It doesn't look like Royal Caribbean will offer all-inclusive prices for a cruise anytime soon.

Royal Caribbean cruise fares typically offer a modular approach to pricing, where the base fare gets you on the cruise with a certain subset of included amenities.  Everything else costs extra, including shore excursions, most drinks, gratuities, and more.

Other cruise lines have recently made a shift to include more in their cruise fare, such as Celebrity Cruises which includes a basic drink package and internet package with its All Included fare.

A travel agent sailing on a preview sailing of Icon of the Seas asked Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley if his cruise line would make a similar move, and Mr. Bayley balked at the suggestion.

Half of passengers don't want a drink package

It doesn't seem like Mr. Bayley sees a need to include a drink package as part of the cruise fare.

Celebrity's drink package is similar to Royal Caribbean's deluxe beverage package in the sense it includes many extra cost drinks, such as beers, cocktails, sodas, and more.

Read more: Royal Caribbean drink package guide

"Our strategy has always been the unbundling of pricing to give people as much choice as they possibly can," he explained in answering the question.

"Our research says that around about 50% of the guests don't want a beverage package."

The average cost of Royal Caribbean's top drink package is around $65 to $105 per person per day, depending on the sailing.

"We've learned that unbundling is much easier and better for the guest. It also gets the price point in front of the customer, especially for families. And remember family is our is our real core target market."

Royal Caribbean's commitment to being a family cruise line above all else is self-evident with the launch of Icon of the Seas, which it considers the best alternative to a family land vacation to a place like Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida.

Icon of the Seas features more for families to than any other ship before, and not just kids. It's designed for every member of the family.

The ship has eight neighborhoods offering an entire waterpark onboard, FlowRider surf simulator, mini-golf, and rock climbing.

Chill Island has seven different pools, with plenty of chairs nearby to enjoy the sun or shade.

Surfside is an entire area of the ship designed for young families. Parents can enjoy the Water's Edge pool at the back of the ship, while their kids enjoy Splashaway Bay and Baby Bay. Surfside also has three restaurants, an arcade, carousel, and lots of things to climb.

Unbundling offers choices

Mr. Bayley's comments focused on how much customers prefer having the discretion to add-on certain extra charges, rather than paying more up-front for a cruise fare.

"When you unbundle everything, it gives people choice and it pushes the pricing closer to their budget, which is a really important thing for families," he continued. 

"We feel like the pricing strategy that we have on the bundling, unbundling is the right path to go."

Mr. Bayley's comments echo what travel agents have been told before.  In 2020, Royal Caribbean Director of Revenue Strategy, Brittany Briggs, had a similar response when her team was asked during a webinar about all-inclusive pricing.

"We're a multigenerational cruise line with a lot of family sailing with us, so we do want to continue to be a family brand. I don't think this direction is a good fit for us," Ms. Briggs said.

"At this time we're not considering changing our pricing structure as we are truly focusing our on board experience for all of our guests."

Star Class is the exception

Mr. Bayley was quick to point out that if you move to Star Class cabins, you'll get as close to all-inclusive as Royal Caribbean can get.

"Around 10% of our total inventory, it falls into the suite category overall. So I think we're in the right place."

Is Crown's Edge too expensive?

Speaking of things that cost extra on a Royal Caribbean cruise, Mr. Bayley also took time to address concerns that the Crown's Edge experience is too pricey.

Crown's Edge is part skywalk, part ropes course, part thrill ride, and an all-out test of courage.  It's a ropes course-style attraction that goes around the ship's Crown and Anchor logo.

The initial price for this thrill attraction was $89 per person for a ride that is listed at taking 90 seconds.

Photo by Vicki Freed

Mr. Bayley pushed back on calls for a lower price because of everything involved to make it happen, "when you experience that and you see what's involved in it, there's multiple staff interactions. There's a huge amount of safety involved in it. There's a video that records your whole experience that you then receive on your phone. There's a lot that comes with the experience."

