cruisinghawg

We are also on this cruise and I hope they will not take out the BBQ restaurant.

And it is quite nice with ocean view windows.

To add to this we were on deck 14 in 14604 on the inaugural only heard deck chairs being moved around 6 a few times but nothing loud or bothersome. Would do it again tomorrow!!

Sorry @peagreenid I didn't keep those but I was outside on my balcony and people were leaving by 7:30 so maybe earlier than that.

Also know that there is an elevator dedicated to the Ice rink to Playmakers. If you are facing the stairs going up it will be to your left and there is an attendant there to help. It is small but there is an attendant inside to help.

@ReneeFLL may be here shortly to answer your question.

Completion of Final Thoughts The Good The food was excellent all week with plenty of choices particularly in the shellfish area. Windjammer is laid out like Wonder with 2 distinct sides but each a copy of the other. The gluten free options are in the back of both sides. The cabins were spacious with plenty of shelves, the mattress was comfortable (this is subjective I know), loved the new shower arrangement with the seat but there are some draw backs I will talked about in a moment as to the cabin. I am probably not the one to comment on chairs or seats as I do not set for long periods of time but I found most to be comfortable, so there ya go @Ocean Boy. However I did not set in all of them that were pictured during the week. Wizard of Oz is THE BEST PRODUCTION of RC. What they have done is simply amazing with the flying features quick costume changes and set pieces. A must see!! The Aqua show will be a smash when the entire production is a go, we only got to see about 30 minutes and it was awesome. The 1400 Bar was the bar of choice, great bartenders and always fun. Check that out!!! Ocean View from the Promenade and Central Park was a huge winner for many. The Elevator system is very good once you get the hang of it, much more efficient. The Bad Back to the cabins and their plugs, or should I say lack of plugs. There are ONLY 2 110v plugs in the cabin 1 on the vanity and 1 on the side of the bed (ours was on the left as you are at the foot) however there are 6 USB plugs for chargers for different technologies. So again if you have a lightning charger for your phone, ipad, notebook, kindle, camera or computer use the plugs wisely. The Overlook is a great place but it is a long walk. Also the sun is generally beating down in there somewhere most of the time and yes it is airconditioned, but beware of these things. You can move from side to side to avoid the sun. Oh and the seating is not comfortable per DW. Personal complaint I have is the Schooner had only 2 bottles of Buffalo Trace so they were out by night 2. Well being a Bella Cruiser the Schooner Bar is......well if you know, you know!!! Had to move to 1400 Bar, which turned out to be a good move. RC usually passes out much bling during their inaugurals but I was somewhat disappointed with what they gave us. The Ugly I did not complete my discussion of deck 6 in the previous post as this is where, in my opinion RC designers screwed up bigly. As one travels to the rear of deck 6 on the starboard side there will be a RC logo shop (one of 3) past that is playmakers that on our Sunday included NFL playoffs. As one might imagine it was jumping that Sunday and here is where a huge problem can occur. You see you must go through Playmakers down 2 flights of stairs to get to the Ice show. Going in not a problem but when the show was over and we were coming out the Det vs SF game was at a critical point. Now add some 500 passer through some of whom may have stopped to watch and wheww boy it got explosive in some places, to where there were threats of beer bombs going off. We got out ASAP. This is a horrible design flaw RC must fix or something is going to explode here. Maybe an entryway off deck 5 I do not know but DW and I both saw this on the first day of the cruise. Also getting to the Hideaway is bit of a problem as one must pass through the kids area to get there. However, it it appears that this adult area is for younger adults that drink and socialize all day in the sun all day. Never saw a deck of cards anywhere!! This is not a pretty sleek ship at all on the outside. Well that is all I have at this time, if you have other questions just ask. This has been a lot of fun as I have already mentioned so thanks for following along!!

Good choices.

Not on deck 4 but on Deck 5 as you embark you will pass on the edge of the 1400 Bar's outdoor seating and it is very nice. There is also another seating area like it on the other side of deck 5. Opppsss please look at Sharon's pic above.

