Costa SmeraldavsIcon of the Seas
Side-by-side creator consensus from cruise reviewers across YouTube.
The Bacon Verdict
Icon of the Seas wins this matchup
Earns a +10% higher BaconScore than Costa Smeralda. Based on 6549 creator reviews.
The Bacon Story
Data-driven recap
Across 6549 creator reviews, Icon of the Seas holds a +10% BaconScore lead over Costa Smeralda — 70% versus 61%. Icon of the Seas leads on Embarkation and crowd capacity. Costa Smeralda sentiment is trending up in the latest reviews. Coverage spans 596 distinct cruise channels — read the full breakdown for each ship below.
Score comparison
Opinion trend for Costa Smeralda
Opinion trend for Icon of the Seas
Side-by-side facts
The specs
 | Specification | Icon of the Seas |
|---|---|---|
| Costa Cruises | Cruise line | Royal Caribbean Group |
| 147 videos | Creator reviews | 6402 videos |
| 39 | Distinct creators | 557 |
- Cruise line
- Costa Cruises
- Creator reviews
- 147 videos
- Distinct creators
- 39
- Cruise line
- Royal Caribbean Group
- Creator reviews
- 6402 videos
- Distinct creators
- 557
Topic Scoreboard
How they really compare
Costa Smeralda
Icon of the Seas
Where creators agree
- Costa Smeralda:10 mentions3½ Happy BaconSuitesBoth like itIcon of the Seas:308 mentions3½ Happy Bacon
- Costa Smeralda:8 mentions3½ Happy Bacondining bars drinksBoth like itIcon of the Seas:355 mentions3½ Happy Bacon
- Costa Smeralda:8 mentions3 Happy BaconActivitiesBoth like itIcon of the Seas:501 mentions3 Happy Bacon
Where creators diverge
- Costa Smeralda:2 mentions1 Happy BaconEmbarkation0.36 gapIcon of the Seas:192 mentions3 Happy Bacon
- Costa Smeralda:17 mentionsMehcrowd capacity0.33 gapIcon of the Seas:895 mentions1½ Happy Bacon
- Costa Smeralda:24 mentions1½ Happy BaconPool Deck0.25 gapIcon of the Seas:843 mentions3 Happy Bacon
Scale: 0–5 strips in half-step increments. 0 = “meh”, 5 = “bacon bliss”. Aggregated from creator-review sentiment, weighted by channel expertise.
About our Bacon Score methodologyStandout creator quotes
“please never ever Cruise without travel insurance it makes me feel unwell”
“Royal didn't do that here everything they said it was it has been it will continue to be”
“And a Costa Cruises passenger has died after falling from the Costa Smeralda while the ship was docked in Civitavecchia, that's the port for Rome.”
“American Airlines shame on you”
Drill Deeper
See the full creator breakdown
Each detail page has the full creator panel, topic heatmap, monthly trends, audience breakdown, and verbatim quotes — far more than fits in this comparison.
Other Costa Cruises ships
Costa Diadema
Costa Toscana
Costa Smeralda
Costa Pacifica
Costa Favolosa
Costa Fortuna
Other Royal Caribbean Group ships
Icon of the Seas
Wonder of the Seas
Allure of the Seas
Harmony of the Seas
Adventure of the Seas
Oasis of the Seas
Watch creators on each ship
More matchups
Compare with…
How this comparison is built
Scores aggregate every cruise creator review we've indexed for each entity, weighted by creator expertise and capped per channel so no single voice dominates. Read the full methodology →