He also added that pricing helps control demand in many cases for limited opportunity experiences, "sometimes pricing is to manage just the sheer volume of expectations."

When it comes to pricing, Mr. Bayley believes a higher price is acceptable if the product matches it, "we've also learned is that if you have a genuine quality product that ticks the box and delivers the goods to the customer, you'd be surprised at how the customer is willing to pay the price for that product."

"For example, with the overwater cabanas in Coco Cay. If you've experienced the overwater cabanas, it is literally like going to heaven for the day."

"It's not cheap, but people have the most remarkable experience and they're willing to pay for that... We feel like we're on the right track."

Ultimately, he is waiting for feedback from passengers on a revenue sailing, "as we go through the next several weeks, we'll get a lot of feedback from our revenue customers. They are going to tell us that this works or that doesn't."

A cool drink in your hand on Royal Caribbean's Icon of the Seas can offer much more than a stereotypical cocktail.

Most people think of a pina colada, rum and coke, or margarita when you envision themselves on a cruise ship.  While Royal Caribbean still offers those staples, they wanted to give passengers more choices and opportunities to find a new favorite.

Icon of the Seas has 13 brand new bars and lounges that are new to the fleet, and they created over 100 new cocktails. Sixty-five of them have alcohol.  

Read more: Icon of the Seas restaurant and dining guide

Alexandra Palmeri is Royal Caribbean's Corporate Manager of Beverage Operations, and she helped come up with 13 new bar menus just for Icon of the Seas.

To put that in perspective, when Wonder of the Seas launched, there was only one new bar menu.

The process is methodical, but also quite fun, "We go venue by venue to start, because you really have to hone in and think about what your experience wants to be on each menu."

As an example, the Rye and Bean is a coffee-based bar, so Alex and her team started off with 20-25 drinks that they tasted and whittled it down to the ten that made the final menu.

"And then what we did afterwards was took a step back and made everything together. So every single cocktail with every single menu, all the menus created, so you look at it visually and say, okay, we really have a full variety across the entire ship."

How do they come up with a new drink?

It's not easy to come up with a new cocktail that will be just as good as traditional favorites.  

Drink menus need to balance what's popular versus what the team thinks will bring something different to make it all stand out.

Alex thinks the theme of the bar plays a big role in choosing which drinks work for that venue, "For example, Hideaway Bar is an outside, adults-only venue. We wanted to lean more into champagne based cocktails."

"Every cocktail on that menu has some bubbles in it and something that's easy to drink. You're sitting by the pool, you want to lounge all day. So low ABV really played a huge part into it."

Essentially, the location of the guest factors into the drink menu that the Food & Beverage team concocts so that it fits the vibe.

In creating new drinks, the process is very much based on trial and error. There's a panel at Royal Caribbean headquarters that sample the new drinks, "for some of these drinks, the first time we've tried them, they were a home run."

Other drinks take longer to get just right. In the case of the "Oh Mai Gawd" cocktail from The Hideaway neighborhood, Alex recalls it took the team 20 times before it was good, "sometimes it really takes that much to really get a perfect cocktail, but that's what's needed. It really makes sure you have holistically what's going to work for everybody."

You might also be wondering how the team chooses one liquor over another, and Alex said it's based on balancing taste and cost, "If we like the way it tastes in both separate ones, we'll see what the cost looks like and then make a decision from there."

Bubbles

Speaking of champagne, Royal Caribbean added a new champagne window on Icon of the Seas that leans into the increased popularity of the bubbly stuff.

Bubbles is located in the Central Park neighborhood, and it only serves champagne. Alex calls it a fun concept, "You want to go grab a glass of champagne as you're walking through Central Park. It really creates kind of a whole experience."

In thinking about Bubbles, her team came up with a drink called, "Garden Breeze", and Alex compares it to a passion fruit mojito.

