Royal Caribbean informed guests on select sailings in November and December 2024 that their cruises have been cancelled in order for the ship to undergo work.

Guests and travel agents received notifications of cancellations of select Freedom of the Seas cruises, which includes the popular Christmas sailings.

"We’re continuously working to improve our ships and the many amenities they have to offer. We’re taking Freedom of the Seas into dry dock for routine maintenance and exciting improvements."

It's not unheard of for a cruise to be cancelled because of dry dock work, but the fact it includes one of the most popular times of the year is eye-opening.

Christmas and New Years week is among the most popular times for a cruise, and it also commands the highest prices.

Cruise ships undergo work every five years (or less), and Freedom of the Seas finished her last dry dock in 2020 when Freedom of the Seas wrapped up a $116 million Royal Amplification.

Guests that were booked on that sailing have three choices:

Re-book one of the following 2024 or 2025 itineraries departing from Fort Lauderdale, Florida:

Freedom of the Seas:

• October 20^th, 2024 | 7-Night Western Caribbean & Perfect Day | sailing to:
  • Perfect Day at CocoCay | Labadee, Haiti| Falmouth, Jamaica | and George Town, Grand Cayman
• October 27^th, 2024 | 7-Night Western Caribbean & Perfect Day | sailing to:
  • Perfect Day at CocoCay | San Juan, Puerto Rico| and Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas
• February 16^th, 2025 | 7-Night Eastern Caribbean | sailing to:
  • Nassau, Bahamas | Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas | and St. Johns, Antigua

Oasis of the Seas:

• November 16^th & December 14^th in 2024 or January 11^th in 2025 | 8-Night Eastern Caribbean & Perfect Day | sailing to:
  • Basseterre, St. Kitts & Nevis | Philipsburg, St. Maarten | Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas | and Perfect Day at CocoCay
• November 30^th & December 28^th in 2024 or January 25^th in 2025 | 8-Night Southern Caribbean & Perfect Day |sailing to:
  • Oranjestad, Aruba | Willemstad, Curacao | and Perfect Day at CocoCay

Your original stateroom category price will either be protected at your original cruise fare rate or reduced to the current cruise fare rate (whichever is lower). This excludes taxes, fees, gratuities, and other non-cruise fare items.

And, you’ll also be reimbursed for non-refundable, pre-purchased transportation change fees incurred (such as a flight, train ticket, or rental car).

Royal Caribbean will cover up to $200 USD per guest for Domestic changes, or up to $400 USD per guest for International changes.

Re-book any other Royal Caribbean International sailing

Royal Caribbean will waive any non-refundable deposit change fees.

You’ll be responsible for any difference in pricing for your cruise fare, taxes, fees, gratuities, and other non-cruise fare items.

And, you’ll also be reimbursed for non-refundable, pre-purchased transportation change fees incurred (such as a flight, train ticket, or rental car).

Royal Caribbean will cover up to $200 USD per guest for Domestic changes, or up to $400 USD per guest for International changes.

Cancel and refund

A full refund of any paid portion of your cruise fare (including non-refundable deposits) and any pre-paid amenities to the original form of payment, within 14 business days.

What work is planned for Freedom of the Seas?

Royal Caribbean has not announced the scope of work expected to be completed for Freedom of the Seas when she goes in for dry dock.

When cruise ships get routine maintenance done, it usually entails the ship being taken from the water so that it can be repainted and critical systems taken offline so they can be properly maintained.

Royal Caribbean rarely divulges the work being done on a ship that is getting refurbished, unless it's a major upgrade.

Celebrity Cruises will soon offer cruises that visit Perfect Day at CocoCay.

Royal Caribbean International's private island has been a mega success since getting a $250 million makeover in 2019, with high guest satisfaction scores along the way.

Sister brand Celebrity wants to share that experience with its passengers.

On Tuesday, Celebrity said it will start offering weekend cruises to The Bahamas, beginning in April 2024.

