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Wonderland by DaDong is only found on Spectrum of the Seas (sailing in Asia) so it is indeed a separate experience....hoping they're not trying to upcharge for regular Wonderland now.

I had a really good laugh when I read this (thinking about the poor puzzled girl, knowing this was just what you were thinking and not what you actually said). ....then I read it again and had an anxiety attack thinking about my recently retired parents and my useless brother. 😱 There is now a good chance I will have a panic attack every time I see a cruise ship mini golf course. 🤣

Thanks all for the replies. Sounds like for the most part things have continued smoothly and some of the upgraded items have remained. Any reports on how busy (or not busy) the Hideaway (adults only area) is? Looks like the sort of place we'd like to hang, but concerned it's fairly small for such a big ship. What about the Overlook (up front on deck 14). This is another area that looks like a nice place to relax. Finally, any more reports on Pearl Cafe? Some of the food/snack offerings there looked so good on the inaugural cruise (and the cynic in me keeps thinking they're going to cut these or start charging).

Has anyone seen any post inaugural update YouTube's or in-depth reports since the Icon inaugural? I've skimmed through the threads here and there are some post-inaugural posts on very specific topics, but I haven't seen many general reviews or YouTube videos posted (even some of the more recently posted YouTube content seems to actually be from the inaugural). Very curious how things are going....it seemed many reported the first few weeks of cruising offered lots of "special" offerings (like lobster in the buffet) and capacity was capped. Curious now that Icon is (I would guess) on a "normal" schedule and full capacity how things are going. Also, I asked before and had a few responses, but any changes to the UDP offerings on Icon? There were some venues where it was a bit unclear what UDP offered that I am wondering if any changes have been made.

We cruise Royal without kids and have found it to be very enjoyable; we do generally avoid the school holidays. As mentioned, the outdoor adults only pool is unique to Icon at this stage (and in fact, was a last minute switch if I understand correctly). We are looking forward to experiencing it in May. As also mentioned, that leaves you with Icon or the soon to launch Star on the assumption this holds true on all Icon class ships. For the Oasis class ships, as also mentioned, that leaves you with only the Solarium for adults only pool areas. I will say we generally do not like "indoor" pools either, but while the Solarium is "mostly" closed but it's not entirely closed such that it provides sufficient airflow and openings not to feel claustrophobic like other closed pool areas. You could also take a look at the Voyager or Freedom class ships which have an open air solarium.

Vitali is amazing. We had him on his last cruise on the World Europa (the Dubai to Europe leg). He got off in Genoa and had a short break before heading to the Euribia. Definitely top notch service!

One of the best suggestions I ever read on this Board was to print a small note with all your preferences before you leave (including all the items known/mentioned here as well as anything else critical for your cruise enjoyment - such as being clear if you want ice refreshed twice a day or need an extra blanket...etc). We then give this to our butler on day one when we meet....we have never been disappointed. I think the butlers are all very eager to please, but they all have different styles (some don't think to ask some of these questions), they support a variety of cabins (not always easy to remember if you've already asked these questions with all the boarding madness going on) and they rely to varying degrees on the assistant butler (hint, we print TWO of these notes and give one to each of our butler and assistance butler). Making your (reasonable) expectations clear up front is a recipe for success.

Some questions from me: Would love a general review of the concierge services. Were they able to get you any reservations (show or restaurants) that you wanted on the days/times you wanted? How are the reserved areas for the shows? How far in advance did you feel you needed to arrive to still get a good seat? Review of dining in the signature restaurant and post any menus.

For us, the loss of Central Park 150 is a big negative as this has been our favorite UDP location and we almost always spent two nights there. Our Chops experiences have never been as good as Central Park 150. Effectively you've lost Central Park 150 and Wonderland (plus the Mason Jar on Wonder) with the only (dinner) additions on Icon being either FREE or not covered by the UDP.

A few observations from me: 1) as to the original question, when we buy the UDP we do not visit the MDR at all. Has nothing to do with food quality or comparing the two; simply, we cruise RCCL enough that when we have the UDP we want to make the most of the UDP options. The RCCL MDR menus are fairly static across the fleet, so we know we'll get to enjoy the MDR food on a cruise when we don't buy the UDP. We used to look at the MDR menu's for the week and were occasionally tempted to skip a UDPrestaurant when there was a menu we particularly liked (but in the end, always concluded we'd get whatever it was on our next cruise). Now there is virtually no rotation in menu for the MDR, so even less incentive to skip a UDP option (in our minds); 2) agee with the assessment that UDP on the Icon doesn't make as much sense as the Oasis class ships where there are BOTH more UDP options and fewer interesting alternatives. For a first time Icon cruise, I'd feel like I was missing out if we dedicated ourselves to the UDP given all the new and interesting non-UDP options. It's a strange dynamic and we're watching UDP adjustments for the Icon closely as I suspect RCCL will have to tweak things here or they're going to see much lower UDP yields on this ship. 3) as to your idea to make individual reservations ahead of time and cancel on-board, this is a long standing strategy many Cruise Critic folks have employed. As mentioned above, effectively when you cancel on-board, it get's credited to your on-board account and can be refunded at the end of the cruise if you still have a balance. HOWEVER, I will note that there have been several reports lately of a) people being hassled about cancelling their reservations on-board and b) a refusal to let them keep their reservation times for use with the UDP. This is a mess of RCCL's creation and they had committed to permitting pre-cruise reservations with the UDP, but it's yet to be seen. We have never had trouble getting some sort of reservations, but have faced some complexity trying to weave it in with entertainment bookings.

In May, my sailing is showing it at 212.99 regular price, offered at 169.99 with 20% discount (but showing sold out - no idea why they list it with a discount when it's sold out).

We were considering getting it for the following: 1) It gives us internet, so we're only looking at the incremental cost over a 2 device internet package; 2) We thought early boarding would be nice on such a big ship - is that not the case? 3) We also thought that it would be nice to have a reserved seating area for the shows - not necessary? 4) We'd likely book a couple of specialty restaurants to use the 10% off to further defray the costs. However, if 2 and 3 not particularly valuable on the Icon, we may drop it (we weren't particularly focused on the special lunch).....thoughts?

Any updates on where the UDP credit is valid?

Thanks so much for the video. We have this exact room in May...can't wait. Any noise from the deck above? This was the only potential concern we had....but we absolutely love an "aft" balcony view...and these balconies looks like a great size!

How is a la carte working now with the UDP. Is it $20/day total or just per venue?