Editors note: TPGs Gene Sloan accepted a free trip to the shipyard in Finland building Icon of the Seas in order to get an early look at the vessel. The opinions expressed below are entirely his and werent subject to review by the line.
When it comes to building the most amazing megaresorts at sea, Royal Caribbean these days is basically just competing with itself.
It's a strong statement, for sure. I'm guessing that many Norwegian Cruise Line and Carnival Cruise Line fans will quibble with it. But it's what kept swirling through my head Wednesday during a sneak peek at the line's next new ship, Icon of the Seas.
At 250,800 gross tons, the much-awaited, 20-deck-high vessel will be the biggest cruise ship in the world when it debuts in 2024. But it's not just its giant size about 6% bigger than the next biggest cruise ship that will set it apart.
For more cruise news, guides and tips, sign up for TPG's cruise newsletter
What became clear to me on Wednesday as Tim Klauda, Royal Caribbean's vice president for product development, took me deck-by-deck through the partly-finished vessel at a shipyard in Finland, was that it would also have no rival in the cruise world when it comes to the breadth and depth of its offerings, particularly for families.
From an unprecedently massive water park at its top with six waterslides to the most innovative interior promenade of restaurants, bars and shops ever on a cruise vessel (just wait until you see the soaring glass wall that bathes the space with natural light), there's just never been anything quite like what you're going to see on Icon of the Seas and I say that as someone who has sailed on nearly every major cruise ship afloat.
In short, Icon of the Seas, the first of an all-new class of vessels for Royal Caribbean, will be, hands down, the ultimate megaresort at sea. And as a result, it'll be the ship that finally tops Royal Caribbean's hugely successful Oasis-class vessels to reign supreme in the world of giant cruise ships.
Related: The 6 classes of Royal Caribbean ships, explained
That's notable, as the Oasis-class ships have dominated the world of megaresorts at sea for nearly 15 years. Other lines have tried to match what the Oasis-class vessels offer with new ships over the years and have fallen short though a few have come close.
To put it another way, in the great game of cruise ship design one-upmanship that has raged among the biggest cruise lines for decades, it seems that only Royal Caribbean these days can top Royal Caribbean.
It's as if the other major lines right now aren't even on the playing field.
With seven months of construction to go before Icon of the Seas is ready to sail, there is much still unfinished on the vessel.
As is typical at this stage of construction of a new ship, the exterior of Icon of the Seas and the framing for its interior spaces is mostly complete, but lots of finishing work remains. Some spaces remain little more than empty shells.
That said, the epic nature of what is to come was clearly visible as Klauda took me and several other cruise writers around the vessel on Wednesday amid a cacophony of hammering, welding and sanding.
The tour came as the ship was tied up at a wet dock at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Turku, Finland, where the nearly $2 billion ship has been under construction for nearly two years. More than 2,500 shipyard workers were on board working at the time.
Here are some of the most notable elements of Icon of the Seas that I saw during the tour that will put it over the top as the new king of big-ship cruising.
While still far from done, the top deck of Icon of the Seas already is shaping up as a sight to behold, in large part because it has a water park the likes of which you've never seen on a cruise ship.
We're talking six separate water slides none of them small.
Only about 20% of the biggest slides were in place as we walked around the area, but the massive towers from which the slides will descend essentially were finished, and the sheer size of the footprint for the park was stunning. There aren't many resorts on land where you will find something like this.
Called Category 6, the water park will include such thrills as an open free-fall slide, the tallest drop slide at sea, family raft slides that accommodate four riders at once and two mat-racing slides.
The water slides basically take up the whole back third of the ship's top deck, along with such additional signature Royal Caribbean amusements as a FlowRider surfing simulator, a miniature golf course called Lost Dunes, a rock climbing wall and a sports court.
In addition, I saw the makings of a ropes course-style attraction based around a giant version of the ship's crown-and-anchor logo (which was in place but wrapped up so it didn't get dinged during the rest of construction).
I also strolled through a large casual dining area not far from the waterslides called Basecamp, where you'll be able to grab your breath after careening down one of the slides with quickie snacks and drinks.
Collectively, the whole area will be known as Thrill Island, and that pretty much sums up what it'll be.
Balancing the thrill zone that is Thrill Island, the center part of the ship's top is devoted to chilling in the form of kicking back in lounge chairs, hot tubs and pools.