Celebrity Reflection will sail 3-night and 4-night cruises from Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

3-night sailings departing Friday

• Key West
• CocoCay
• Bahamas getaways (Nassau & Bimini)

4-night sailings departing Monday

• Key West
• Bahamas
• CocoCay

In addition, Celebrity Beyond will sail from Florida year-round and offer visits to CocoCay.

Beyond is taking over Celebrity Reflection's 6 and 8 night sailings.

Guests booked on Reflection for those 6 and 8 night sailings will automatically be moved to Celebrity Beyond at a protected rate.

Celebrity Beyond, will offer a mix of six and eight-night cruises to places such as Grand Cayman, The Bahamas, Mexico, and the Dutch Caribbean islands of Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao.

Anyone booked on Beyond in Europe will have opportunity to move to another European cruise.

"Our customers are consistently asking for more opportunities to visit this stunning region year-round, have more weekend options so they can getaway easier, and have expressed a desire for a private island destination. By introducing this new program, we can meet this demand and offer something new and historic to all our guests,” says Laura Hodges Bethge, President of Celebrity Cruises.

"Perfect Day is a destination like no other, and we are honored to add it to our portfolio."

This will be the first time a non-Royal Caribbean International cruise ship has visited the private destination since the island was relaunched as Perfect Day at CocoCay.

Adding Perfect Day to enhance the cruise experience

If you've heard how well-received Perfect Day at CocoCay has been among the public, then Celebrity's decision to add visits there makes a lot of sense.

Perfect Day at CocoCay has a number of beaches, a water park, beach club, freshwater pool, and helium balloon, along with many other activities to choose from.

Royal Caribbean has touted the overwhelmingly positive guest feedback it has received about the island time and time again.

Royal Caribbean President and CEO Michael Bayley said earlier this year the island was a major success, "The demand for that product [Perfect Day at CocoCay] is exceptionally high."

"CocoCay is the number one destination that Royal Caribbean goes to in the world out of 100 global destinations, because it’s a curated experience designed and built to deliver a high-level experience to the customer."

Royal Caribbean Group CEO Jason Liberty talked in May 2023 about how lucrative it's been for the company, "While demand has been strong across all products and markets, we continue to see exceptional strength from the North American consumer. This strength, in combination with the incredible perfect day at CocoCay has resulted in record yields for our Caribbean sailings."

All of that positive feedback had to be enticing to offer Celebrity Cruise guests as well.

More adult experiences coming

If you're thinking a day at CocoCay might not be a good fit for Celebrity's "modern luxury" vibe, keep in mind a major addition is coming.

The new adults-only Hideaway Beach is opening in early 2024.

This will be a new expansion to Perfect Day at CocoCay that offers an area of the island exclusively for the mature crowd.

Royal Caribbean has not announced yet what exactly you'll be able to experience at Hideaway Beach, but the new area is coming to coincide with the launch of Icon of the Seas in January 2024.

The addition of Celebrity Cruises visiting the island along with the new adults-only area opening seems to be perfect timing.

Happy Sunday! Hope you are having a relaxing weekend and enjoying summer! It is time to sit back, relax, and catch up on all the recent Royal Caribbean news!

Royal Caribbean revealed this week Utopia of the Seas will begin sailing in July 2024 with short cruises only.

Instead of offering 7-night cruises, Royal Caribbean will offer 3-night and 4-night cruises on its newest ship in a bid to attract new cruisers.

Utopia is the sixth Oasis Class ship, but will include a few new amenities not found on other Oasis Class ships.

Royal Caribbean News

• Royal Caribbean opens Utopia of the Seas cruises for booking
• Things you won't find on a Celebrity cruise
• CocoCay vs Amber Cove: Which is better?
• 5 things I liked better about MSC than Royal Caribbean cruise
• I packed for my Alaska cruise in a carry-on suitcase. Here's what I packed and how you can do it too.

