Icon of the Seas Review

Icon of the Seas will be Royal Caribbean International's first Icon-class ship when it joins the fleet in 2023. Carrying around 5,600 passengers, it will feature new eco-friendly propulsion systems.

Icon of the Seas will be Royal Caribbean International's first Icon-class ship when it joins the fleet in early 2024. At 250,800 GT, it's set to become the world's largest cruise ship by gross tonnage, surpassing Royal Caribbean's Oasis class Wonder of the Seas. Icon of the Seas will also have capacity for 5,610 passengers at double occupancy, and a maximum of 7,600 guests. The ship will have a total length of 1,198 feet or 365 meters and will feature new eco-friendly propulsion systems.

Icon of the Seas Deck Plans Include New Neighborhoods, Such as AquaDome

Icon of the Seas will feature 20 total decks, and 18 of them will be guest decks. The megaship will also have 8 neighborhoods, including 5 new neighborhoods: AquaDome, Thrill Island, Chill Island, Surfside and The Hideaway.

Located on the ship's bow, the glass-covered AquaDome is designed to feature wraparound ocean views during the day and at night will house the signature AquaTheater, complete with a 50-foot waterfall. This AquaTheater will have a transforming pool, four robotic arms and state-of-the-art projection capabilities. The AquaDome will also house restaurants and bars

The open deck Thrill Island will feature Category 6, a waterpark with 6 waterslides. These include Pressure Drop; an open free-fall slide with a 66-degree incline; The Frightening Bolt, a 46-foot-tall drop slide; The Hurricane Hunter, a family raft slide that can accommodate four rides per raft; and Storm Chasers, a twin mat-racing slide.

Chill Island will be located on three decks at the center of the ship and will feature four of the seven pools onboard. The pools are Swim & Tonic, the line's first swim-up bar at sea; Royal Bay pool, billed as the largest pool at sea; the adults-only Cloud 17 and the infinity-edge Cove Pool.

Surfside will feature two splash-and-play areas -- Splashaway Bay and Baby Bay -- as well as dining options, lounge areas, a bar, a carousel, an arcade and a lounge pool for adults. The Hideaway features what Royal Caribbean says is the first suspended infinity pool, a multilevel terrace, whirlpools and a dedicated bar.

Signature neighborhoods Central Park, Royal Promenade and Suite Neighborhood will also be present on Icon of the Seas. The open-air Central Park will have thousands of real plants along with dining venues and live music, while Royal Promenade will have its first floor-to-ceiling ocean views, plus more than 15 restaurants, cafes, bars and lounges. Suite Neighborhood will be home to a multi-level area named The Grove, featuring a private pool and whirlpool, a new Mediterranean restaurant and a two-story Coastal Kitchen.

Icon of the Seas Cabins Have Categories for All Types of Families

Icon of the Seas will have 2,805 cabins and 28 cabin categories, including new layouts for families of three, four, five and more. The ship will have 13 suite categories, eight categories of balcony cabins, two categories of ocean view cabins and five categories of inside cabins. Of the 28 cabin categories, 14 will be new, including two types of inside cabins, four balcony cabins and eight suites.

A total of 179 of the cabins onboard Icon of the Seas will be suites. The largest suite on board will be the 1,772-square-foot Ultimate Family Townhouse, which can accommodate up to 8 passengers and will feature a 751-square-foot balcony, an in-suite slide, a cinema space, karaoke and a private entrance to the Surfside neighborhood. The Ultimate Family Townhouse belongs to the highest suite class on board Icon of the Seas -- the Star Tier -- which also includes the 2-bedroom, 1,482-square-foot (with a 705-square-foot balcony) Royal Loft Suite and the new Icon Loft Suite, clocking in at 656 square feet with a balcony that ranges from 151 to 183 square feet. Both lofts are spread over two decks.

The Sky Tier includes 8 suite categories: The Owner's Suite, the Grand Suite, the Panoramic Suite and the new Sunset Corner Suite, Sunset Suite, Infinite Grand Suite, Sky Junior Suite and Surfside Family Suite. The Sea Tier features two categories: the Junior Suite and the brand-new Sunset Junior Suite. Both suites accommodate up to four passengers.

At 1,815 units, balcony cabins make up the bulk of rooms on board Icon of the Seas. The four balcony cabin categories set to debut on the ship are the Family Infinite Ocean View Balcony, the Infinite Ocean View Balcony, the Infinite Central Park View Balcony and the Surfside Family View Balcony. The five returning categories are Ocean View Large Balcony, Connecting Ocean View Balcony, Ocean View Balcony and Central Park View Balcony. Including the balconies, sizes range from 335 square feet on the Family Infinite Ocean View Balcony to 246 square feet on the Surfside Family View Balcony and Central Park View Balcony.

