Pros and Cons of Icon of the Seas

Pros and Cons of Icon of the Seas
If you are like us you are wondering if Icon of the Seas by Royal Caribbean is worth the hefty price tag. We were on the Inaugural Sailing out of Miami that went to St Kitts, St Thomas and Perfect Day at CocoCay in the Bahamas. We share our experience and hope to help you know if you should try it out.
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[@FraserAtSea]

Brilliant overview, and it's so good to hear a positive review on this room type - I see SO MANY negatives on the infinite balcony concept. It's great to see that the pool spaces onboard this ship don't look hideously busy - totally manageable!

[@JoshRachael]

Glad it was helpful! We have watched people complaining about the infinite balcony and we struggle to understand why. It provides usable space 100% of the time

[@williamtoon771]

Cannot wait!!

[@JoshRachael]

🙌🏼

[@amyshaffner]

Wow! I love the happiness and excitement in your voices. Can't wait to see your other videos from this trip! 🤗😃🛳

[@JoshRachael]

Yay! Thank you! We really had an amazing trip so glad our excitement came thru

[@cynthiablackburn2794]

Thank you for this great review. We are going right there as we speak!!! Can't wait!

[@JoshRachael]

Awesome have fun!!!

[@lawhite4884]

Thank you! My hubby and I board the Icon of the Seas Friday! We're excited!

[@JoshRachael]

Have fun!

[@harrisonjonesRVA]

Really really good content. This "consumer reports style pros & cons review is what people want to see! Wonder if those high upcharges on the extras will level out soon

[@JoshRachael]

Thanks so much! I sure hope they do bring some of the upcharges down to allow more to experience these new things

[@eatloveexploreArchnik]

Agreed with all of them. We were on this ship last March

[@JoshRachael]

Awesome - thank you!

[@richscary]

Great video and great ship! We loved every second on her but couldn't agree more about the bathroom signage. We said the same thing. The other thing was once you find the bathroom and take care of business... Then the hunt for paper towels begins. LOL But seriously.., you guys pointed out all of the reasons we think Icon is the best ship at sea right now. Thanks for posting this!

[@JoshRachael]

😂 knew we weren’t the only ones, can’t understand what the thought process was with them. Are they trying to be too refined to not want to advertise where the bathroom was 😂

[@DaverrasonTravels]

Wow, the ship is beautiful! Looks like the Pros outweigh the Cons, but the price point like you guy mentioned may be hard to digest. We appreciate the honest reviews and look forward to the price breakdown to help us cruise newbies consider future sailings! As always guys, awesome job sharing this adventure with everyone!

[@JoshRachael]

Thanks Dave and Sonia. This ship was legit unbelievable for us and this was our 10th together since August of 2021. It’s a total game changer and is a full on resort at sea. The price seems to reflect that by competing more price wise with a Sandals and less with something like Carnival it seems. We have a ballpark figure for what it costs since we haven’t made that video yet and we already are cringing 😬

[@lisal77]

Very good intro. Interest3d to see the cost breakout. I haven’t cruised in a long time.

[@JoshRachael]

Coming soon!

[@The_Getaway_Channel]

We’re not cruisers (so far 😂), so these pros and cons were super interesting! WOW, what a gorgeous ship. We are intrigued and looking forward to the next videos 👍🏽

[@JoshRachael]

Thanks so much! For anyone who ever thinks there is not enough to do or thinking that they would be cramped on a cruise ship this is definitely the ship that can change their minds. We had such a blast and wish we could do it again asap 😂

[@tommytube268]

Really good Video! Covered this ship awesomely, no rush but covered it swiftly

[@JoshRachael]

Awesome, thank you!

[@tommytube268]

Definitely subscribed and looking forward to sailing vicariously with you lol

[@JoshRachael]

That is awesome - so glad you are joining our journey!

[@JoshRachael]

You Rock

[@n3wt]

Thanks for the cons

[@JoshRachael]

You bet. We are not sponsored by anyone so it’s pretty easy to share our honest opinion and nothing is perfect

[@n3wt]

@@JoshRachael I noticed the other reviewers always had good stuff only so Thanks for both sides

[@JoshRachael]

Appreciate the feedback!