New RCB Video: Early Dinner vs. Late Dinner on Royal Caribbean

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Have you subscribed to the Royal Caribbean Blog YouTube Channel? We share some great videos there regularly, all about taking a Royal Caribbean cruise! This week, we are sharing our latest video — Early Dinner vs. Late Dinner on Royal Caribbean — and don’t forget to subscribe here.

Icon of the Seas completes first round of sea trials

Icon of the Seas wrapped up her first set of sea trials this week.

The new ship spent four days at sea testing out its systems before returning to the Meyer Turku shipyard.

During her first set of sea trials, Icon of the Seas traveled hundreds of miles, during which the main engines, hull, brake systems, steering, noise, and vibration levels were all tested.

Royal Caribbean has a plan to dominate short cruises with a new ship and private destinations

The announcement of Utopia of the Seas offering only short cruises is part of a broader strategy the line has to offer the very best in short cruises.

Utopia is one big piece of a larger plan that will seek to establish Royal Caribbean as the preeminent choice for a weekend cruise by crafting a curated cruise experience second-to-none.

Between the new ship and destinations it will visit, Royal Caribbean is setting itself up to offer something we haven't seen before.

If you’re looking at just Royal Caribbean’s Utopia of the Seas announcement offering short cruises, you’re missing the bigger picture.

Royal Caribbean revealed this week that its next new mega cruise ship will sail short weekend cruises (along with 4-day sailings too), and it's a major deviation from the cruise line's traditional plan.

When a new Royal Caribbean cruise ship enters service, it always starts with 7-night cruises. Later in the ship's life, it may transition to shorter cruises.

With Utopia of the Seas, Royal Caribbean is flipping its script and starting off with short cruises immediately.  But there's more to the cruise line's plans than meets the eye.

Utopia is one big piece of a larger plan that will seek to establish Royal Caribbean as the preeminent choice for a weekend cruise by crafting a curated cruise experience second-to-none.

Attracting new cruisers

The first part of Royal Caribbean's strategy is to start off Utopia of the Seas with 3- and 4-night cruises so it's an attractive option for first-time cruisers.

The first-time cruiser market is the single largest source of new customers and growth in the cruise industry. An overwhelming majority of people have never cruised before, and new cruisers have long been the target of Royal Caribbean for creating new loyal guests.

Someone that has never cruised before might be leery of taking a longer cruise, because they're concerned they aren't sure if they'll like a cruise.

Short cruises are more attractive to newbies because the time commitment is less.

By jumping on this desire, Royal Caribbean not only wants to offer short cruises, but offer them on its newest ship that has all the best features.

The 236,860-ton ship will be the second largest ship in the world at the time she launches, right behind equally new Icon of the Seas. 

Utopia will dazzle new cruisers with pools, surf simulator, basketball court, mini golf, zip line and a kids aqua park.

Utopia will also have a variety of eye-opening shows, ice skating, bars, and plenty of dining choices.

In short, Utopia will offer the latest and greatest things you can do on a cruise ship that is heads-and-shoulders above what you'd find on any other cruise ship sailing short cruises.

Short cruises are a crowded market, with each of the major mass market cruise lines having something that they hope lures in new cruisers: Disney Cruise Line, Norwegian Cruise Line, and Carnival Cruise Line.

It's also probably not a coincidence Royal Caribbean is basing Utopia from Port Canaveral, which is a short half hour drive from Orlando.

Orlando is the number one family vacation destination, and it's why Disney Cruise Line has always placed its newest ships in this spot so that families have an easy way to get from land to sea and combine trips.

Royal Caribbean seems to want to position its newest ship to offer the most choices for families, with a near overwhelming amount of family fun, as the kind of choice where you have to wonder why anyone would pick anything else when comparing amenities.

Adding in a proven winning destination

You might think a new cruise ship filled with everything you'd want would be enough, but the second part of Royal Caribbean's plan is to offer cruises that always stop at Perfect Day at CocoCay.