Beyond the pina colada

With 13 new bar menus, there's going to be lots of new drinks to try on Icon of the Seas, and I was curious which drinks Alex recommended to try for someone who wants to branch out.

One trend Royal Caribbean is leaning into is bitters, and as a result, you'll find more bitter than sweet drinks to try.

Ed Eiswirth, Royal Caribbean Director of Beverage Operations, recommends the Jazzy Sass cocktail from Lou's Jazz 'n Blues as something different.

Alex liked many of the coffee drinks from the Rye & Bean bar in the Aquadome.

Zero proof drinks

One other trend that Royal Caribbean has embraced is the zero proof menu, which features drinks without any alcohol in them.

There's an entire bar in Surfside that features drinks that kids can enjoy too, and it's not just deconstructed alcoholic beverages.

"When you start with alcohol and you start to deconstruct it, it becomes a lot more challenging to create a non-alcoholic mocktail. So we started from the mocktail perspective and then built it built it up that way," Alex explained.

If sharing Icon of the Seas with up to 7,600 other passengers sounds like it will be crowded, Royal Caribbean has planned around that issue.

Icon of the Seas is the biggest cruise ship in the world, and there will be anywhere between 5,610 to 7,600 passengers depending on how many third, fourth, and fifth passengers are booked into each cabin.  Without a doubt, that's a lot of people on any ship.

Royal Caribbean knew it had to be able to accommodate that many people while still retaining a positive guest experience.  They had already successfully tackled the issue on the Oasis Class ships that preceded Icon, and the challenge was to keep crowds moving on Icon too.

Naturally, the public was curious how crowded a ship as big as Icon would be once it started to sail.

Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley joked about just how much time his company spent on the issue of crowds on Icon, "A lot of time. I mean, a gazillion billion, gazillion, trillion hours of time with a lot of people."

"We were obsessively focused, and we've got a lot of experience," he said alluding to the fact Royal Caribbean has been developing mega cruise ships for decades. 

"If you look at the classes of ships over time, how they've evolved, we do know a lot about the flow of people, and we do know how you need to create an experience that delights the customer, but also moves people around."

That isn't to say there wont be any lines or crowds. Any cruise ship have lines and crowds of people that occur throughout any sailing.  With Icon, the cruise line wanted to ensure the flow of passengers mitigated the problem.

Changing the formula

One way Royal Caribbean has focused on crowds has been to re-think its crowd management strategy.

"A lot of work, a lot of study, a lot of analytics, and we've got a lot of information from our existing fleet, and we utilize it a lot to try to to operate this efficiently as possible, but also make sure people have a great time," Mr. Bayley explained.

"Our classic formula is in the evening is a dinner and a show," alluding to how things have typically worked. "When you think about dinner and a show, that really allows you to understand how people do move. And then, of course, during the day, we've created neighborhoods."

Neighborhoods have served two purposes for Royal Caribbean's mega ships.  First, it provides easy navigation aids.  Second, it helps spread passengers out.

Surfside is focused on young families with kids six and under and there's so much to do for kids and their parents that it keeps those families in one section of the ship without much need to leave. Meanwhile, older kids are busy with Thrill Island's water park.  Adults can hang out at The Hideaway, and then there's likely trivia, production shows, meals, and a host of other things to do happening at the same time.

Believe it or not, there's actually less cabins on Icon of the Seas than an Oasis Class ship.  According to Royal Caribbean Group CEO Jason Liberty, that means the actual square footage per passenger is higher.

"I think the construction of the different neighborhoods and being able to segregate different multi generations through the course of the ship was really the focus of it."

Spinning up higher capacity

Mr. Bayley indicated prepping Icon for the crowds that would come onboard has been an ongoing effort.

Icon departed Europe with extra crew members and a lot of contractors who were onboard to continue finalizations. 

Once the ship got to Miami, they started doing shakedown cruises with employees.  That amounted to around 4,000 passengers. For the preview sailings with media and travel agents, the number went up to 4,500.

