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Royal Caribbean Icon of the Seas…
Posted on 9/3/25 at 1:26 pm
Posted on 9/3/25 at 1:26 pm
Anyone been onboard this ship? I have a scheduled trip in April of next year. Been awhile since I’ve been on a cruise. The last one was the poop cruise ship. I wasn’t on it when it died but a few months before it did.
Any info about your experience on this one would be appreciated.
Any info about your experience on this one would be appreciated.
2
Posted on 9/3/25 at 2:23 pm to OGTiger
It's a very nice big ship with decent shows.
Don't get an infinity balcony unless you don't use your balcony and want extra room. It turns off the AC when you open the window. Wife got annoyed when she took a nap and I wanted to sit and listen to the sounds outside.
Lobster is in the windjammer for lunch (quick service buffet) on embarkation day.
Not a big fan of the pool deck, needs more pool space like the Oasis class had.
What else do you want to know exactly?
Don't get an infinity balcony unless you don't use your balcony and want extra room. It turns off the AC when you open the window. Wife got annoyed when she took a nap and I wanted to sit and listen to the sounds outside.
Lobster is in the windjammer for lunch (quick service buffet) on embarkation day.
Not a big fan of the pool deck, needs more pool space like the Oasis class had.
What else do you want to know exactly?
This post was edited on 9/3/25 at 2:25 pm
Posted on 9/3/25 at 5:39 pm to OGTiger
We love the infinite balcony rooms but to each their own. Download the RC app and start checking for sales on the drink packages, dining and excursions. The prices go up and down daily. You can book and cancel and rebook at a lower price too [of course subject to availability on the shore excursions]. I think it was about 6 to 8 weeks out that we were able to book the shows and you’ll want to pre-book them. They just opened up some random day, so start checking about 8 weeks out each morning.
The water show was fantastic, the Wizard of Oz was a very high quality production but a little long and boring towards the end, the ice shows were just ok.
Tip for specialty dining — we did not pre-book any. On embarkation day, we were sitting in the main bar near The Pearl and a worker came by trying to sell us open spots for specialty dining for the rest of the week and I “negotiated” with him and got the hibachi, Hooked and the supper club for 50% off. I would imagine you could go to those locations that day and ask if they are offering a special as well.
The piano bar was super fun — we went three nights — go early if you want a seat. There is a jazz band with horns [maybe the High C Horns??] that played in the jazz club one night and they were fantastic.
The workout room is huge and filled with great equipment, and there is a great covered walking track/promenade on that deck we used each day.
My favorite area of the ship was the overlook at the front of the ship — there is a food court nearby and two bars — and it is a nice relaxing place to go day or night.
The water show was fantastic, the Wizard of Oz was a very high quality production but a little long and boring towards the end, the ice shows were just ok.
Tip for specialty dining — we did not pre-book any. On embarkation day, we were sitting in the main bar near The Pearl and a worker came by trying to sell us open spots for specialty dining for the rest of the week and I “negotiated” with him and got the hibachi, Hooked and the supper club for 50% off. I would imagine you could go to those locations that day and ask if they are offering a special as well.
The piano bar was super fun — we went three nights — go early if you want a seat. There is a jazz band with horns [maybe the High C Horns??] that played in the jazz club one night and they were fantastic.
The workout room is huge and filled with great equipment, and there is a great covered walking track/promenade on that deck we used each day.
My favorite area of the ship was the overlook at the front of the ship — there is a food court nearby and two bars — and it is a nice relaxing place to go day or night.
Posted on 9/3/25 at 7:50 pm to Dam Guide
What time of year did you go? We’re hoping the end of April is warm enough. What about Coco Cay? The adult only area seems pricey. Is there enough to do for free without purchasing any of the amenities? WOW bands worth it? Any restaurants to avoid? The Sports Bar (Playmakers) is considered specialty dining? Comedy Club any good?
Posted on 9/3/25 at 8:53 pm to OGTiger
1. We went Mardi Gras and it was warm. I’ve done several cruises in April and it is always warm then.
2. I did not like Hideaway Beach at Coco Cay. The nonstop, thumping, loud, euro club music gets old and annoying after 15 minutes. I wish we had just gone to South Beach or chill Island for free.
3. Did not do the Wow Bands.
4. We liked all the specialty dining that we did. LOVED the supper club if you can get it half price like we did. Hooked was just ok. The hibachi at Izumi was our favorite meal. Playmakers is not specialty — you pay extra a la carte, no reservations required. It’s bar food.
5. I loved that the comedy club seemed to have 2 shows a night every night so lots of opportunities to go. Three comics rotated.
6. It helps to research a little ahead of time. We watched several Icon review videos so kind of knew what to expect in terms of the various food and bar options and had a very basic familiarity with the ship layout.
7. Check in online is 45 days prior to sale and actually, it opens at 11 pm CST the day before [which is midnight in Florida]. Go on the app and check in and enter your info and pick your port arrival time to get the earliest time.
2. I did not like Hideaway Beach at Coco Cay. The nonstop, thumping, loud, euro club music gets old and annoying after 15 minutes. I wish we had just gone to South Beach or chill Island for free.
3. Did not do the Wow Bands.
4. We liked all the specialty dining that we did. LOVED the supper club if you can get it half price like we did. Hooked was just ok. The hibachi at Izumi was our favorite meal. Playmakers is not specialty — you pay extra a la carte, no reservations required. It’s bar food.
