This post is a first-hand account from Guide Me Away’s CEO, Lia and her wife, Dana.

We recently set sail with our 18-month old on the largest ship in the world – Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas. As first-time RC cruisers and self-proclaimed “non-cruise people”, we were excited and a little skeptical about the hype.

Spoiler alert: it exceeded our expectations! Read on to learn more about our personal experience. Don’t forget to book a call with us to plan you own iconic family trip!

Setting Sail on the Icon of the Seas

With 7,600 passengers including a crew of 2,350, we wondered if it would feel crowded and disorganized. But from the moment we arrived at the Port of Miami, it was a seamless and organized experience. The staggered check-in process was impressively swift. From someone taking our bags (which were brought to our room), to passing a security check, the process took all of 15 minutes.

As we stepped aboard, we were awestruck. Natural light streamed through two-story glass windows along the Royal Promenade, the epicentre boulevard of the ship. The Pearl, a colourful sphere and architectural feat that connects three decks with a giant staircase, creates an expansive open space lined with restaurants, bars, and music. You don’t even realize you’re on a ship!

Exploring the Ship: A Visual Feast

Even on this large ship, you can learn your way around in a day, thanks to the “neighborhood” design. Entire sections of the ship are organized by attraction, demographic or vibe, with a unique look and feel. People disperse to their neighborhood of choice so you don’t feel the crowds (except at the Windjammer buffet for breakfast, and even then, we could navigate to a table and find a highchair).

We loved to grab a coffee and wander through Central Park, an open-to-the-sky neighborhood with trees and plants (the foliage is real, the bird noises are recorded but a nice touch!). Chill Island, Icon’s main pool area, has four of the ship’s seven pools over three colourful decks. Thrill Island is an adventure hub with waterslides, a climbing wall and a ropes course-style attraction that zips you off the edge of the ship.  

Surfside: A Family Play-All-Day Neighbourhood ​

With our 18-month-old, we spent a lot of time in Surfside, a neighborhood dedicated to young families. It has everything a family could need: kid-friendly eateries, a carousel, an arcade, a bar (cocktails for parents, mocktails for kiddos), and 3 water play areas: Baby Bay for diapered tots; Splashaway Bay, a splash pad with water sprayers and junior waterslides; and an infinity pool for grown-ups and kids alike.

Since babies and children in diapers are not allowed in any regular pools or Splashaway Bay, Baby Bay was our only family water option. It was underwhelming to say the least. Our daughter tired quickly of the baby size slide and it was tough to hold her back from the interactive water elements of Splashaway Bay. 

Our verdict – Baby Bay is a great space for little ones under 12 months. It’s not engaging enough for toddlers still in diapers. Thankfully there is so much more to do – we rode the carousel more times than we can count!

Overall, Surfside is a great concept – a win for families who don’t have to run around the ship in search of food and fun and it keeps the kid energy (i.e. screaming) contained – a win for everyone else.

Our Cabin: More Spacious Than Expected

We were pleasantly surprised by the spacious and thoughtful design of our Oceanview Balcony cabin. The storage solutions were impressive (so many shelves!) with enough space under the bed to stow large suitcases.

We pushed the couch next to the bed to make space between the couch and the closet for our baby’s pack-n-play and splumberpod (a game changer for sharing small spaces with a baby!). This set up did block access to part of the closet, but we didn’t mind (we use packing cubes, another hack for packing and storing clothes on the road). The balcony was a favorite spot to watch the sun set over the ocean, and a perfect place to have adult conversations without disrupting a sleeping baby.  

Although the Icon can hold more passengers than any other ship, it has fewer cabins than its predecessors. This is because 80% of cabins are designed to accommodate more than two guests. New types of family staterooms feature split bathrooms and separate sleeping nooks with bunkbeds for kids, making it even easier to travel as a family.

Pro tip: the temperature control panel has a “night” setting, which turns off the lights and turns down the AC. If you like a cooler room at night, keep the room on “day mode”, or just turn the lights off manually.

Exceptional Dining for All Tastes

One of the highlights of the cruise was undoubtedly the food. With over 40 restaurants and bars, there’s options for everyone, and food quality was impressive. We ate fresh fish, tender meats, internationally inspired dishes, waffles, ice cream and more. With a toddler, we preferred the variety and ease of the Windjammer Marketplace buffet and Surfside Eatery over the sit down and timed dining of the Main dining room. We splurged on one specialty dining experience at Hooked Seafood and enjoyed the surf and turf. However, we didn’t feel the need to buy a dining package with so many great options included. A standout was the AquaDome Market. This food hall has five dining options including fresh pita and bowls, mac & cheese with toppings, and a crepe stand with both sweet and savory options that we frequented more than we wish to say! 