[@colinspears6298]

Yes, when I go to 30 bars, clear bathroom signage is vital 🤣 Great review (of course, all of your reviews rock), thanks!

[@JoshRachael]

EXACTLY!!!!

[@instaoftheseas]

Looks like y’all enjoyed it!! Icon is so worth it!

[@JoshRachael]

We had a blast! Going to be checking out Utopia and Wonder this year too!!

[@Redman-hh9ic]

Nov 2, 2024!!!! I can’t wait!!!!

[@JoshRachael]

Have SO much fun!!!

[@colettewiest7057]

We are booked on Icon for Late July, a 7 day cruise casino offer... I couldn't not book it, but The price was insane to upgrade... so we're in a balcony or not really balcony room... looks like a amazing ship!

[@JoshRachael]

Yea if you enjoy cruising this ship seems like it should be on everyone's bucket list if you ask us - thank you for sharing

[@VegasOurWay]

Sorry I was at work for the premiere Watching now. I’m hoping it wasn’t super crowded even though it’s a big ship….more people!!

[@JoshRachael]

No worries Steve, hope all is well with you two! Definitely did not feel crowded!

[@modoucamara6571]

Hello greetings from the Gambia west Africa I'm New subscriber ❤

[@JoshRachael]

Hello and welcome!

[@UpUpOurWay]

Looks like a beautiful ship. Sone of those up charges are crazy though. $90 for that skywalk thing? No thanks. I love that infinite balcony setup! Looking forward to the rest of the series.

[@JoshRachael]

Thanks so much guys! Do you have another cruise booked?

[@UpUpOurWay]

@@JoshRachael yes, trying Princess out later this year. 😃

[@JoshRachael]

Awesome. We are gonna do a couple more Royal cruises this year but already have one with Celebrity booked for next year!

[@TacoLover1]

I just priced it out for a single cruise and I am looking at at least $7000 with everything... $1000 a day is a lot for a cruise. Plus, I hate kids... 🤣😂

[@JoshRachael]

Yea that is definitely too much. We got if for closer to 5k before all the extras we did. It’s crazy that we might have gotten a better deal by booking the inaugural than later bookings

[@phillipsmom6252]

That’s price is crazy. I spent ten days in Paris France and five days in Normandy France for 1/4 that price.

[@JoshRachael]

Our price video will be out on Saturday, it gets worse unfortunately\@@phillipsmom6252

[@vegaslady3732]

Really looking forward to your opinions about this ship. I've seen a few other posts about the inaugural cruise - good & bad aspects. Of note, that they sailed with about 2500 people LESS than regular occupancy. Looking at your pool & show venue shots they look pretty full already! Any comments about adding that many more?

[@JoshRachael]

We did not have many bad experiences, and the venues were only very full at the Comedy Club and Water Show from our experience. The Ice Shows had plenty of seating and even when we went to Wizard of Oz there was plenty of space, but we also spread out our stuff, not just forced it all day 1 and 2

[@Runningafter40]

Rye and Bean for the win!

[@JoshRachael]

Yes!

[@kylemerritt1545]

Wow guys looked like a blast ! Thanks for sharing . Another job well done ! How much was the drink package ish ?

[@JoshRachael]

Thanks Kyle, this beverage package was quite a bit but it was about $1300

[@harrisonjonesRVA]

Wow! $1300 for the both of you or pp? It's funny what people complain about on cruises... on a recent NCL cruise I was surrounded by people complaining there was a $15 upcharge for go karts & $30 for virtual reality. Meanwhile... their precious drink package may have cost them an arm & a leg but they gladly paid

[@JoshRachael]

$1300 per person. I think people complain because it felt like for years cruises were sold more less like an all inclusive but truly never have been. All basic necessities are included but not all. Those are prices I can understand a bit more, but once you are pushing $100 for a less than 5 minute experience or almost $500 for one dinner when the base is paid for it is too much for us I guess we all see things differently@@harrisonjonesRVA

[@harrisonjonesRVA]