When it comes to the latter, what struck me most during the tour was the enormous size of the main Royal Bay Pool. It seemed to run half the length of the ship (Royal Caribbean claims this is the largest pool ever built on a cruise ship, and we don't doubt them).
Related: Everything you need to know about booking an Icon of the Seas cruise
The Royal Bay Pool was just one of three pools taking shape in the area, which will be called Chill Island. The others included a pool with a swim-up bar called Swim and Tonic a first for Royal Caribbean.
In addition to lounge chairs, hot tubs and pools, Chill Island will also feature cabanas available for an extra charge and a multistory Lime and Coconut Bar (a Royal Caribbean signature).
The AquaDome is one of those crazily ambitious attractions that Royal Caribbean does on its ships from time to time that just makes your jaw drop. If you've seen the North Star rides on the line's Quantum-class ships, you know what I'm talking about. But the AquaDome is on an even bigger scale than the North Star rides.
It's basically a giant glass dome and we mean giant plopped onto the front of the ship that enshrouds an aqua theater of the sort found at the back of Royal Caribbean's Oasis-class ships. There are also dining and drinking venues and even some enclosed-within-the-dome cabins.
Before I saw the AquaDome in person, I really didn't get the scale of what it would be. You likely won't, either, until you see it.
It's a glass dome to top all glass domes. We're told it was so big and heavy (363 tons) that there really wasn't any shipyard crane in the world that could lift it into place except the giant crane at the Meyer Turku shipyard, which itself is a marvel.
When you're standing under it, you're looking up four or five stories to its top.
The aqua theater itself will be one of Icon of the Seas' marquee attractions, with shows that combine diving and aerial performers, dancing fountains and other high-tech features.
The space also will attract passengers throughout the day and night with its dining and drinking venues and cozy seating areas. A version of the Hooked Seafood restaurant found on some other Royal Caribbean ships will be among the options.
Royal Caribbean already is arguably the ultimate family cruise line. But as I saw this week, Icon of the Seas will take its family focus to even greater heights.
In addition to the water park mentioned above, which will have your teens and tweens squealing with delight, Icon of the Seas is loaded with such family-friendly attractions as Surfside an entire themed section of the ship (Royal Caribbean calls them neighborhoods) dedicated to young families.
In an open-air space at the back of the vessel that is roughly where the New Jersey shore-themed Boardwalk area is found on the line's Oasis-class ships, Surfside is an all-day play area for families with kids ages 6 and under (though everyone is welcome).
The centerpiece of this zone will be a watery splash park for kids and adults called Splashaway Bay (and an adjacent Baby Bay for junior cruisers), as well as the Water's Edge pool for grownups. All were just starting to come together during my visit.
When it's all finished in a few months, Surfside will be lined with colorful deck chairs so parents can lounge with their feet up or soak in the pool while maintaining sightlines to their playing kids. It'll also have a carousel, just like the Boardwalk areas on Oasis-class ships.
In addition, Surfside will house family-friendly dining venues and bars serving exclusive-to-Surfside "mommy and me" drinks. Kids can order the nonalcoholic versions of their parents' tropical cocktails.
Plus, stairs from the zone will take you and your kids straight to the Adventure Ocean kids club, one deck below (as well as the family-friendly Playmakers Sports Bar and Arcade).
Icon of the Seas will also offer more family-aimed high-occupancy cabins than ever for a Royal Caribbean ship, including some rooms that can accommodate up to eight people.
These cabins will include a new category of Family Infinite Balcony rooms that can sleep up to six people, with an alcove featuring upper and lower beds for kids, a separate sleeping area for grown-ups, a living area and split bathroom (toilet and sink in one room and shower and sink in the other).
The ship will also be home to what may be the most epic family accommodation in the world, on land or sea: A 1,772-square-foot Ultimate Family Townhouse that will be three decks high and sleep up to eight people.
Alas, we didn't get to see the Ultimate Family Townhouse. But among its selling points will be an in-suite slide, movie-viewing room, karaoke machine and a "backyard" with a pingpong table, outdoor seating and a white picket fence leading directly to the Surfside area.
Like Royal Caribbean's Oasis-, Freedom- and Voyager-class ships, Icon of the Seas will have an indoor, mall-like space with eateries, bars and shops called the Royal Promenade running through the middle of its interior. But it'll be a Royal Promenade unlike any you've seen before.