Ever since Royal Caribbean revamped its private island in the Bahamas, it's been a mega-hit for the line.  

Guest feedback has demonstrated overwhelming favorable responses to CocoCay being a favorite choice among cruisers.

Royal Caribbean President and CEO Michael Bayley said earlier this year the island was a major success, "The demand for that product [Perfect Day at CocoCay] is exceptionally high."

"The demand not only is there from a volume perspective, but the rate is there and that rate has been going up again in a very healthy way."

"CocoCay is the number one destination that Royal Caribbean goes to in the world out of 100 global destinations, because it’s a curated experience designed and built to deliver a high-level experience to the customer."

Not only is CocoCay popular, but it's profitable too.

Royal Caribbean Group CEO Jason Liberty talked in May 2023 about how lucrative it's been for the company, "While demand has been strong across all products and markets, we continue to see exceptional strength from the North American consumer. This strength, in combination with the incredible perfect day at CocoCay has resulted in record yields for our Caribbean sailings."

Regardless of if you book a 3-night or a 4-night cruise on Utopia, you'll be able to visit Perfect Day at CocoCay and combine a compelling brand new cruise ship with a proven hit for shoreside fun.

You can see that formula in Royal Caribbean's marketing, which combines all the water fun you can have between Utopia of the Seas and Perfect Day.

The goal seems to be to for guests to love their ship and private date experience.

A beach club finishing touch

The final piece of Royal Caribbean's strategy is to address the other port call in Nassau, Bahamas.

Nearly every short cruise visits Nassau, Bahamas, which is traditionally rated poorly by cruise ship passengers when compared to other ports of call in the Caribbean.

Read more: Best things to do in Nassau on a cruise

Mr. Bayley said recently Nassau ranks among the bottom 10% of ports in feedback.

Why so low? Part of the answer is there aren't enticing options.

According to Mr. Bayley, cruise ship passengers have, "come here many times before and there’s nothing new, fresh or innovative. Secondly, there needs to be more product, more experience, more uniqueness, more options."

"We want to improve the experience of our guests. We can’t keep selling experiences to people who say we love going to Perfect Day, it’s fantastic, we want to go back, but the Nassau thing, can you guys stop going there? We can’t do that, so yeah, we want to be a part of the solution."

The answer is the Royal Beach Club at Paradise Island.

In 2025, Royal Caribbean will open its first Royal Beach Club, which is an extra-cost all-inclusive beach on Paradise Island, just across the waterway from where Royal Caribbean's ships dock their ships in Nassau.

It will be a limited capacity area, and a shore excursion option that will be open exclusively to Royal Caribbean ship passengers.

There will be pools, beaches, dining experiences, and live entertainment too.

The beach club will give Royal Caribbean a leg up on any other cruise line, because those lines will be stuck with the same old things to do in Nassau and nothing on the same level as Royal Caribbean.

A winning plan that no other cruise line can match

When Utopia launches, Royal Caribbean will have a three-pronged approach to attracting new cruisers to a vacation that other lines simply can't match.

A new ship with fun activities for everyone, a private island day, and an optional add-on beach club experience. It's the recipe for covering every day of a vacation with the wow-factor Royal Caribbean has always sought.

If a family prefers a longer trip, the new Icon of the Seas will offer 7-night cruises on a ship that the cruise line is calling the ultimate family vacation.

"Icon will be the best family vacation in the world," is what Royal Caribbean's Senior Vice President and Chief Product Innovation Officer Jay Schneider said in a recent interview about the plans for this ship.

Utopia will have 40-plus ways to dine, drink and dance, more pools than days to count, more ways to thrill and chill, and even more of all the above at Perfect Day at CocoCay.

Royal Caribbean's newest cruise ship has made it out to sea.

Icon of the Seas left her pier at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland to commence her sea trials.

Icon of the Seas will be conducting week-long series of sea trials where the ship's maneuvering and onboard technology are tested in real-life conditions.