For the maiden voyage, they're expecting, "80% of the double occupancy, it's probably would probably be around 5500, which is easy," Mr. Bayley said.

"And then week by week, we increase the capacity until we're confident that we've got everything working the way it should. And so the full capacity of this ship, which typically will happen in peak summer during the school holidays, will be 7600."

For those keeping score at home, Oasis Class ships max out around a similar number, "Our Oasis class peak summer have operated at around 7500 today. So we're very confident on our ability to manage all of our guests."

By methodically increasing capacity, Royal Caribbean feels good about handling crowds, "So far we feel really good about everything that we do."

New elevators

There are no traditional elevators on Icon of the Seas.  Instead, the ship has destination elevators.

Destination elevators aren't just a fad, they're a way to more efficiently tackle the issue of getting passengers between decks and that's been a traditional pain point on big ships.

With the destination elevators, you select which floor you want to go to on a panel and are told which elevator to take.

Once in the elevator, there's no buttons to push.  This means less people coming in and stopping the elevator on every floor.  Or someone leaning against the panel and accidentally pushing all the buttons.

Royal Caribbean did a lot of proactive work to ensure destination elevators would be a good idea. 

"We even constructed the elevator lobbies in a warehouse in Miami full scale so we could visually understand how those elevator lobbies would look. "

"And then we sent teams all over the world to look at similar technologies to make sure that it really was something that we thought would work."

The result early on has been a successful and efficient system.

"We've been delighted with the elevator lobbies, and in fact, we thought because people would be confused." 

"In the beginning of our cruises, we put staff on every lobby with ask me on it to help people, and we found it's really not an issue. People kind of figure it out quite quickly. And I got to say, I think the elevators are great."

Easier ways to get between decks

As a passenger, you'll find more ways to move from one deck to another beyond elevators and the traditional stairwells.

There are multiple stairways in the Royal Promenade to go down and up, and most importantly, in the middle of the deck.

There are a few dry slides for kids and adults to go between decks that is meant to be fun, but it's functional. There's one between the two levels of Chill Island and a slide in Surfside that acts as an express way down.

While the slides aren't going to make much of an impact to lessen crowds, the escalators and stairs are easy ways to reduce the need of an elevator, and keep people moving quicker.  Moving between decks 4 through 7 is very easy on Icon of the Seas.

Keeping everyone busy

When it comes to crowds on Icon, you can expect a lot of different things happening that should draw passengers in many directions.

Royal Caribbean is leveraging entertainment, smart design, and more things to do than on any other ship to keep people busy.

Keeping in mind that Icon of the Seas is about 7% larger than Wonder of the Seas, so it's not doubling or significantly increasing the overall size of a known entity.

If you're having second thoughts about going on a ship as big as Icon of the Seas because of how many people will be onboard, it's likely not going to be nearly as bad as you think it will be.

Icon of the Seas is about to set sail on her maiden voyage later this week, and Royal Caribbean is already working on ways to improve on a ship that has barely sailed.

Star of the Seas will be the second Icon Class cruise ship and will debut in 2025 to sail from Port Canaveral.  Not only is the ship well into construction, but improvements and updates from Icon are in the works.

Icon of the Seas will have her first voyage with paying passengers on Saturday, but the ship has had employees, media, and travel agents onboard for short preview sailings to fine tune everything in the lead-up to the maiden sailing.

Royal Caribbean's Senior Vice President and Chief Product Innovation Officer Jay Schneider is leading the charge to innovate with Star.

While the cruise line is not ready to reveal everything that will be different on Star, we have a few ideas what they have in mind.

Star of the Seas will not be the biggest ship in the world

With the Oasis Class ships, Royal Caribbean made each subsequent ship just a little bit bigger so that it could take the title of biggest in the world.  The Icon class will not follow that trend.

"That isn't the case on Icon. Star will not be a foot bigger. It will be 1198ft long. The third ship in the icon class, yet to be named publicly, will also be 1198ft long."

