Launched in January 2024, the world’s largest cruise ship: Icon of the Seas, spans 20 decks and features family-friendly pools, water parks and a wide variety of activities. It offers round-the-clock entertainment while visiting three destinations: St. Maarten, St. Thomas and CocoCay, Royal Caribbean’s private island.
Over spring break, I went on my third Royal Caribbean cruise with high hopes. All the marketing portrayed this ship as not only the biggest, but also as having a constant flow of activities for a wide age range. I was curious to see how the ship would cater to the my family.
The cruise departed from Miami, FL, so Saturday was already packed with travel and excitement. Thanks to our suite, boarding was quick, and I immediately realized how enormous the ship was. Since rooms weren’t ready until one, my family explored a bit and headed to the lunch buffet, which had an impressive variety of food — there wasn’t anything we couldn’t find. I also quickly noticed how friendly the staff were; whether they were getting drinks or answering first-day questions, they were always warm and helpful. We spent the rest of the day unpacking in our surprisingly spacious room, exploring the ship and ending the night in the dining room with a juggling show.
Sunday was our first full day at sea, and I had one goal: lying by the pool all day. That is where I get to the most annoying part of the trip, which is getting pool seats. After a delicious breakfast at the buffet and taking our time getting ready for the pool, we quickly learned that we had made a huge mistake. Unfortunately, three pool decks are not enough room to sustain 7,000 people. It was a nightmare, but after searching and searching, we found chairs and knew I would need to go down early for the rest of the trip to reserve chairs. After that debacle, the rest of our pool time was relaxing and filled with multiple trips to the free ice cream cones located right next to our seats.
Lunch was my favorite meal of the day because of the restaurant on the pool deck serving different cuisines, including my personal favorite, which is crepes. I loved all the dining options on the ship because they were all inclusive and made differentiating meals easy. The dining room menu changed every night as well, and that kept dinner interesting.
The cruise only offered four shows, which was not a surprise considering how the ship had around-the-clock activities. I appreciated the staff providing a paper each night for the next day, including every activity offered, the weather, ship information and more. The four shows were the headliner’s show (juggling), “The Wizard of Oz,” Below Zero (ice skating), and an aqua show. All were entertaining, but “The Wizard of Oz” was the most impressive.
On days that we didn’t have shows, we went to other activities, including the game show “The Price is Right,” a silent disco, a comedy show and simply playing our favorite game, Rummi Cub, in the main promenade. I loved how the cruise never wanted anyone to have a boring moment.
Unfortunately, with bad luck, Wednesday and Thursday were extremely rocky days, and for someone who usually does not feel the boat (especially the bigger the ship gets), I definitely was feeling a little nauseous. Of course, it’s not controllable, but it’s definitely a possibility when cruising.
Overall, going into this vacation, I had high expectations, and Royal Caribbean definitely delivered. I am happy to say that when I was on the beach in Saint Maarten, Saint Thomas, and the Bahamas, or at the pool, the vacation was relaxing and I was never bored.
