LIVE!!! ICON OF THE SEAS INAUGURAL

[cruisinghawg]

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!!

 

[cruisinghawg]

2 minutes ago, SUgwoz said:

Don't recall if this was mentioned previously, is the suite lounge the same as Oasis class in terms of offering beer/wine from 11a-11p?

@ReneeFLL may be here shortly to answer your question.

[BecciBoo]

50 minutes ago, cruisinghawg said:

Maybe an entryway off deck 5

There are 2 doorways leading to the outdoor promenade or running track that we plan on using out of the ice rink.  I couldn't go down or back up those stairs anyway with my  wheelchair so we'll exclusively use those doors to get in and out.  Then back into the indoor promenade.  I also think they will eventually have to remove the sports bar, don't know where they'll move it but it probably has to go.

 

Hope the designers are seriously studying this problem whilst Star is being built!!!!!

Edited February 9 by BecciBoo

[cruisinghawg]

57 minutes ago, BecciBoo said:

There are 2 doorways leading to the outdoor promenade or running track that we plan on using out of the ice rink.  I couldn't go down or back up those stairs anyway with my  wheelchair so we'll exclusively use those doors to get in and out.  Then back into the indoor promenade.  I also think they will eventually have to remove the sports bar, don't know where they'll move it but it probably has to go.

 

Hope the designers are seriously studying this problem whilst Star is being built!!!!!

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.

[BecciBoo]

Good to hear thx

[peagreenid]

Can someone tell me what time the Walk off's are allowed to disembark on the Icon of the Seas?

Can you post the sheet with disembarkation times?

[cruisinghawg]

5 hours ago, peagreenid said:

Can someone tell me what time the Walk off's are allowed to disembark on the Icon of the Seas?

Can you post the sheet with disembarkation times?

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. 

[chawkjewel]

5 hours ago, peagreenid said:

Can someone tell me what time the Walk off's are allowed to disembark on the Icon of the Seas?

Can you post the sheet with disembarkation times?

 

I went down to get coffee at 6:00 a.m. and they were already letting folks off.  I was surprised.  

[peagreenid]

5 hours ago, cruisinghawg said:

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. 

 

4 hours ago, chawkjewel said:

 

I went down to get coffee at 6:00 a.m. and they were already letting folks off.  I was surprised.  

I'm trying to get something a little more definitive.  I need to book a private shuttle and don't know the best time to book it for.  I'll probably keep track of a couple of more sailings   

[BecciBoo]

That information should be in the last day of the Compass, didn't that get published here?

[Ocean Boy]

1 hour ago, peagreenid said:

 

I'm trying to get something a little more definitive.  I need to book a private shuttle and don't know the best time to book it for.  I'll probably keep track of a couple of more sailings   

Unless something goes wrong, 7 AM for a pickup is a pretty safe bet if you are doing self assist. I have never been on a cruise you could not be off by 7 AM if you wanted to. Everyone knows they need to get disembarkation started early to turn over a ship of this size.

[joand452]

19 hours ago, BecciBoo said:

There are 2 doorways leading to the outdoor promenade or running track that we plan on using out of the ice rink.  I couldn't go down or back up those stairs anyway with my  wheelchair so we'll exclusively use those doors to get in and out.  Then back into the indoor promenade.  I also think they will eventually have to remove the sports bar, don't know where they'll move it but it probably has to go.

 

Hope the designers are seriously studying this problem whilst Star is being built!!!!!

Thanks, @BecciBoo 

 

Most of Royal's ships seem to be pretty accessible -- until this one!  DH uses a scooter on cruises -- most ships are just too big for him to comfortably walk around.  And he may attempt a step here and there.  Is there an elevator from anywhere to directly take him to the ice rink? Are there handicap seats there?  I usually sit in one; he can stay on the scooter if necessary, but prefers to sit in one of the armchairs.  Seeing the shows is a big part of cruising for us; we'd hate to miss anything because of his mobility issues.  

 

One more question, is there a way to get to a "pod" in the Aquadome other than more stairs?  

 

 

[ORD1166]

On 2/1/2024 at 5:18 AM, cruisinghawg said:

Surfside, another influence from Oasis class but different.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Great video's Paul

 

[ticketsunlimited]

9 minutes ago, joand452 said:

Thanks, @BecciBoo 

 

Most of Royal's ships seem to be pretty accessible -- until this one!  DH uses a scooter on cruises -- most ships are just too big for him to comfortably walk around.  And he may attempt a step here and there.  Is there an elevator from anywhere to directly take him to the ice rink? Are there handicap seats there?  I usually sit in one; he can stay on the scooter if necessary, but prefers to sit in one of the armchairs.  Seeing the shows is a big part of cruising for us; we'd hate to miss anything because of his mobility issues.  

 

One more question, is there a way to get to a "pod" in the Aquadome other than more stairs?  

 

 

It was stated above that there was an elevator to the skate rink with a person in the elevator to help.

 

Not sure about wheel chair access to the pods.  I am sure they will chime in.

[ORD1166]

21 hours ago, cruisinghawg said:

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!!

 

Paul,

 

Very well stated in both posts.  

 

Vic

[ORD1166]

14 hours ago, peagreenid said:

Can someone tell me what time the Walk off's are allowed to disembark on the Icon of the Seas?

Can you post the sheet with disembarkation times?

