What We Loved and Hated About Royal Caribbean's Icon of the Seas

The world's largest cruise ship, Icon of the Seas, has 20 decks of new dining, entertainment, onboard activities, and more. As mega ship enthusiasts, we tested this ship thoroughly and are back with our @RoyalCaribbean Icon of the Seas review. Find out what we liked and loved and where Icon of the Seas lived up to our expectations with our What We Loved and Hated on Icon of the Seas. Subscribe to the Eat Sleep Cruise YouTube Channel if you love to travel and cruise the world! https://www.youtube.com/c/EatSleepCruise1 What We Loved and Hated About Icon of the Seas 0:00 Introduction 1:13 Hated: All of the New Upcharges 4:32 Loved: New Casual Dining 6:38: Loved: The Layout and Design 9:20 Hated: The Cabins 11:00 Loved: The Intelligent Elevators 11:55 Hated: Surfside Eatery 13:05 Loved: The Bars and Lounges 15:00 Hated: Infinite Balconies 16:13 Loved: Category 6 Waterpark 17:42 Loved: Dueling Pianos 19L11 Hated: The Prices 20:58 Loved: The Entertainment WHAT WE LOVED ABOUT ICON OF THE SEAS Let's start with the positives. Icon of the Seas offers exciting features that delight cruisers of all ages. The entertainment options are top-notch, from the thrilling AquaAction show in the AquaTheater to captivating adaptations like The Wizard of Oz in the main theater. The ice shows in Absolute Zero, and the comedy shows in The Attic are not to be missed. But the fun doesn't stop there. Icon of the Seas boasts revamped dining options with some of the best quick service at sea. Among our favorites was the AquaDome Market, which had delicious small bites, and the Surfside Bites, which had snacks reminiscent of popular Florida theme parks. Even though Heidi and I cruised just the two of us, I thoroughly enjoyed the Category 6 Waterpark. For this Icon of the Seas review, I rode all attractions several times and can attest this is one of the best attractions on any cruise ship. The Dueling Pianos bar was the biggest hit inside Icon of the Seas. Along with a themed cocktail menu, talented performers entertain guests every night with classic songs that have everyone singing along. The ship's layout was intuitive, and even though it is the world’s largest cruise ship, it never felt crowded. The intelligent elevators also made getting around Icon of the Seas a breeze. While I was worried about this technology based on previous cruises, it worked exceptionally well on this cruise. WHAT WE HATED ABOUT ICON OF THE SEAS While there was a lot to love about Icon of the Seas, there were several notable aspects of the trip that fell below expectations. One major disappointment was the implementation of increased upcharges across the ship., Icon of the Seas introduced numerous additional costs, from casual dining options to specialty experiences like the Empire Supper Club. Another drawback was the introduction of infinite balconies in many stateroom categories. While these cabins offer more interior space, they lack the traditional balcony setup that allows travelers to step outside and experience the ocean breeze or sunset physically. Additionally, while Icon of the Seas boasts several top-notch restaurants, the Surfside Eatery was a notable letdown in terms of dining. Despite positive reviews from some cruisers, we were not impressed. While the restaurant caters to families with offerings for kids and adults, the dining experience could have impressed compared to other options on the ship. Lastly, while we got a reasonable price for our sailing, the recent prices for the Icon of the Seas are astronomical. The current rates for the ship are more than double what we paid, and these are for cruises over a year out. Some cruise fares are triple what we paid to sail on this ship for holiday cruises and peak vacation time. LEARN MORE ABOUT ROYAL CARIBBEAN’S ICON OF THE SEAS BACK ON THE BLOG https://eatsleepcruise.com/what-we-loved-and-hated-about-icon-of-the-seas ------TRENDING VIDEOS FROM EAT SLEEP CRUISE------ We Eat Everything On Icon of the Seas: https://youtu.be/MrQ3knnx9pk Our Icon of the Seas Cruise Review: https://youtu.be/usZlAvwmzto The 15 Things Cruise Lines Need to Stop Doing in 2024: https://youtu.be/cNSsqH7NwLg 31 Cruise Embarkation Day Mistakes: https://youtu.be/6MHk9_3YbmM Join us on Social Media as we “Sea the World, One Port at a Time.” Instagram: https://instagram.com/EatSleepCruise Facebook: https://facebook.com/EatSleepCruise Twitter: https://twitter.com/EatSleepCruise TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@eatsleepcruise Pinterest: https://pinterest.com/EatSleepCruise Some promotional videos courtesy of Royal Caribbean International Royalty-Free Music Courtesy: https://www.epidemicsound.com/ #IconoftheSeas #RoyalCaribbean #Cruise