According to Mr. Schneider, there's no point in continuing that pattern, "We don't feel a need to do that right now. Maybe we'll change our mind. Never say never. But that isn't the design intent."

Update to the supper club

Royal Caribbean opened its first ever supper club experience on Icon of the Seas with Empire Supper Club, but expect a new motif on Star.

On Star of the Seas, the venue will be Chicago themed (Icon has a New York theme to it). And there's more ideas after that.

"It'll actually become Chicago themed, but same DNA," said Mr. Schneider. " "On Icon three, it becomes Hollywood themed."

"Great music choreographed to the delivery of the food and the service, with cocktails paired but all wired for the theme that goes with it. So Chicago will be more Midwestern themed, Hollywood will be Hollywood themed, and the decor and the venue will match, and the food and music will twist to again match that theme."

"If we build future versions of icon, we'll just keep going around the world assuming that concept remains successful."

Star and Icon 3 are being built at the same time

With Star of the Seas coming in 2025 and Icon 3 in 2026, work is happening concurrently. 

"The ships are essentially being built in parallel," which is a necessity in order to keep the ship on schedule for delivery.

While work is underway, that doesn't mean tweaks can't be made in the process.

"As we operate this with real guests over the next three, four months, that will also really help inform what we want to adjust on Star and what we want to adjust on Icon three."

A hot tub will be added

Mr. Schneider alluded to a hot tub idea that was cut from Icon due to weight concerns, but will be on Star.

"When we initially were pulling out in sea trials, we thought we were at maximum weight."

"We are not as it turned out so, we did have some room. And so the hot tub that I that painfully cut is now coming back on Star of the Seas."

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.

Far from buried treasure at sea, Royal Caribbean has a souvenir that will cost six figures.

Royal Caribbean has a store on the brand new Icon of the Seas that sells just cruise line branded jewelry, and it incudes the most expensive cup I've ever seen.

The new cruise ship is selling a single cup that costs $100,000 that has Royal Caribbean logos on each side and is available in just one store.

Appropriately named Royal Bling, it's located in the Aquadome neighborhood and sells Royal Caribbean branded rings, necklaces, and other keepsakes adorned with the cruise line logo.

Clearly, it appeals to the Royal Caribbean super fan that loves not only to cruise, but cruise with Royal Caribbean and they want the world to see it.

Among the treasures in this store is a chalice that costs $100,000 and looks like something you might find guarded by the Grail Knight in an Indiana Jones movie.

The cup is only available on Icon of the Seas and that price gets you not only a gold chalice adorned with jeweled bling, but it comes with an added benefit.

If you buy it, it comes with an unlimited Royal Caribbean drink package for life.

That means you'll never have to pay for another beverage package for yourself ever again.

The Deluxe Beverage Package includes cocktails, spirits, liquors, beers, wine by the glass, sodas, water, mocktails, premium coffee and tea, and fresh-squeezed juice. Basically almost any drink on the ship up to $14 in value.

If you're doing the math in your head, the Deluxe Beverage Package on the inaugural sailing of Icon of the Seas for one person across seven nights is $559.93 before gratuities. You can add another $100.73 with gratuities, to bring the price to $660.66.

Assuming that drink package price never changes and you only ever cruise 7-night cruises, it would take you about 151 cruises to "break even" on the goblet purchase.

It's not clear exactly what the goblet is made of to account for the value of the materials used in the cup.

The novelty goblet is one of several jewelry choices cruises can purchase on the ship. Most of the other jewelry comes in at a much lower price point.

During the President's Cruise earlier this year, President and CEO Michael Bayley was spotted wearing an over-the-top diamond encrusted Royal Caribbean Crown & Anchor logo on a silver chain, and it clearly resonated with someone.

The store could be a follow-up to that, and also addresses a possible need among Royal Caribbean's elite fans.

Cruise line loyalists are a passionate bunch, and representing their favorite cruise line in their everyday life is just as important to some as going on the ships.

