Royal Caribbean's newest cruise ship has more for families than ever, including a new kind of stateroom.
The Surfside Family Suite is one of 14 brand-new stateroom categories on Icon of the Seas.
With Icon, Royal Caribbean wants to offer the kind of family vacation that can compete with land resorts, such as the popular theme park resorts in Orlando, Florida. In order to do that, not only does the cruise ship need to have lots of fun things to do, but it needs rooms that are a better fit.
The Surfside Family Suite overlooks the Surfside neighborhood. Like its namesake, this suite is meant to be a great choice for those with young kids.
Disclosure: We toured the room while on a preview sailing of Icon of the Seas that we were invited to sail as guests.
It's clear that Royal Caribbean wanted a cabin that allowed the parents to sleep in the same room as their kids, without feeling like everyone is on top of each other. The result are smaller nooks for the kids to have their own space.
Photos of this cabin come from room 10293 on deck 10.
Walking into the room, you'll notice the set-up has areas for everyone, and the space is maximized to take advantage of it all.
The 1.5 bedroom suite sleeps up to 4, complete with a bedroom and special kids’ nook space with a pullout couch.
In this suite, you’ll also find a split bathroom and a private balcony accessible via a convertible partition in the bedroom.
Given that it's a suite, it comes with Sky Class benefits in Royal Caribbean's suite program. This is the mid-tier suite benefits and includes suite lounge access, priority boarding, the services of the concierge, complimentary internet access, and more. It's likely going to be the least-expensive Sky Class suite on the ship.
Walking into the room, there are two bathrooms on either side of the entrance.
One bathroom is the full bath, which comes with a sink, toilet and full shower. Like all cabins on Icon of the Seas, the shower has a seat and isn't a typical cruise ship tube shower.
The other bathroom is a half bath, with toilet and sink.
There is a king size bed that can be split in two if requested. The idea is for this bed to be for the parents.
There is a large television near the bed, along with nightstands and USB outlets on either side. Offering more power outlets is a common thread among all cabins on Icon of the Seas.
In the living space, you'll find metal hooks on one wall that are perfect for hanging up swimsuits, hats, and more.
There's a vanity sitting area with mirror and more outlets. Most of the closet space is located here as well.
Near the vanity is the kids nook, which has a fold out bed that is ideal for younger children.
This area has a see-through window to the balcony, and a floor-to-ceiling window so kids can see what's happening around Surfside.
The kids have their own television too.
The nook has a sliding door that can be used to essentially corral the kids in. The door isn't sound or view proof, but there are curtains you can draw as well to make it dark in there.
The suite has a balcony that comes with chairs and a table, and it overlooks the Surfside neighborhood.
The Surfside Family Suite is perfect for a family that has kids no older than 6 years old (or very short slightly older kids).
Having separate sleeping areas without having a second room makes keeping tabs on your kids when they're at an age that they need to still be close by to mom and dad substantially more useful. On older cruise ships, it's difficult to find rooms like this that provide some degree of separation and amenities.
Plus, the extra half bathroom means more flexibility when someone is using the shower.
It's also located within the Surfside neighborhood, so it's just a few decks down to Surfside, and a few decks up to Thrill Island.
This is a suite, and not a standard room, so the price will not be as cheap as simply booking a standard balcony room that can accommodate up to four guests. But it is usually priced cheaper than other suites, and it has much more living space.
For a family with elementary school aged kids, the Surfside Family Suite might be the perfect solution for booking one room while not being on top of each other.