@@JoshRachael For sure. Great perspective. I always try to see the total bottom line & make my decision that way. So $15 go karts or $30 whiskey tasting don't bother me much. The Icon certainly would be a different story. I'm sure inaugural sailings are a huge experiment from them - wild outrageous prices just to see who actually would pay. On vacation as we know, the market prices people are willing to pay suddenly go out the window. And if the Icon was 100% full, business wise, charging additional high prices might be worth the risk to them

[@JoshRachael]

@@harrisonjonesRVA totally agree

[@kristengabbard5351]

I hope you do a video about the different slots Icon had. You think it’s possible to hit prime in a week long cruise?

[@JoshRachael]

Unfortunately we didn’t get to film much in the casino after this. Royal has told us not to film in the casino before so if we do film it’s just for a good payout. It was very very new slot focused. Think of a new game and they probably had it but very few games that were “old school” or even three reel slots. You certainly can hit Prime in one cruise if you have the time or spend the money. I (Josh) hit Prime in one trip on Symphony of the Seas but of course it helped that I got a handpay night one

[@83bryanc]

That’s crazy the crowns edge was that expensive. We paid 23.99 pre cruise for ours. Got to go 2ce and got a video

[@JoshRachael]

Nice. I think on the inaugural cruise they were trying to figure out pricing. Sad for us but great for you!

[@83bryanc]

@@JoshRachael yea I’ve watched a lot of videos and it seems like they were charging crazy prices to begin. We got ours during a sale otherwise it was 49

[@leticiarichardson-grinuva4372]

Great video, did you guys get to dock at Sint Maarten? And Also you said you vistied 30 bars?? Sounds liken my party. Did you have to pay?

[@JoshRachael]

St. Maarten was not on our Itinerary but we were able to dock in St. Thomas and St. Kitts. We do have a full bar crawl video that will be out later this week. We did pay for the Ultimate Beverage Package, we are not big enough to get any special treatment from Royal haha

[@Bribrirobloxdancer]

I board icon of the seas 17th of august do u have any specific thing i should take note of ?

[@JoshRachael]

Oh awesome hope you have a blast. Key takeaways: Don’t try to do it all in one day the ship is far too big. Lots of pools you don’t have to be in the Hideaway which gets very loud and crowded Favorite spot was Rye and Bean Bar in the Overlook area. Make you have a reservation for the aqua show and go on time or you could lose your seat Bars have specialty cocktails not seen on other ships, embrace them especially the 1400 Have fun

[@AnnaRvlogs]

My question to you two who have recently cruised icon of the sea. Since having been on a royal carribean many many years ago when I was 18 2002 to Alaska I loved it but won’t do these newer ships because so many is nickel and dime. Why do ships nickel and dime like icon of the seas when I would assume if you pay for the cruise food plus sleep should be included with at least three nights of speciality dinning. I have done the all exclusive and they include in your package no extra charge special dinning.

[@JoshRachael]

That would be awesome if they did include some specialty dining with the cruise fare. This definitely was the most nickel and diming we have seen by far. We didn’t even talk about the upcharge cheese curds, cheeseburger anf shrimp bao that we had. These new ships definitely are looking to find the fine line of doing too much and giving too much away. Will be interesting to see where things go from here and if the current costs stick

[@davidhurwitz2291]

The ship looks beautiful, but too big for us. We sail on Celebrity - ships hold no more than 3200 passengers. Love the Edge class ships. Also sailed on Viking Ocean -930 passengers.

[@JoshRachael]

We have our first. celebrity cruised for February next year, very excited to try it out

[@toitreister8583]

Did you buy the drink package? I’m not a huge drinker

[@JoshRachael]

We did for this one but don’t always. Did get our moneys worth

[@jenniferturi5927]

I think it's so expensive is because they want a certain class of people, where is the casino . Its beautiful when i was a little girl my parents every year took us on a cruise and the oceanic and the Atlantic was the ships to be on also we did the Norway and the food was not that great but the oceanic and Atlantic had amazing food.