There are over 450 specialists on the ship to carry out crucial, preliminary tests with Icon’s main engines, hull, lifeboats, thrusters and more.

This is the first sea trial for Icon, and this round will prepare the vessel for the second round of sea trials later this year. That is when Royal Caribbean says the ship will be, "pushed to its limits".

Before you pack your bags, there's still quite a bit of time left before she is ready to take on passengers.

Icon still needs plenty of work and fine tuning, and she's not slated to have her first cruise with paying passengers until January 2024.

On a webinar last week, Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley talked about the excitement building now for Icon, "I think for all of the teams who've been involved in Icon for the past five years, the excitement level is beginning to really increase. You can feel it."

The shipyard is equally excited for the sea trials beginning, "We are once again very happy that we get to celebrate yet another significant achievement, as Icon leaves the outfitting pier for the first time, and continues her journey through the Turku archipelago towards the sea."

Not only is Icon of the Seas a new ship, but it it's a new direction for what a cruise ship can offer families on a vacation.

The ship is packed with just about everything Royal Caribbean thinks families will want on their trip.

There's a water park, more pools than ever, lots of new dining choices, adult-only spaces, an entire neighborhood for kids and more superlatives than you can associate with a cruise ship.

What are sea trials?

Sea trials are tests of a cruise ship's navigational and technical systems, which are the final part of cruise ship construction prior to delivery.

Everything from the ship's propulsion, to navigation, to engines are tested before it can be ready to join the fleet.

Sea trials range in duration, sometimes one or two sessions is common.

The sea trials are conducted with a combination of Royal Caribbean crew members, as well as shipyard workers. 

Happy Sunday! I would like to wish all the dads out there a very Happy Father’s Day! Hope you get to have a relaxing and fun-filled day with your family!

Now it’s time to sit back, relax, and catch up on all the latest Royal Caribbean news!

Royal Caribbean is poised to release more information on Utopia of the Seas.

The cruise line has not yet announced where Utopia will sail from, her itineraries, or any other details. But that will change next week.

Royal Caribbean posted a countdown teasing a release of information to be posted on June 20.

Royal Caribbean News

• Celebrity Cruises released details about its biggest ship yet: Celebrity Ascent
• World's biggest YouTuber takes over Royal Caribbean cruise ship
• Royal Caribbean hires Bahamian business leader for head of new Bahamas beach club
• The Ultimate Family Townhouse is sold out for 2024 and costs $80,000 per week
• How can you win that Royal Up stateroom upgrade bid? It's pure luck
• 10 Reasons people leave their cruise ship vacation disappointed
• How to beat the crowds on your cruise ship

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

The 502nd episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available with small tweaks to how you cruise.

By doing things slightly differently, you can get a better overall cruise experience. Try these tips on your next sailing.

Please feel free to subscribe via iTunes or RSS, and head over to rate and review the podcast on iTunes if you can! 

New RCB Video: 15 ways board your cruise ship faster!

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Have you subscribed to the Royal Caribbean Blog YouTube Channel? We share some great videos there regularly, all about taking a Royal Caribbean cruise! This week, we are sharing our latest video — 15 ways board your cruise ship faster! — and don’t forget to subscribe here.

Icon of the Seas will begin her sea trials this weekend

Icon of the Seas is approaching the next step on her journey towards completion.

Icon will depart from the Turku shipyard for the first time ever during the weekend.

Sea trials are when the ship's engines and systems are powered on to evaluate its performance.

Things you'll notice when cruising on the newest cruise ship

Sailing on a new cruise ship vs an old ship there are certain nuances you can expect.

New cruise ships have much more modern aesthetics, along with other advantages.  But they also come with a higher price tag.

If you've only sailed on older ships, or are simply curious what makes a new ship different from an older ship, here's a rundown of what to expect.

10 ways I saved money on my Alaska cruise

Given how expensive excursions are in Alaska, it’s easy to break the budget on an Alaska cruise.

