It's been over a year since Icon of the Seas arrived and set a new standard for giant cruise ships.
I went on Icon in the first few months it entered service, but it's been a number of months since I sailed on her. I had gone on other ships, including the newer Utopia of the Seas. So how would Icon feel a year later, and is would it feel as fresh and innovative as before?
Royal Caribbean introduced a number of firsts on Icon, and it made the ship stand out immediately.
Being the biggest cruise ship in the world will get plenty of attention, with a maximum capacity of 7,600 passengers. But there's much more that makes Icon special beyond her dimensions.
There's just about every bright idea, fun activity, and way to relax on Icon. Variety of things to do is something that's always attracted me to big ships, but it's incredible how much more Icon has than even the nearly as large Oasis Class ships.
I took my family back on Icon for a 7-night western Caribbean cruise over spring break. I wanted to see what had changed, how the experience is with a full sailing, and if Icon is still my favorite ship in the fleet.
Crowd management is still incredible
The one thing that struck me on Icon when she came out was how effective crowd management was on the ship, and it still holds up today.
Royal Caribbean knew it needed to distribute crowds well in order to keep this mega ship from feeling overstuffed and unenjoyable. They did a great job with the Oasis Class ships, but Icon is notably better.
With few exceptions crowds simply don't exist on the ship. Sure, when a show lets out or there's a party on the Royal Promenade, you'll see a crowd. But those are engineered crowds.
Even on the pool deck, which traditionally suffers the worst crowding problems on sea days, is remarkably open. Not only are there tons of chairs everywhere, but adding more pools than any other ship and spreading them out clearly worked.
I can't promise you'll find a chair in front of Royal Bay pool at noon, but there are going to be chairs nearby.
There's an art to how the activities are programmed, the venues spread out, and the different places you can go.
If there's any concern about going on a ship with 10,000 people feeling too crowded, I don't think you need to worry.
Dueling Pianos is my go to evening entertainment
Among the many new venues introduced on Icon, Dueling Pianos is one of the best.
I had tried Dueling Pianos on the inaugural sailing, and it stood out immediately. I went back on a few evenings to see how it compared.
The idea is simple: two pianists take requests from the crowd and take turns playing as many as they can. The thing that makes this more than on-demand piano music is the entertainment factor involved.
Each one adds personality, incorporates the audience, and just makes it really fun.
Roel and Sarah were a terrific duo, and I loved how they infused humor to songs we've all heard dozens of times.
It's also a really good bar to make friends because of how much audience participation there is. The bar regulars will become characters soon enough and you'll wave hello to people you know around the ship.
Great specialty dining, but whish there was one more really good option
I ate well on Icon and got around to as many restaurants as I could, but if there was one deficiency I found, it's that the ship lacks one more really good restaurant.
Specialty dining is a focus on pretty much every ship, and it's popular with guests too.
For a 7-night cruise, I think it lacks another top level specialty restaurant.
Chops Grille, Giovanni's Italian Kitchen, and Izumi are terrific and I ate at each one on the cruise, but it needs one more.
Anecdotally, Hooked seems to be not so popular and because it's so heavy on shellfish, it's also very polarizing. I like Pier 7, but it's almost empty every night and most guests seem to not know it even exists.
Other pay options are more casual, like Playmakers or Trellis Bar. Empire Supper Club is divine, but it's a niche restaurant with a hefty price tag.
Having a restaurant like 150 Central Park, Wonderland, or some new concept would go a long way.
I regret not going to the pool more
We had a lot of fun on Icon of the Seas, but I wish I had more time to enjoy the pools.
In a typical "first world problem", our itinerary was loaded with port stops: three in the western Caribbean, and a visit to Perfect Day at CocoCay.
The downside to this schedule was it left us just two sea days, and with everything happening around Icon, I never got around to spending time in the pool.
In retrospect, I should have skipped a beach day in Cozumel and instead hung out on the ship.
I think Royal Caribbean did a great job with the pools, especially the Swim & Tonic and Cloud 17. But with Dueling Pianos, all the shows, great dining choices, and activities, the pools got left out.
Best comedy entertainment on any ship
I really enjoy the adult comedy shows on Royal Caribbean ships, but Icon has the best venue for it yet.
On other ships, the comedy shows are performed either in the Royal Theater or a multi-use venue. Icon has a purpose-built comedy club, and it's perfect.
The venue has a great layout that is big enough to handle the rampant demand for shows, but also provide both comics and audience alike great angles to enjoy it all.
Plus, we had a fantastic lineup of comedians, including my all-time favorite, Simeon Kirkiles.
I love how Royal Caribbean invests in live comedy, and the venue on Icon is superb.
Very few changes since last year
One thing I kept an eye out for were any changes Royal Caribbean made since last year, but it's fairly consistent.
I think the biggest change is to make all of Basecamp included in your cruise fare.
Previously, the menu had a lot of extra cost items and a few freebies. Now, it's all included. Granted, they dropped two items from the menu (fare thee well, cheese curds. We hardly knew you).
The library within Pearl Cafe is also holding on for dear life. There's only a few books, likely because books were taken without being returned, but it still exists.
I also noticed Rye & Bean doesn't open until 10am, which used to open at 8am a year ago. It was one of my favorite Icon of the Seas secrets as a less crowded coffee alternative to Pearl Cafe.
The shows are still so good and must-sees
Royal Caribbean did such a good job producing each of the signature shows on Icon of the Seas.
Wizard of Oz, Aqua Action, and Starburst and excellent and worth your time. I'll even go as far as to say Wizard of Oz is worthy of being put on a stage on land because of the high production value.
I was a bit put off by the shows after the ones on Utopia weren't nearly as good, but I came back for the shows on Icon and was not disappointed.
Disembarkation is the easiest process ever on Icon
It is amazing how smooth, efficient, and fast disembarkation is with a ship as large as Icon.
They got passengers and luggage off incredibly early, making the process so easy.
There were no lines to wait to disembark, and they had called most of the luggage numbers before 8am.
Considering how long it can take on other ships, disembarking Icon is such a breeze.
