moves through more sailings. The maiden voyage was operating with about 4900 guests on board and very few kids. As they ramp up to full capacity towards summer, this is the one piece of info I am looking forward to hearing about from others. GJ_123, OCSC Mike and MR_Soccer 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GJ_123 Posted February 8 Author Report Share Posted February 8 16 hours ago, MR_Soccer said: Definitely exceeded and like you anticipation was the highest ever. Entertainment and music everywhere. Never felt crowded (even the windjammer) and lots of different quality food options. There are some little things like the elevators and process getting on and off the ship in Miami and the different ports that really just made things noticeably easier than other ships. Make your reservations for all the shows (comedy, wizard, aqua and ice show). If Phoenix is playing in the Music Hall, I would not miss. Dueling Pianos was probably the most in demand non reservation venue. We tried to go twice 20-25 minutes early and it was standing room out into the promenade. Really liked the pearl cafe, park cafe, and aquadome market areas for comp food. Found the pool deck had too much shade and not enough loungers. Lots of chairs and flat mats. If you are not out chair hogging early on the sea days you will get your steps in trying to find a pair of adjustable loungers in the sun. IMO, Main dining room continues to decline in service and quality. Make sure to check your seapass card when you get it to make sure your dining is correct. We asked for late seating and were given my time dining (when talking to head waiter a couple more couples showed up in the same situation). Tried the first two nights and bailed rest of the week, replaced with both comp and $$. Found it kind of liberating and more flexible to get to other entertainment we had not planned on. Hard to throw a rock and not hit a bar. Cool thing is they really put a lot of effort into creating some great drinks and have some kind of signature at each one. The 1400 at the 1400 lobby bar is the one that is probably most signature. Had a balcony on deck 14 aft. Comfortable room, bathroom was an upgrade form other balcony rooms in the fleet I have been on. Liked the light/heat control panel, nice touch. Didn't like the overhang on the deck. Aft cabins on 14 on both sides have a varied overhang (ours was probably 12-14 feet beyond the edge of the balcony) pretty much total shade on the deck until sunset. It's a massive ship....there is 1:100 model of the icon in the aft elevator bay of deck 14 that gives a good perspective that deck maps don't. It will probably be hard to see everything or spend as much time in the different spaces as you may like. Thank you, loads of information here which is really helpful. Will take on board what you've said about booking shows. I notice we still can't pre-book things like the theatre and the comedy club and the cruise is 2 weeks away! Can you pre-book things like this, or does it have to be done on board? Did you go to Empire Supper Club? We have that reserved, expecting big things from that considering the cost. Did you notice if Playmakers actually has on draft everything it says on the menu? We were recently on Navigator and it said on the menu they had something like 8 beers on draft and in reality they had like 2 or 3, which was disappointing. We have an infinite ocean view balcony booked which will be interesting to see, I do wonder though if it really is a 'balcony' or just a bit of a bigger room with virtually a window Sorry to ask so many questions, how was the free merch/gifts? They looked pretty cool. Do you know if any of them are available to buy on board on future sailings? Or maybe just exclusive as gifts for the inaugural sailing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GJ_123 Posted February 8 Author Report Share Posted February 8 13 hours ago, Lovetocruise2002 said: I think this will be the thing to keep an eye on as Icon moves through more sailings. The maiden voyage was operating with about 4900 guests on board and very few kids. As they ramp up to full capacity towards summer, this is the one piece of info I am looking forward to hearing about from others. Ahh that's interesting. I watched a few vlogs on YouTube and did notice the ship was particularly quiet, so that explains it if they were running under capacity. Do you know roughly how many guests will be on in 2 weeks time? I can see online that there are loads of 4 occupancy balconies left. Maybe not the most popular time of year for families. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted February 8 Report Share Posted February 8 4 hours ago, GJ_123 said: Do you know roughly how many guests will be on in 2 weeks time? According to many crew members, they are slowly ramping up to full capacity towards the summer. No clue by how much each week. But every indication is that they would add more and more each week, reaching full capacity by the summer season. JohnK6404 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted February 8 Report Share Posted February 8 tingtang 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MR_Soccer Posted February 8 Report Share Posted February 8 5 hours ago, GJ_123 said: Will take on board what you've said about booking shows. I notice we still can't pre-book things like the theatre and the comedy club and the cruise is 2 weeks away! Can you pre-book things like this, or does it have to be done on board? Did you go to Empire Supper Club? We have that reserved, expecting big things from that considering the cost. Did you notice if Playmakers actually has on draft everything it says on the menu? We were recently on Navigator and it said on the menu they had something like 8 beers on draft and in reality they had like 2 or 3, which was disappointing. We have an infinite ocean view balcony booked which will be interesting to see, I do wonder though if it really is a 'balcony' or just a bit of a bigger room with virtually a window Sorry to ask so many questions, how was the free merch/gifts? They looked pretty cool. Do you know if any of them are available to buy on board on future sailings? Or maybe just exclusive as gifts for the inaugural sailing. Booking opened for us on 1/10 for 1/27 ailing for some things, others the week before. I actually booked some on the website since they were not showing up on the app. Just keep checking. You might also visit the roll call for your cruise and see if someone throws up a flare when it opens. I did not go to the empire supper club Beer on tap is always a challenge for me, never enough selections even in the pub. I think in Playmakers there was maybe 5, unclear if the menu exactly matched what they had. They did have a Lagunitas IPA on tap I had when I was there. I visited your room class and I would call it a bigger room with a window. The room I saw had the bed closer to the window than the couch, I think you would get a bigger feel if you have a room with the couch closer to the window. It was nice perk to see what would show up every day. I know people on week 2 are getting things as well but have no clue about future plans. GJ_123 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I_Love_RCI Posted February 8 Report Share Posted February 8 8 hours ago, GJ_123 said: We have an infinite ocean view balcony booked which will be interesting to see, I do wonder though if it really is a 'balcony' or just a bit of a bigger room with virtually a window We had an Infinite Grand Suite, so we had one of the infinite balconies. In that room, there are four "windows" that run floor to ceiling with the mid-point between the upper and lower at cruise banister height level (ie, about mid chest) and the right/left split was almost even. Only the left upper window would open/close. Thus, you get nice views out (regardless of outside weather conditions), and yes, you get a bit of a bigger room (it does allow for more space feeling). But, you have less of the the "open air" feeling out on a normal balcony. Read threads about Royal's premium line as there has been heated opinions on them after they were introduced on those ships. At the end of the day, it will come down to your own preferences. In my view, we like having them as an option, but they will not be for everyone. WAAAYTOOO and asquared17 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I_Love_RCI Posted February 8 Report Share Posted February 8 3 hours ago, Matt said: Nice video and your points are spot on (as usual). I am curious about flow/capacity (point #1 in video and raised above in thread) and whether it will hold true. The inaugural was only about 85% capacity versus a normal summer sailing is around 120%. We will be back on in March for Spring Break, and that will be the real test once we are at fuller capacity and including more kids (there were very few on board since school is still in session). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted February 8 Report Share Posted February 8 1 hour ago, I_Love_RCI said: We had an Infinite Grand Suite, so we had one of the infinite balconies. In that room, there are four "windows" that run floor to ceiling with the mid-point between the upper and lower at cruise banister height level (ie, about mid chest) and the right/left split was almost even. Only the left upper window would open/close. Thus, you get nice views out (regardless of outside weather conditions), and yes, you get a bit of a bigger room (it does allow for more space feeling). But, you have less of the the "open air" feeling out on a normal balcony. Read threads about Royal's premium line as there has been heated opinions on them after they were introduced on those ships. At the end of the day, it will come down to your own preferences. In my view, we like having them as an option, but they will not be for everyone. @tonyfsu21 Is this the room you were asking about before? Or did you end up moving to another? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnK6404 Posted February 8 Report Share Posted February 8 Oh, another question! Is there any venue on Icon similar to Wonder (Cafe Promenade) where they serve the basic Starbucks menu that IS included in the beverage packages? Does the Pearl Cafe have Starbucks? Thanks! missyandmishaps 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyfsu21 Posted February 8 Report Share Posted February 8 (edited) 3 hours ago, Lovetocruise2002 said: @tonyfsu21 Is this the room you were asking about before? Or did you end up moving to another? 3 hours ago, Lovetocruise2002 said: @tonyfsu21 Is this the room you were asking about before? Or did you end up moving to another? Yes, I changed rooms but not going to be so lucky for the holiday sailing because the prices are insane. I should have known better before booking something that sounds so great “infinite balcony” but in all actuality is a terribly engineered “balcony” that retains almost none of the desirable features of a balcony. Edited February 8 by tonyfsu21 Graduated from FSU but missed ENC1101 Lovetocruise2002, PPPJJ-GCVAB and WAAAYTOOO 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MR_Soccer Posted February 8 Report Share Posted February 8 18 hours ago, JohnK6404 said: Oh, another question! Is there any venue on Icon similar to Wonder (Cafe Promenade) where they serve the basic Starbucks menu that IS included in the beverage packages? Does the Pearl Cafe have Starbucks? Thanks! Pearl Cafe uses starbucks. Also the Rye and Bean on Deck 15 has the specialty coffee. Did not have the drink package so can't speak to that. JohnK6404 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug_Texas Posted February 9 Report Share Posted February 9 We had signed up for 5:30 dining and all of our cruise docs said that. Icon decided to change to 5:00 dining but didn’t tell us. Two nights in a row were escorted from 3rd floor to 4th floor because early seating closed. Finally after talking to head waiter we figured it out. To be fair, the small print on the seas pass card said 5:00. Wizard of Oz PHENOMENAL!!!! Even with reservations get there over 30 min early for good seats. AshleyDillo 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GJ_123 Posted February 9 Author Report Share Posted February 9 1 hour ago, Doug_Texas said: Wizard of Oz PHENOMENAL!!!! Even with reservations get there over 30 min early for good seats. We have reserved it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barjpoe Posted February 9 Report Share Posted February 9 Can someone confirm the list for the theme nights in the MDR: Day 1 - Welcome Aboard; Day 2 - French (Formal); Day 3 - ????? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MR_Soccer Posted February 9 Report Share Posted February 9 1 hour ago, barjpoe said: Can someone confirm the list for the theme nights in the MDR: Day 1 - Welcome Aboard; Day 2 - French (Formal); Day 3 - ????? Thanks FYI Here are what the dress codes were Day 1 was Casual Day 2 was formal "Dress your best" Day 3 was Casual Day 4 was caribbean Day 5 was white attire Day 6 was formal "Dress your best" Day 7 was Coco Casual tingtang 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barjpoe Posted February 9 Report Share Posted February 9 2 hours ago, MR_Soccer said: FYI Here are what the dress codes were Day 1 was Casual Thanks, but I was looking for the Dining themes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MR_Soccer Posted February 10 Report Share Posted February 10 5 hours ago, barjpoe said: Thanks, but I was looking for the Dining themes Yep didn't remember the menu themes, but when I saw formal I thought I would just throw out the dress code days for everyone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barjpoe Posted February 10 Report Share Posted February 10 17 hours ago, barjpoe said: Thanks, but I was looking for the Dining themes I wanted to know what the menu theme was ; Like the first night is Welcome Aboard, usually day 2 if a sea day is French; last sea day of a 7 night or longer is Royal night (usually lobster if offered), last night is Bon Voyage. There could also be Mexican, Caribbean, UK, Asian, Mediterranean, etc. What I wanted is the order so that I could book a Specialty restaurant on the night I don't like the menu. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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