The Royal Bling store has Crown and Anchor bracelets, rings, earrings and more.

Icon is the first cruise ship to have a Royal Caribbean themed jewelry store, and there plenty of other firsts on the ship too.

You can find Royal Bling near the Aquatheater entrance.

Icon is the first of the Icon Class, with at least two more ships under construction to follow.

Icon is now the world's largest cruise ship and has more waterslides than any other ship, seven pools (including the first suspended infinity pool at sea), an entire neighborhood for families with young children, 40 different restaurants, bars and lounges.

At 250,800 tons, Icon of the Seas will sail from Miami and offer cruises to the eastern and western Caribbean.

Everything is bigger on Royal Caribbean's newest cruise ship, including a three-story suite that is bigger than many apartments.

On Royal Caribbean's Icon of the Seas, the Ultimate Family Townhouse is the cruise line's most expensive and largest suite it has ever created. The ship has many new features that appeal directly to families, but this one cabin is aimed directly at a family willing to open their wallet for the very best room out there.

The 1,772-square-foot suite can cost over $80,000 on a seven-night cruise and it is already sold out for all of 2024.

With the new cruise ship ready to set sail with passengers, we have our first look inside the centerpiece elevated cabin.

Up to eight people can sleep in the Ultimate Family Townhouse.

The Ultimate Family Townhouse has an in-suite slide, movie-viewing room, karaoke machine and a "backyard" with a ping pong table, outdoor seating and a white picket fence leading directly to the Surfside area.

It spans three decks and includes one of the most jaw-dropping balcony views on the entire ship.

Around the suite

The Ultimate Family Townhouse is a follow-up to the The Ultimate Family Suites introduced on other Royal Caribbean ships. Those rooms were "only" two levels, so Royal Caribbean wanted to make it even bigger on Icon.

Located across decks 7, 8, and 9 of Icon of the Seas, the entrance is on deck 8.

The townhouse has two balconies and a backyard.  The master bedroom balcony measures 90 feet, the primary balcony measures 410 square feet, and the backyard offers an additional 251 square feet of space.

Given the name, this suite is meant to evoke the most family-friendly cabin ever. It's colorful, has lots for children to enjoy, and offers more space for kids (and their parents) to spread out than ever before.

The living area includes a spacious living room and a dining room, which has an interactive gaming table. 

There's a movie room that has a widescreen television, along with a popcorn machine and karaoke machine.

You can also slide into the monster-themed daybed in the cinema room.

The master bedroom has a king-size bed and its own master bathroom with twin vanity and double shower.

The kids room has bunk beds and its own TV and games, and its own bathroom.

One neat idea is there's a special entrance to the Surfside neighborhood from your suite. There's even a mailbox that you can use to pick up notes.

Ultimate Family Townhouse perks

The Ultimate Family Townhouse is a Star Class suite, which means it enjoys the very best benefits Royal Caribbean has to offer, including a Royal Genie, free drink package, free WiFi and more.

While the suite has lots of features to admire, the Royal Genie service is not to be overlooked. It provides a mix of butler and "magic maker" to guests staying in the room, and it makes a big difference onboard your ship.

Your Genie gives you VIP treatment every step of the way.  There isn't a set list of Royal Genie benefits, but they will make any dining or entertainment reservations you need and you won't need to wait in line for any of them either.

The Genie can get you to the front of line of pretty much anything on the ship.  They will get you reserved seating in shows, have the ability to have specialty restaurant food delivered to your cabin, enjoy unlimited Starbucks beverages, and even organize a party in your suite.

Read more: A beginner's guide to sailing in Star Class

Other benefits of staying in the Ultimate Family Townhouse are gratuities included with the price, priority embarkation and disembarkation, and access to the Suite neighborhood.

How much does the Ultimate Family Townhouse cost?

It should come as no surprise that the Ultimate Family Townhouse is expensive. Very expensive.

