10 things I liked Aboard the Icon of the Seas (and a few I didn’t)

When I traveled on Icon of the Seas recently I was excited to see the differences between this ship and others I had traveled on. This was my first Royal Caribbean ship as my other cruises had been with Carnival and Disney. Not only was it a new cruise line but it was one of the largest ships in their fleet. That being said, there were a lot of neat selling points that I liked and as with any ship you travel on, a few parts I didn’t love. Here are the things that I liked and disliked aboard the Icon of the Seas.

Things I liked

Window Balcony

The room we booked was an indoor balcony room that looked over Central Park. As someone who usually books an ocean view balcony, I was hoping I wouldn’t be disappointed with this room. It turned out to be a great room to stay in. The balcony itself, or rather the sitting area, was inside the room and we had a large window that we could open up to the central park area. Because the sitting area was inside the room, it almost felt like the room was bigger than others we had stayed in previously (and maybe it was, I didn’t measure it). Another thing we were concerned about was whether or not it would be louder with the room not being on the outside of the ship. We were pleased to find out that while you could hear music from the upper decks in the morning and afternoon, it never bothered us when the window was closed. It cut out most of the sound. I would definitely book another one of these rooms again. 

Shower Size

While I can’t speak to other types of rooms, our indoor balcony room had a good sized shower. This shower was the largest one I have had on a cruise ship. It was a nice perk to our stay on deck 12. Maybe this was one of the benefits of being on such a big ship?

Wait Staff and Room Attendant

So Many Places to Eat

If you want breakfast, lunch, dinner or a snack you will not have any problems finding a place to grab food. In fact, on my 7 day trip, I had to make a conscious effort to try as many of the complementary food places as I could so I didn’t miss any. With over 15 places to eat, you could try something new for each meal. The hard thing is that if you find a meal you like (one of my favorites was El Loco Fresh) it’s hard to make it back if you want to try everything. One way to try more of the food options is to share dishes with the people you are traveling with. This can help you try more things without feeling so stuffed! Check out all the complementary dining options available on the Icon of the Seas HERE.

Nice Walking and Running Track

One of the things my family and I like to do when we cruise is run/walk several days if not every day of the trip. We feel like this helps offset all the food we eat! On Icon of the Seas, the running track did not disappoint. It went the length of the ship and afforded you plenty of wonderful views of the ocean or port you were docked at. This track was on deck 5 and while I think I prefer the track to be on one of the top decks for views all around the ship, this track was nice too. I will also share my biggest tip for this area, along the track on either side of the ship are nice seating places that look out into the ocean. I loved these areas because they were shaded as well as free from the music that was on the top decks. They were a quiet place to relax, read a book or take a midday nap. 

Rover the CDO

Piano Man in the Elevator

I will have to say, the thing that may have made me the happiest on this trip was the random piano man in one of the elevators. One night while we were waiting outside the dining room to go in to eat, one of the elevator’s doors opened and fun piano music came pouring out while the guests got off. The doors then closed and the piano and piano player was gone. This neat surprise was so special and made me love the care they put into making your trip special. I wish I had had the opportunity to get on one of the elevators when this happened! There were two different days when I saw the piano player appear so I’m not sure if there is a schedule they follow or if the appearance of the piano man was random. Either way, it was an unexpected thing that brightened the day. How fun! I just wish I had gotten a video or picture of it when it happened.

Assigned Elevators

While we are on the topic of elevators, let’s talk about the destination elevators on Icon of the Seas. I was torn throughout the trip on whether or not I liked these elevators. One of the main selling points for these is that it was much easier to catch an elevator and you rarely had to wait for another one because it was too full. With so many guests on board that can be extremely helpful! The one thing I didn’t like was that sometime when you pushed the floor number on the designated screens you had to swiftly get to the other side of room to the correct elevator. With up to 12 elevators it felt like a scavenger hunt. Thankfully they were labeled in alphabetical order. If you missed your elevator you could always press the number again and wait for the next one. 

Sculptures

Another little touch that made the ship special were all the unique sculptures around the ship. There were so many (and so many different kinds) that we were still finding new ones near the end of our trip. I imagine there are some sculptures that I missed completely and would be a surprise if I went back. While there were some that were not my taste, there were a lot that were really neat. Here are a few pictures of some of my favorites…

Diving Show

Honestly, when I was thinking about the diving show on board the Icon of the Seas, I figured it would be a neat show. What I didn’t realize is how intense and amazing it would be. Not only were divers diving from various places in the Aquadome but the show included acrobats and other fun acts that sometimes took your breath away. I can honestly say I was amazed! I highly recommend adding this show to your schedule for at least one night of your trip. 

Things I Didn’t Love

I thoroughly enjoyed my trip on the Icon of the Seas. There were so many wonderful things. That being said, there were just a few that I wish could have been a little better. 

Upper Decks

One thing I often try and do on a cruise is find a nice lounge chair to sit in and read while looking out into the ocean. I found on this trip that the areas on the upper decks were unfortunately not very shaded. If I had gone at a different time of year that might not have been quite as big of a problem but in the May sun it was pretty warm! Along with this, the music that was played on the upper deck was so loud that it was hard to talk with other people in your party if you wanted to have a conversation. This is why you could often find me down on the deck with the track where it was shaded and quieter. More places like that would be a wonderful addition. 

Adult Only Area (The Hideaway)

Activities Scheduled Late

While I don’t mind staying up to go to an event, it seemed like several of the activities I would have liked to attend on board happened too late at night. The balloon drop on the first night didn’t start until 11pm (if I remember correctly). Unfortunately with it being the first night of the cruise I was SO tired from all the travel I didn’t want to stay up that late. There were several events that were scheduled pretty late and I would have loved a few of them to be scheduled during the day or earlier in the evening. 

Even with these few things I wished could be changed, the entire trip was wonderful and I would highly recommend taking a trip on the Icon of the Seas. Let me know in the comments the things you liked and disliked on your trip. Happy sailing! – Pepper and Passports

If you want to see all my thoughts on cruises check out the articles on THIS PAGE.

AND if this is your first time cruising, HERE are the first things I do on the first day.

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