The game-changing innovation here, which is hard to grasp from the deck plans of the vessel that the line has released, is that the space now is connected to the sea in a way it's never been before.
This new connectivity is thanks to a giant, four-deck-high glass wall that lines one side of the Promenade, allowing light to spill into the space.
Related: The ultimate guide to Royal Caribbean | The best Royal Caribbean cruise ships | The 5 best destinations you can visit on a Royal Caribbean ship
The glass wall will surely be one of the ship's great features. I know I'll be standing along it gazing out at the immensity of the ocean often when I'm on board the vessel.
However, it's also a marvel of engineering, as it is located at a structurally critical part of the ship's sidewall that ever since the Titanic split in half around its middle in 1912 before sinking most naval architects have been loath to pierce with a giant span of glass.
The naval architects that worked on Icon of the Seas got around the problem of structural integrity through the clever insertion of structural steel in a massive circular art installation/circular stairway called The Pearl that is located just steps away.
To the untrained eye, it's just an unusual focal point for the area that'll offer a show-like experience at times with sound and high-tech moving wall screens. But in reality, it's helping to hold the ship together.
We got a no-photos-allowed sneak peek inside the circular space for a very short snippet of the sound and moving wall experience that passengers can expect. All we can say is we can't wait to see more.
In addition to The Pearl, the first level of The Royal Promenade will feature Sorrentos Pizza, Starbucks, the ship's karaoke bar (called Spotlight Karaoke) and its pub (to be called the Point and Feather). One deck up, a second-story to the Royal Promenade will be home to such Royal Caribbean signatures as Giovannis Italian Kitchen, the nautical-themed Schooner Bar and Boleros (a bar and lounge for Latin music and dancing). Notably, you'll be able to circle the second story of the Royal Promenade completely, something you can't do on other Royal Caribbean ships. That's another big upgrade.
Surrounding the Royal Promenade are many of Icon of the Seas entertainment venues. The ships main Royal Theater is forward of the promenade. The ship's ice skating rink, which is newly named Absolute Zero and has a new oval design, is aft. The Music Hall and Casino Royale is one deck below, and an escape room, Diamond Club elite lounge and comedy club are nearby.
Royal Caribbean has dominated the world of massive megaresorts at sea for nearly 15 years, ever since its first Oasis-class vessel debuted.
Roughly 40% bigger than any other ship at sea when they first arrived on the scene, the Oasis-class ships are still the largest and most amenity-filled cruise vessels in the world.
However, they'll soon have a new rival in the form of Icon of the Seas, the first of a new series of even bigger, more amenity-filled Royal Caribbean vessels.
Planning a cruise? Start with these stories:
See the original post:
Sneak peek: Inside Royal Caribbean's Icon of the Seas, the largest cruise ship ever - The Points Guy
- High seas drama: Cruise ship bound for Bahamas is diverted to Portland - Mainebiz - December 22nd, 2023 [December 22nd, 2023]
- African Ports Overwhelmed By Red Sea Reroutings - gCaptain - December 22nd, 2023 [December 22nd, 2023]
- Party Pirates: A Hilarious Co-op Adventure on the High Seas - Game Is Hard - December 22nd, 2023 [December 22nd, 2023]
- Boat sinks in high seas off Malpe, eight fishermen rescued - Public TV English - December 22nd, 2023 [December 22nd, 2023]
- Arena's Swept Away is a Dark Tale on the High Seas with Music by Grammy Winners The Avett Brothers - The Zebra - December 16th, 2023 [December 16th, 2023]
- Money Memories: Finances on the high seas - Louisville Public Media - December 16th, 2023 [December 16th, 2023]
- The Arctic Sunrise II Does the ISA have 'enforcement jurisdiction' on the High Seas? - EJIL: Talk! - December 16th, 2023 [December 16th, 2023]
- Severe Weather Impacting Multiple Cruise Ships - Cruise Hive - December 16th, 2023 [December 16th, 2023]
- Taking to the high seas for an up-close look at South Fork Wind - theday.com - December 16th, 2023 [December 16th, 2023]