In Closing, my final thoughts, Much has been said and written about the Icon before paying customers went aboard. RC really poured on the build up prior to the inaugural as we all witnessed so it doesn't need revisiting. There are some misconceptions about this ship and I can attest to being a skeptic myself so let look at this marvelous ship and what it has to offer. First let me tell you who I am. I am a retired school teacher with 39 years of experience and DW is a retired cardiac RN with 44 years experience. We both are diamond + but have sailed on most of the other lines from time to time so we are not complete RC snobs (no offense to RC snobs, LOL). I am 70 and very active, in other words I am an explorer and DW is a sedentary reader and studier of many subjects. So in short we are what I call "seasoned citizens". I am not trying to sell this ship or keep you away just making observations. As I stated in response to another poster this is a multigenerational ship. It has everything for everyone of us, maybe that is to much for some and that is fine but do not assume it is strictly for kids. As one enters the ship upon embarkation they are are faced with an 21st century cruise ship elegance that totally unique. There is nothing that compares to the pearl in cruising that I am aware of. The promenade is like nothing I have ever seen on a ship. The promenade its self is wider that any on Oasis class almost like walking down main street in small towns or boulevards in cities. Oasis just prepared us for this Promenade. One of the first impressions I got was the lack of retail here as there was one purse boutique, RC logo shop and of course Starbucks. Regalia was placed on deck 8 but there was a kiosk on both deck 5 and 6 just before the forward elevators with display windows and one sales person on each deck. Deck 6 was where bars where located the Schooner, Boleros and the new Dueling Piano bar along with the eating venue Giovanni's Kitchen. One draw back for us was no wine bar in Giovanni's. Also the art display is small but the gallery is rather large but behind a wall with windows showing images of people and animals shaded. But deck 6 is where the Pearl Café is located and this will be a go to area for early morning coffee drinkers and those wanting to read and peruse the internet (zoom desk is right there next to the café). It provides a floor to ceiling window and the ocean just passes by. It also boost the ability to plug your computer or phone in under the coral shaded bench seats, with 220 ,110 or USB as this is a great addition. Deck 8 is Central Park and it is welllll Central Park!! The plants are not full yet but that is to be expected. It has Chops, Izumi's, Izumi's to go and Trellis Bar (snacks) are the eateries here. Empire club is on deck 8 but not in CP but forward of the elevators. Also this is where Regalia is located. Lou's Jazz club is here and more on that later. Deck 7 is a children's deck or the young at heart. Be careful as there are bowling pins and throw rings laying everywhere. Had friends in our age bracket that ate here one night and thought is was good. Lots to do for the kids and saw all ages here, but the older ones were watching the kids. This deck can be reached by deck 6 and 8 via an outside stairway. Deck 15 is home to the Windjammer and El loco Fresh along with the Aquadome Market Place. Hooked is here also with the Celebration Table located off Hooked. The Aquadome show is not quite complete yet as we saw what they have to this point and it was excellent. Still trying to work out the skateboard act I believe. The Overlook is located in the very front of the Aquadome and this is a remnant of the Solarium, small but light filled with comfortable seating and a bar. Also this is where the largest pool on a cruise ship the Royal Bay Pool. This pool is for all but mostly adults are here. Deck 16 is a strange deck but not like you may think. The front half has the Swim and Tonic Bar with the Lime and Coconut frozen bar. In the rear is where the other kids hang out is located Thrill Water Park. As one walks through on the port side is the rock climbing wall then the Lost Dunes putt putt course with Basecamp next to that but as you walk through this you come to the Hideaway, the adults only area, sort of a strange place to put it but it is separated. More later. Deck 17 is where Cloud 17 is located and was the original location for the adults only hangout. So that is an overview of the common decks but gotta run and will have more of mu opinion later.

Ah as I go back and read more deeply I see that perhaps you may want to meet inside and have a small catering then I would suggest Dazzles on deck 8. RC has had several catered events there over the years.

Yes, because of said other forum comes in and tries to move people into that other space and since it is not that forum and since I too am a retired educator I would suggest either the Solarium or Pool Bar ( I cannot remember if the Lime and Coconut was installed after the last upgrade). We have also met in the Schooner Bar. I hope these suggestions help.

Do you have status with RC? Diamond, Diamond + ect.

Quick question on the "other forum", is it the forum that has people that come here to take people from this board?

Must check in at midnight where the cruise embarks. So Icon would be midnight ET.