[@JoshRachael]

Might be why they are doing it. Thanks for sharing

[@jenniferturi5927]

I watched a video on this beautiful ship but i never hear about the food.

[@JoshRachael]

Thank you! We did longer form videos that showed everything we ate which included almost every dining area on the ship. This video is more of a high and low points one, but if you want more detailed food commentary please check out the rest of the series

[@jenniferturi5927]

I said the same thing makes me think it's not that great but it better be for those prices, they also never say anything about a casino inside the ship either.

[@alyonapetrova694]

Could anyone tell me if the water in the pools is chlorinated or is it salt water from the ocean?

[@JoshRachael]

I wish I could say but I actually can’t find anything stating whether it’s fresh water or salt water. I will say we did not have any salty taste when we were in the pools and hot tubs, not that we chug pool water but you know it happens from time to time

[@alyonapetrova694]

@@JoshRachael I’ve always been wondering that. The same with the showers. Hard or soft water, salt, desalinated, or regular water.

[@mare8371]

Did y’all dock at every port?

[@JoshRachael]

We did get to dock luckily, sounds like a lot of cruises have missed ports due to weather recently

[@mjmarinajessselincorner7911]

Is it crowded?

[@JoshRachael]

We did not feel overly crowded anywhere but the hideaway or dueling pianos.

[@We_On_Vacation]

nitpicking is ok, it is an important part of a review, to me anyway

[@JoshRachael]

We agree especially when it costs so much and we are paying for it 😂 thank you!

[@melanieyang6958]

Wondering what everyone paid?

[@JoshRachael]

Not sure what others paid but here is a breakdown of what we paid kzbin.info/www/bejne/e2rbg6Wqha2rsLM

[@stevencutler3855]

Didn't you try the buffets? I am going to guess 1800 crew and 6000 passengers.

[@JoshRachael]

We tried the buffet for breakfast once and it was basically all the same food as the other Royal Caribbean cruises we have been on, nothing special just a lot of it. We will cover it more in later videos but we didn’t necessarily see it as a pro or a con, but more as expected

[@stevencutler3855]

Thanks for your reply.

[@SeekingVegasSunrise]

I gotta say, the pros do outweigh the cons. For us, non cruisers/no interest really at all to cruise, folks. Plenty of views, plenty of kinda everything. Obviously can't wait for the food. Did one of the pools have a sand beach? Also, did it feel crowded at all? Other than the pools.

[@JoshRachael]

It did not feel crowded apart from the Aqua show and the Hideaway area for us. No sand beach. This legit did not feel like a cruise ship so if you were to ever try a cruise this should be it for you. It was so awesome, wish we could go back!

[@SeekingVegasSunrise]

@@JoshRachael no totally, if we were gonna do one. This looks good!

[@miguelinileugim]

Pros: The length of the audiobook version of the bible Cons: The length of an apology when a teacher forces kids to make up

[@JoshRachael]

Shoot we missed those two. Thanks for bringing them to our attention

[@glavegas0010]

RCI spent two billion dollars to build this ship which means it will cost more. No other cruise line spends that type money to design and build ships like this. Another reason why Celebrity tops Princess and HAL. It’s because RCG puts more into designing and building ships and it shows. The Icon looks amazing but we still prefer the Voyager class on Royal and the Solstice class on Celebrity. Also, the itineraries do not interest us. The ship is the destination. Thanks for sharing. Edit to add…..We’re heading out in May for a quick four nighter on the Navigator of the seas. We thought about adding “one” day at Disneyland the day prior. The price for just one day with two park hopper tickets was going to be $468.00. 😮😮😮 That just gets us in the park. No parking, food, etc. Now that is crazy. Give me a cruise any day.😊

[@JoshRachael]

You are totally correct with that. The itinerary is one of the things we forgot to mention - We like going to a lot of places not just the same 10 ports world wide that can accommodate the super sized ships like Icon, but boy was it fun to be on!

[@Runningafter40]

We did Navigator and really enjoyed it! Yikes - Disney prices 😮

[@HiMyNameIsTucker]

🎉

[@JoshRachael]

Now that’s a cruise ship! 😂 thanks Tucker!