Icon of the Seas' Ocean View cabins are the existing Panoramic Ocean View and Ocean View. Interior rooms include two new categories -- Surfside Family View Interior and Interior Plus -- as well as the Central Park View Interior, Spacious Interior and Interior categories.

Icon of the Seas Will Be First in Royal Caribbean Fleet with LNG Power

Under construction at Finland's Meyer Turku shipyard, Icon of the Seas and its siblings will be the first Royal Caribbean ships to be powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG) to reduce emissions. Icon of the Seas will have 6 LONG-powered engines that provide 67,500 KW of energy to run the ship. The ship will incorporate other environmentally friendly technologies, including using shore power when in port.

What Dining Venues will be Featured on Icon of the Seas?

Icon of the Seas is expected to feature a large variety of dining venues and bars. The majority of these venues will be located in the ship's eight neighborhoods. To date, Royal Caribbean has only confirmed a handful of the restaurants and locations on board Icon of the Seas. Izumi will be back in Central Park, while Giovanni's Italian Kitchen and Wine Bar is set to be located in the Royal Promenade. The Suite Neighborhood will feature a two-story Coastal Kitchen restaurant along with a new, unnamed Mediterranean restaurant.

Lime and the Coconut bar will return with four locations (three in Chill Island neighborhood), including Royal Caribbean’s first frozen cocktail bar. Chill Island will also be home to Swim & Tonic, the cruise line's first-ever swim-up bar.

Other dining venues set to appear on Icon of the Seas are visible on video and still renderings of the ship. Aside from Izumi, Central Park will also feature Royal Caribbean's signature steakhouse Chops Grille as well as the breakfast and lunch eatery Park Cafe. In the bar category, Trellis Bar -- another Central Park standard -- will be present in Icon of the Seas. The neighborhood will also feature at least two more as-of-yet-unnamed restaurants as well as one more bar/lounge area, also to be confirmed.

Royal Promenade, the main thoroughfare of recent Royal Caribbean ships that serves as the entry point for embarking passengers, will feature more than 15 restaurants, bars, cafes and lounges on board Icon of the Seas. Other than Giovanni's this neighborhood will house signature eateries like Sorrento's, Playmakers Sports Bar & Arcade, Boleros, Starbucks, Schooner Bar as well as a new eatery identified as Pearl Café on the ship's renderings.

New neighborhood Surfside looks set to feature an equally novel bar named The Lemon Post, which will serve drinks for kids and adults. Dessert spot Sugar Beach -- found in The Boardwalk neighborhood on other Oasis Class ships -- will be featured in Surfside on Icon of the Seas. At least three more eateries are visible in Royal Caribbean's renderings of Surfside, all of which remain nameless for the time being.

AquaDome will be home to Royal Caribbean's New England-style seafood restaurant Hooked Seafood, as well as an additional restaurant and bar. Top deck neighborhoods Thrill Island and Chill Island will feature the Mexican-themed El Loco Fresh and Cantina Fresca, as well as Sprinkles, the complimentary soft-serve ice cream spot. Deck 15's The Hideaway neighborhood will feature the aptly-named Hideaway Bar.

Elsewhere, Royal Caribbean's fleet-wide complimentary buffet restaurant Windjammer will be located on Deck 15, while the Main Dining Room is set to be located in the aft of the ship across Decks 3-5.

When Will Icon of the Seas Make its Maiden Voyage?

Icon of the Seas is scheduled to be delivered in late 2023. The ship will then embark on its maiden voyage on January 27, 2024.

Where Will Icon of the Seas Homeport?

Icon of the Seas will homeport year-round in Miami.

What Itineraries Will Icon of the Seas Sail?

Icon of the Seas will spend 2024 sailing 7-day itineraries in the Eastern and Western Caribbean. Every itinerary will feature a visit to Royal Caribbean's Perfect Day at CocoCay private island destination in the Bahamas.

Other ports scheduled to be featured on the itineraries include Cozumel, Mexico; Phillipsburg, St. Maarten; and Roatan, Honduras.

Icon of the Seas Specs

Icon of the Seas will be 250,800 gross tons and carry 5,610 passengers at full capacity (double occupancy) as well as 2,350 crew.