The price of any cruise ship cabin varies from sailing to sailing, but the cruise line said the average price for the Ultimate Family Townhouse was around $78,000 - $80,000 per week.

Despite the massive price tag, demand has not been soft for this room. All of the 2024 sailings are sold out, according to Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley.

Bottom line

Is the Ultimate Family Townhouse worth it? Most people will scoff at the price tag because it is the very epitome of an over-the-top splurge.

However, there are families out there that want an epic family vacation. They do well for themselves and want to enjoy the fruit of their labors with an all-out cruise that they won't ever forget, and that's the purpose of a suite like this.

In general, suites are rarely a value, and the people that stay in them usually prioritize the extra space, enhanced service, and added benefits they provide.

With the Ultimate Family Townhouse, it's all about staying in an incredible room despite the price tag. 

Royal Caribbean has made a last-minute change to which part of Icon of the Seas will be exclusively for adults.

Ever since Royal Caribbean revealed details on its newest cruise ship, Cloud 17 was to be the adults-only area. Icon does not have a Solarium, which has traditionally been the adults-only area on its cruise ships.

As first reported by Cruise Critic, the plan has changed.

Instead of Cloud 17 (located in Chill Island), The Hideaway neighborhood will become the adults-only area for guests 18 years old or older.

In speaking with Royal Caribbean's Senior Vice President and Chief Product Innovation Officer Jay Schneider, the change was made in just the last week.

When passengers board Icon of the Seas for the first revenue sailing on January 27, they can find a kid-free zone at The Hideaway. Cloud 17 will be open to guests of all ages.

Why the change was made

Making the swap of venue rules just weeks before the new cruise ship was to set sail had a few reasons for it.

First, Mr. Schneider indicated that since Hideaway Beach at Perfect Day at CocoCay was going to be an adults-only area, having a very similar named venue on Icon of the Seas made more logical sense to have the same policy.

In addition, Cruise Critic reported that Royal Caribbean felt Cloud 17 was in "prime real estate" and did not make sense to have the area closed off to families.

About The Hideaway

One of the new neighborhood ideas on Icon of the Seas is The Hideaway. 

It's at the very back of the ship on deck 15, and it's Royal Caribbean's first ever pool at the back of a ship.

The pool is perched 135 feet above the ocean, offering 180 degree views.

From its conceptualization, The Hideaway was meant to have a Las Vegas pool party vibe.  It has the first suspended infinity pool at sea, day beds, loungers, and an expansive bar area.

There's also a multilevel terrace, whirlpools, a variety of seating. The daybeds have an additional cost to them.

Fan reaction

News of the change seems to be have been so far with favorable reaction.

Comments on Reddit showed cruisers think there's more logic to having The Hideaway be for only adults.

"That is a huge improvement, Cloud 17 looked like it would suck whenever it’s windy," wrote Kvalri.

shanham wrote, "I was surprised that hideaway wasn’t the adult area because I saw they were selling the hideaway “pool beds” for $500 on my sailing. I told my husband I couldn’t imagine paying $500 to be on a bed in a pool full of kids."

illuminated0ne thinks making The Hideaway adults-only is sensible, but not changing Cloud 17 as well, "I always assumed they would turn The Hideaway into adults only eventually because of the expensive day beds in the area, but I didn't think they'd take away the other adults-only place they've been advertising for a year."

"The Hideaway looks so much smaller. It's even more puzzling they're doing it before trying it out once."

About Cloud 17

If making Cloud 17 suddenly changes your pool deck plans, here's what to know about the area.

You'll find an infinity-edge pool at Cloud 17 (the same is true at the Cove Pool) that overlooks the ocean. There's also a whirlpool.

It also has its own Lime & Coconut Bar.

Hideaway bar menu

As mentioned, there is a bar in The Hideaway and it has a special menu.

The menu is simply a starting point, and you can order other cocktails, beers, or mixed drinks.  

Here's a look at the drink menu.