From exploring ports without shore excursions to taking advantage of onboard discounts, it's easy to save money on my Alaska cruise without feeling like you're missing out.

Check out our list of 10 easy ways to save money on an Alaska cruise.

Pros and Cons of booking a cruise early vs last-minute

What are the best reasons to book a cruise super early or at the very last minute?

Both options offer have their benefits, whether saving money by booking far in advance or coming across a last-minute cruise deal.

We've got a look at the pros and cons of booking your cruise late and early to help determine which option works best for you.

Royal Caribbean's stateroom bidding upgrade program is quite popular because it offers the opportunity to get a bigger (and arguably better) cabin for less than if you booked it outright.  But how can you increase your chances to actually win the upgrade?

Among the frequently asked Royal Caribbean cruise questions we get on this site, how to win a Royal Up bid is among the top queries.

At some point before your cruise, you should get an email from Royal Caribbean alerting you to the option to bid for a room upgrade. Depending on which category of room you have booked, there is usually a variety of bigger and more opulent cabin choices to consider.

The allure of getting a nicer stateroom for a fraction of the normal cost tantalizes many guests, and the obvious next question is how to increase the chances of actually winning a Royal Up bid.

How RoyalUp works

When you get the email, you have the option of entering a Royal Up bid yourself or through your travel agent.

This program is similar to a silent auction, where the cruise line sets a minimum bid, and you can go up in price from there.

Any submitted offer is for the entire stay and applies to the first two people on the reservation. If your reservation includes multiple guests (between 2 and 5 passengers), the offer amount submitted will be per guest but only for the first and second guest on the reservation.

As an example, a $500 stateroom upgrade bid (if accepted) would result in a $1,000 charge.

When considering a bid amount, the website rates your bid, although it seems to universally increase your chance tied to the dollar amount. As you might imagine, it will make you think a higher bid is a better bid.

In reality, you have no idea what anyone else bid.  So there is absolutely no way to know how competitive your bid truly is, and whom you are competing against.

Unlike an auction on eBay where you can see the top bid so far, there's no such way with Royal Up.

It's important to remember that Royal Up is a mechanism for the cruise line to sell unsold cruise ship cabins, especially if there's a last minute cancellation.

The most important fact to realize about Royal Up is just because you get a bidding opportunity does not mean there is a cabin available to upgrade to.

While upgrading to unsold cabins is one part of the process, it seems more common for Royal Caribbean to leverage bids when someone cancels a reservation close to the sail date.

In short, RoyalUp is kind of a "black box" where guests don't have any insight into the logic of how winning bids are selected.  In addition, there's no indication when a bid will be selected. It's possible your bid could be active all the way until your ship departs.

It's all luck

In trying to answer the question of how to increase your chances of winning a Royal Up bid, the answer is simply luck.

In my experience trying out RoyalUp myself and talking with many other cruise fans, it's quite clear that there is no consistent strategy to actually winning a bid.

If you're in an inside room and trying to bid to a cabin category that has a lot of availability and less demand, such as an oceanview or balcony, your chances are probably a bit higher at winning a bid since there's more inventory of those types of cabins.

Suites, on the other hand, are tough to win because everyone on the ship dreams of moving up to a suite.  Combine that with the limited suite inventory, and you have a rather low chance at winning.

In comparing winning bids shared by past cruisers, there's even less consistency as to which strategy works best. There are winning bids for a minimum bid amount, as well as winning bids for a maximum amount.

To further validate these observations, I reached out to a few travel agents and asked them what their experience has been with their clients winning a stateroom upgrade bid.

Jenn Greene, a Travel Planner with MEI Travel, called the bidding program "random" when describing it to her clients, "Royal Up is completely random. I let clients know that it’s more like a lottery than a guarantee. And that if you really want it bid high. With ships sailing full, I am seeing less opportunities for clients to bid."