We walk off at about 6:55 AM and was in a cab by 7:05

Vic

[Ozark_Kid]

20 hours ago, BecciBoo said:

There are 2 doorways leading to the outdoor promenade or running track that we plan on using out of the ice rink.

 

19 hours ago, cruisinghawg said:

Also know that there is an elevator dedicated to the Ice rink to Playmakers

 

32 minutes ago, joand452 said:

Thanks, @BecciBoo 

 

Most of Royal's ships seem to be pretty accessible -- until this one!  DH uses a scooter on cruises -- most ships are just too big for him to comfortably walk around.  And he may attempt a step here and there.  Is there an elevator from anywhere to directly take him to the ice rink? Are there handicap seats there?  I usually sit in one; he can stay on the scooter if necessary, but prefers to sit in one of the armchairs.  Seeing the shows is a big part of cruising for us; we'd hate to miss anything because of his mobility issues.  

One more question, is there a way to get to a "pod" in the Aquadome other than more stairs?  

 

We went to the ice skating shows twice.   The 1st time a crew member caught us as we exited the elevator and directed us to the rink by going down the running track.

The second time a crew member directed us through play makers to the elevator.   DW was able to join me in the elevator. 

Sharon sat with me both times in a handicap chair while I stayed in the wheelchair. 

I was surprised how accessible things were.  Not everything was perfect but beat my expectations after watching videos beforehand.   

I had no problem at shows.  The Oz show and at the Aquatheater I transferred to a chair.

I used a chair lift to get into a hot tub.  There was a chair lift to get down to the Hideaway but I never had the desire to go all the way down after hearing it was load.

The only lift that didn't work was to the Flowrider.   Friends helped me up those stairs.  Also there was no way for me to do the slides.

I forgot about the pod in the Aquadome so never checked it out.

 

 

[joand452]

Thank you!

[bmblob]

1 hour ago, joand452 said:

One more question, is there a way to get to a "pod" in the Aquadome other than more stairs?  

 

 

The pods in the Overlook area have stair steps as the only access for the elevated pods.  There are some ground level seatings which would be accessible, there are ramps to that area from the AquaDome theater level.

[FromSea2ShiningSea]

Here’s a few shots of the pods in the Aquadome.  Stairs is the only access to elevated pods.  The sun was coming in casting all kinds of shadows

 

Ground level seats

 

Inside the elevated pod.  You don’t know if there is someone in the pod until you walk up the stairs.

 

Someone asked about the little sitting area on Deck 5 between the Running Track. Nice quiet place to soak in the sun.

 

[SilkySal]

1 hour ago, Ozark_Kid said:

We went to the ice skating shows twice.   The 1st time a crew member caught us as we exited the elevator and directed us to the rink by going down the running track.

The second time a crew member directed us through play makers to the elevator.   DW was able to join me in the elevator. 

Sharon sat with me both times in a handicap chair while I stayed in the wheelchair. 

I was surprised how accessible things were.  Not everything was perfect but beat my expectations after watching videos beforehand.

When we were on Odyssey, we were told by a staffer that there was no elevator up to Playmakers, just the long stair case. I was in a scooter. So, I later had someone tell me that there was a small freight elevator at the back of the ice rink, which is how I was then able to get up to Playmakers. It sounds like the Icon has a similar layout. There was also no restrooms on the Playmakers deck; you had to go back down to the ice rink to use a restroom. Is there a restroom on the same deck as Playmakers on the new Icon? I certainly hope so!! A sports bar with no nearby restroom? Ridiculous design on Odyssey!

[BecciBoo]

1 hour ago, SilkySal said:

no elevator up to Playmakers,

Wow, we never discovered that!  I had to go up the stairs, took forever!

[Ocean Boy]

1 hour ago, SilkySal said:

When we were on Odyssey, we were told by a staffer that there was no elevator up to Playmakers, just the long stair case. I was in a scooter. So, I later had someone tell me that there was a small freight elevator at the back of the ice rink, which is how I was then able to get up to Playmakers. It sounds like the Icon has a similar layout. There was also no restrooms on the Playmakers deck; you had to go back down to the ice rink to use a restroom. Is there a restroom on the same deck as Playmakers on the new Icon? I certainly hope so!! A sports bar with no nearby restroom? Ridiculous design on Odyssey!

Minor point but I just don't want anyone reading this to think Odyssey has an ice rink. The Seaplex is where the bumper cars are and the floor is also used for other activities.

[The sea calls my name]

On 2/8/2024 at 7:14 PM, BecciBoo said:

There are 2 doorways leading to the outdoor promenade or running track that we plan on using out of the ice rink.  I couldn't go down or back up those stairs anyway with my  wheelchair so we'll exclusively use those doors to get in and out.  Then back into the indoor promenade.  I also think they will eventually have to remove the sports bar, don't know where they'll move it but it probably has to go.

 

Hope the designers are seriously studying this problem whilst Star is being built!!!!!

I hope you will be able to exit via the outside promenade deck, but I heard several commit that on several occasions that the promenade exit was blocked off.  I personally didn't witness it so don't know if that is accurate but that is what some were saying.  

 

[ryanbarckley]

I haven't seen much written about it yet - how was the Dueling Piano bar?

 

Fun? Worth going to more than once? Tough to get in to?

 

Thank you all for all the posts - I get on in one week!