- High Waves and Rough Seas Forecast for Costa Rica Coasts - The Tico Times - December 16th, 2023 [December 16th, 2023]
- Diesel theft on the high seas: When international cargo ships meet fishing boats in the dead of night - The Indian Express - December 16th, 2023 [December 16th, 2023]
- Meet the couple who've been on more than 200 cruises - and love life on the high seas so much they're selling - Daily Mail - December 16th, 2023 [December 16th, 2023]
- Report to Congress on the U.N. Law of the Sea Convention - USNI ... - USNI News - October 10th, 2023 [October 10th, 2023]
- Simplifying Docker Installation on Linux - Linux Journal - October 10th, 2023 [October 10th, 2023]
- Mallory to Present 'Oceans Apart: Global Governance Approaches to ... - University of Arkansas Newswire - October 10th, 2023 [October 10th, 2023]
- NEWS: A NEW 'Moana' Show Is Coming to the Disney Treasure ... - AllEars.Net - October 10th, 2023 [October 10th, 2023]
- Things to do Oct. 13-19 in the Chicago suburbs, Northwest Indiana - Chicago Tribune - October 10th, 2023 [October 10th, 2023]
- Marine "Biomimetics" Could Be the Blue Economy's Next Big Hit - The Maritime Executive - October 10th, 2023 [October 10th, 2023]
- All eyes on France this Saturday evening - Offaly Independent - October 10th, 2023 [October 10th, 2023]
- 80s-themed cruise: A blast to the past with P&O's high-sea adventure - New Zealand Herald - October 10th, 2023 [October 10th, 2023]
- High seas glamour: what its like to cruise the world with Cunard - Executive Traveller - October 10th, 2023 [October 10th, 2023]
- Warfare MMO Foxhole is adding naval combat complete with huge ... - PC Gamer - October 10th, 2023 [October 10th, 2023]
- One Piece Season 2 Cast: Every Character Expected to Appear - The Direct - October 10th, 2023 [October 10th, 2023]
- The future of Portuguese football: the pitch, the pixels, and the promise - PortuGOAL.net - October 10th, 2023 [October 10th, 2023]
- Typhoon Koinu to cause high winds, rough waters in East Sea - VietNamNet - October 10th, 2023 [October 10th, 2023]
- Governing our seas using core principles of sustainability - Mail and Guardian - September 19th, 2023 [September 19th, 2023]
- Marine Medium Speed Engine Oil Market: Navigating the High Seas ... - Digital Journal - September 19th, 2023 [September 19th, 2023]
- Threats on the high seas and the Pak-Saudi partnership - Arab News Pakistan - September 19th, 2023 [September 19th, 2023]
- China Wants to Burn Out Southeast Asian Navies - Foreign Policy - September 19th, 2023 [September 19th, 2023]
- Sea of Thieves Will Have to Face the Reaper Sooner or Later - GameRant - September 19th, 2023 [September 19th, 2023]
- Whine Wednesdays: Pigs On The High Seas Disgusting Behavior ... - LoyaltyLobby - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Carnival Now Looks in Ship Shape for the High Seas - RealMoney - RealMoney - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Why a new UN treaty to safeguard the high seas matters | Mint - Mint - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Navigating Unfairness on the High Seas: Class Action Waiver Clauses - Lexology - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- High-Seas Search for 39 Crewmembers of Capsized Chinese ... - The Maritime Executive - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- The Wager by David Grann review a rollicking and nuanced history of the high seas - The Guardian - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- A musician from Sauk Prairie sees the world on the high seas - WiscNews - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- How to obtain The Major-General minion in Final Fantasy XIV - Fanbyte - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- ShipRocked 2024: Artist Lineup Revealed For Hard Rockin Adventure On The High Seas! - Icon Vs. Icon - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Local playwright's Hollerwood show premiers at West T. Hill - The ... - Interior Journal - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Meth worth several thousand crores seized from high seas by Indian Navy, NCB - The News Minute - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Salute to Sailors: Navy employs technology and training to ready sailors - WHP Harrisburg - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- The Ocean Race Summit Newport urges recognition of the inherent ... - The Ocean Race - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Max Reveals All of the New Titles Coming to It's Platform In May ... - Just Jared Jr. - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Fisheries: agreement reached on sustainable management of ... - Oceans and fisheries - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- United Arab Emirates formally accepts Agreement on Fisheries ... - WTO Latest News - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Murky Tar Balls Reappear on Goa's Golden Beaches | Weather.com - The Weather Channel - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Study: Fishing Subsidies Support Unregulated Distant-Water Fishing - The Maritime Executive - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- The Rings Of Power's Morfydd Clark Hints At 'Quite A Lot Of New ... - Looper - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Chris Armstrong Short Cuts: High Seas Fishing LRB 18 May 2023 - London Review of Books - May 14th, 2023 [May 14th, 2023]
- It's Chaos on the High Seas in New 'The Meg 2' Poster - Collider - May 14th, 2023 [May 14th, 2023]
- From South Dakota to the high seas, the world gets less transparent - Coda Story - May 14th, 2023 [May 14th, 2023]
- Stepping up action - Nature.com - May 14th, 2023 [May 14th, 2023]
- Stricken Shiling tipped to return to Wellington the scene of its ... - Stuff - May 14th, 2023 [May 14th, 2023]
- Press Briefing by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and Secretary ... - The White House - May 14th, 2023 [May 14th, 2023]
- Bangladesh: Dangerous Cyclone Mocha expected to make landfall ... - Save the Children International - May 14th, 2023 [May 14th, 2023]
- Stricken 294-metre Shiling tipped to return to Wellington - the scene ... - Stuff.co.nz - May 14th, 2023 [May 14th, 2023]
- 'Pirates of the Caribbean: Tides of War' is Celebrating Its 6th ... - Touch Arcade - May 14th, 2023 [May 14th, 2023]
- Is Deck 1 on a Cruise Ship Bad - Pros and Cons - Cruise Hive - May 14th, 2023 [May 14th, 2023]
- US-Iran nuclear struggle is playing out on the high seas - The Telegraph - May 14th, 2023 [May 14th, 2023]
- Muscle Flexing In South China Sea: Why India-ASEAN War Games Send A Strong Signal To Beijing - ABP Live - May 14th, 2023 [May 14th, 2023]
- Everybody Has a Story: Surviving rough ride in a smelly ship - The Columbian - May 14th, 2023 [May 14th, 2023]
- Holiday warning over Majorca party boats loved by Brits as officials vow massive new crackdown... - The US Sun - May 14th, 2023 [May 14th, 2023]
- Dark waters: how the adventure of a lifetime turned to tragedy - The Guardian - May 14th, 2023 [May 14th, 2023]
- Guarding our seas and the blue economy - Philstar.com - May 14th, 2023 [May 14th, 2023]
- Driverless boats, enduring sensors on the special ops maritime menu - Defense News - May 14th, 2023 [May 14th, 2023]
- List Of The Cleanest Cruise Ships In The World (2023) - Cruise Mummy - May 14th, 2023 [May 14th, 2023]
- Sea of Survivors: What if Vampire Survivors and Sea of Thieves had ... - Windows Central - May 14th, 2023 [May 14th, 2023]
- All hands on deck as UN meets to protect high seas - February 18th, 2023 [February 18th, 2023]
- 'High Seas' Season 4 Canceled at Netflix Even After Initial Renewal - January 22nd, 2023 [January 22nd, 2023]
- 'High Seas' Netflix Review: Stream It or Skip It? - Decider - January 22nd, 2023 [January 22nd, 2023]
- What Is High Seas Governance? - National Oceanic and Atmospheric ... - January 22nd, 2023 [January 22nd, 2023]
- Move Over Disney: Carnival Is Grooming on the High Seas - December 23rd, 2022 [December 23rd, 2022]
- Get Your First Look at Halloween on the High Seas on the Disney Wish ... - November 23rd, 2022 [November 23rd, 2022]
- Repost: On Armistice Day, Remembering the German High Seas Fleet ... - November 23rd, 2022 [November 23rd, 2022]
- Pirates of High Seas Fest 2022 returns to Panama City Beach - November 19th, 2022 [November 19th, 2022]
- Boo! Get a First Look at Halloween on the High Seas on the Disney Wish - November 19th, 2022 [November 19th, 2022]
- Historically powerful storm to hit Alaska this weekend with seas up ... - October 25th, 2022 [October 25th, 2022]
- Explained: What is the UN High Seas Treaty, and why have countries ... - October 25th, 2022 [October 25th, 2022]
- Terror Hits The High Seas In A Brand-New 1899 Trailer - FANGORIA - October 25th, 2022 [October 25th, 2022]