Mindy Breitman, a Travel Advisor for Cruise Planners, also couldn't find any patterns for her clients to benefit from, " I consider it a silent auction - totally random. I had two people on the same exact sailing bid for the same exact category and the same bid amount. One got the Royal up the other didn’t."

Sharla Manglass, a Travel Planner with MEI Travel, looks at a few variables that could swing your chances one way or another, "First- availability of staterooms that will fit your party size on the ship. Not all staterooms will sleep 3 or 4, and there are sometimes even capacity restrictions due to regulations."

"Royal Up success also depends on overall ship capacity. On a recent cruise for myself, the entire ship was sold out, so obviously no bids were accepted, even though we were offered them."

The experiences from these travel agents backs up what many cruise fans have shared over the years as well.

In short, treat Royal Up like a scratch off lotto game: it's fun to give it a try, but you should expect to lose and certainly don't make plans based on you winning.

Demand is so strong for Royal Caribbean's next new cruise ship that hasn't even begun sailing yet that the line has sold out every single reservation for its most expensive suite ever for the year.

Royal Caribbean's Icon of the Seas is the cruise line's first new ship class in almost a decade, and the company is betting big on its success.

Despite being more than 7 months away from the first sailing in January 2024, it's already seeing record-breaking demand from customers.

Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley talked about how strong the business is right now, and highlighted an eye-opening statistic about sales for the new ship.

"I think the entire ship is just stunning. And I think we're seeing that in the bookings," he said during a webinar with travel agents on Wednesday.

"The sales for icon are amazing. The the yields are just fantastic. So again, we're very happy with how Icon is playing out."

To exemplify just how much demand there is for Icon, Mr. Bayley talked about how well the most expensive suite onboard the ship is selling.

The three-story "Ultimate Family Townhouse" is located in the Surfside neighborhood for young families.

"I think we mentioned that the Ultimate Townhouse, I think is pretty much sold out completely for 2024 at an average rate of about $78, $80,000 a week."

Bookings for Icon only opened up in October 2022.

This cabin is a 1,772-square-foot Ultimate Family Townhouse that will be three decks high and sleep up to eight people.

It features 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.

Icon of the Seas will offer guests a variety of room options spanning across 28 unique categories, offering some of the most spacious rooms Royal Caribbean has ever designed. 

"Icon is going to be the best family vacation in the world,” said Jay Schneider, Chief Product Innovation Officer in a video update from January 2023. "You can’t have an ultimate family vacation without a purpose-built neighborhood for families."

Royal Caribbean has created its first neighborhood on Icon of the Seas dedicated entirely to young families. It's an open-air space at the back of the ship.

Surfside was designed to become an area of the ship where families with kids ages 6 and under can play all-day together, where parents don't need to give up their relaxation time just because their kids want to play.

You'll find a giant aqua park designed for families: Splashaway Bay and Baby Bay splash parks for kids and the Water's Edge pool for parents. 

Surfside neighborhood will also offer family-friendly dining venues. 

Next to Splashaway Bay and next to a deep water pool, you have a grab-and-go eater at Surfside Bites. Then there's Surfside Eatery, which is Royal Caribbean's first buffet just families.  The Lemon Post bar is also a new concept that is the first bar to feature an adult menu and a kids menu. This will serve traditional tropical cocktails, as well as mocktails.

There's also a new specialty restaurant, Pier 7, which is described as a casual Boardwalk eatery.

The 1,198-foot-long mega-ship will be able to accommodate 7,600 guests across its 2,805 staterooms, which will make it the world's largest cruise ship once it debuts.

Icon will be 10 feet longer than Wonder of the Seas, which is currently the world's largest cruise ship.

The first sailing of Icon of the Seas will be a 7-night cruise from Miami on January 27, 2024.

The ship will sail year-round out of Miami in 2024, alternating between Eastern Caribbean and Western Caribbean itineraries, with four different routings available for departures between January 2024 and April 2025.