5. I loved that the comedy club seemed to have 2 shows a night every night so lots of opportunities to go. Three comics rotated.
6. It helps to research a little ahead of time. We watched several Icon review videos so kind of knew what to expect in terms of the various food and bar options and had a very basic familiarity with the ship layout.
7. Check in online is 45 days prior to sale and actually, it opens at 11 pm CST the day before [which is midnight in Florida]. Go on the app and check in and enter your info and pick your port arrival time to get the earliest time.
Posted on 9/3/25 at 9:05 pm to amgslg
Great info. How did you get the Empire Supper Club 1/2 price? We’re doing stops at St. Thomas and St. Maarten. Any excursion suggestions? Again, thanks for all of the info. Good stuff.
Posted on 9/3/25 at 10:46 pm to OGTiger
quote:
What time of year did you go? We’re hoping the end of April is warm enough. What about Coco Cay? The adult only area seems pricey. Is there enough to do for free without purchasing any of the amenities? WOW bands worth it? Any restaurants to avoid? The Sports Bar (Playmakers) is considered specialty dining? Comedy Club any good?
I go cruising throughout the year. April will be plenty warm, but I’m from Tennessee.
Coco Cay is my absolute favorite port in the Caribbean. I love snorkeling and just hanging out on the beach using my drink pass. Chill Island is great. The adults pool is really nice, but not super necessary. As the person above said, music is going here. Price will fluctuate, keep watching it. Make sure to get a chicken sandwich and fried mozzarella from the snack shack.
Wow bands aren’t worth it, the key isn’t either
Piano bar is awesome.
I don’t usually do speciality dining unless I get a crazy deal. I don’t find it worth it most of the time unless it offers a new experience and that is usually one and done. I am not a big fan of cruise food, even speciality. I save my money to eat something much better at port.
Comedy club is hit or miss. I go, it’s fun.
There is a ton to do for free on the ship during the day. I love trivia and the little events they put on. It does slow down later in the evening though.
You can usually book shows the first of the month, the month before you sail. Timing can fluctuate when it opens though.
This post was edited on 9/3/25 at 10:50 pm
Posted on 9/4/25 at 6:37 am to OGTiger
Make plans for a stop at the Sunset Beach Bar SXM.
At the start of the runway where planes fly right over you when landing.
The rear of the jet engines are strong enough where it blows towards the beach. Watch the tourists try to hold on to the fence which is adjacent to the roadway.
People on the beach are sandblasted and the belongs fly everywhere.
You can lookup Sunset Beach Bar SXM and see the live web cams to get an idea of the setting. Food was decent.
Some excursions stop there and you can elect to stay and then take a taxi back to the ship. Taxis are there waiting along with shuttle buses. Very safe.
At the start of the runway where planes fly right over you when landing.
The rear of the jet engines are strong enough where it blows towards the beach. Watch the tourists try to hold on to the fence which is adjacent to the roadway.
People on the beach are sandblasted and the belongs fly everywhere.
You can lookup Sunset Beach Bar SXM and see the live web cams to get an idea of the setting. Food was decent.
Some excursions stop there and you can elect to stay and then take a taxi back to the ship. Taxis are there waiting along with shuttle buses. Very safe.
Posted on 9/4/25 at 5:40 pm to OGTiger
Re: Empire supper club, we didn’t prepurchase b/c it is very very expensive. On embarkation day, we were sitting in the Lobby Bar and a worker came up and asked if we’d be interested in going that night for half price. Couldn’t pass it up at that price. I bet if you went to the restaurant yourself that first day and asked if they had any openings the first night, you could negotiate a price. We also got discounted Hibachi at Izumi this way — a worker approached us in the buffet on embarkation day.
For the supper club, there is nonstop champagne all night plus each course comes with its own specialty cocktail. It was a ton of food and a ton of liquor plus great service and entertainment. Fantastic experience!
For the supper club, there is nonstop champagne all night plus each course comes with its own specialty cocktail. It was a ton of food and a ton of liquor plus great service and entertainment. Fantastic experience!
Posted on 9/4/25 at 5:43 pm to OGTiger
…and I forgot to add, for St. Maarten, we had an excursion booked with Billy Bones, but the boat broke that morning so we had to make a new plan on the fly. We hopped in a taxi and went straight to the Sunset Bar at the airport beach. Walk to your right and there is a bar at the end of the restaurant where you can get buckets of beer from. Put our stuff on the sand [don’t need to rent the chairs to get a spot on the sand] and enjoyed the water for a while. Then went back to the restaurant and ate lunch. Hung up there for a while and back to ship via taxi. We would absolutely do it again. Lots of fun.
Posted on 9/5/25 at 5:43 am to OGTiger
Posted on 9/5/25 at 6:11 am to LSUfan4444
quote:
Without a question, my top recommendation for St Maarten.
LINK
Thanks. I will be going there in 2026 on a cruise and will look into this for sure.
Posted on 9/6/25 at 1:31 pm to LSUfan4444
One of those touristy beach bars at Moho had one of the freshest tasting daiquiris I have ever had. They used actual fruit instead of artificial flavoring. They didn’t go easy on the alcohol either. Was pricey, but pretty tasty.
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