Adventure Ocean Baby Club: A Haven for Parents and Kids

When vacationing with small children, kids club is a Game. Changer. Our daughter could engage other kids while we enjoyed some of the adult focused areas of the ship, knowing she was in good hands. Kids club staff were friendly and highly trained and we were given a phone for emergencies. Security is well maintained – we needed to scan our sea pass cards when signing our child in and out of care, and kids are behind a locked door only accessible by staff.

The Icon’s Adventure Ocean kids club is divided into three distinct play spaces: AO Babies for 6 – 36 months, AO Juniors for 3-to-5-year-olds and the main Adventure Ocean club for kids 6-12. There is a nominal fee for the baby services (included from 3+) but significantly less that the cost of babysitters on land (and less than a drink on board). To ensure a safe ratio of staff to babies, there is limited capacity in the nursery and slots can fill up quickly, especially on a ship geared toward families.

Pro Tip: Upon boarding, we went directly to Adventure Ocean to register our daughter and reserve time slots for the first few days (we were allowed to reserve six hours on day one, with the option to add more times on day three).

Playtime for Baby Meant Play Time for Mamas!

We took full advantage of our kid-free time at The Hideaway, the ship’s adults-only neighborhood. There, we lounged in the suspended infinity pool, drank specialty champagne-based cocktails, and chatted with other guests.

We also used this time to check out the waterslides at Thrill Island. While we didn’t try the tallest drop slide at sea, we did check out the family-friendly raft slides and the side-by-side mat racing slides. They were fun, but line-ups were long (especially on sea days). Given the time to wait vs the time to play, it wouldn’t be an area of the ship we could see using for hours on end.

Pro Tip: If waterslides is a must-do, go early in the morning or on port days to beat the crowds.

Spectacular Entertainment for All Ages

Royal Caribbean truly outdid themselves with the entertainment onboard. Production value felt like Las Vegas and beat out any show we have seen at an all-inclusive land resort. The AquaDome’s acrobatic and diving show was our favorite, thanks to innovative features like robotic arms that act as dive boards and a 55-foot water fall that drops from the top of the dome. The ice-skating show with glow in the dark elements was our daughter’s. The Broadway worthy Wizard of Oz was impressive as well.

Pro Tip: Pre-book your preferred show times in the Royal Caribbean app, which opens on the first day of the month before your sailing date (Ex: Oct 1 for all Nov sailings). Even with a pre-booked time, arrive early for good seats, they fill up fast.

Beyond the shows, there was no shortage of things to do on board the Icon. A schedule of activities in the app is filled with live bands by the pool, family dance parties, yoga, aerobics, and more, from morning to night.

In the evenings, the ship aims to strike a balance between kid-friendly entertainment and options for adults. Bars are full, many with live music. The casino, the comedy club and a music hall with a DJ until early morning are great for adult focused entertainment. The karaoke bar had family hour and adult focused times. Our favorite spot was the Dueling Piano bar, which turned out to be one of the most popular places to be. The sing-along interactive element is a huge draw for all ages and the cocktail list was musically inspired.  

Ports of Call: Excursions and Adventures

Over our 7-night cruise, we visited three ports. Excursions are not the easiest with small children, especially planning around nap schedules, and some of our experiences were disappointing.

Our first stop was St. Kitts. We had booked transportation and reservations to a beach club with seats and an umbrella. A mix up with our pickup time meant waiting an hour in hot and humid weather. When we finally left the port, we drove to the beach club only to discover it was closed for renovations. We went with the flow and ended up at a different beach, but the experience was frustrating.

Next was St. Thomas, where we booked a visit to Coral World Ocean Park, a marine park that felt dated and underwhelming. Combined with rainy weather, we left quickly to head back to the ship.

Our last stop was Coco Cay, Royal Caribbean’s private island. It operates as an extension of the ship, so wifi and drink packages work on land and delicious food options are included. As advertised, we did in fact have a Perfect Day here. Babies and children in diapers are permitted in both the giant splashpad and a large freshwater pool so we all had a blast. The beach is beautiful with lots of chairs and umbrellas and the bbq lunch buffet was delicious. Towel stands are everywhere, so you don’t need to bring from the ship. For older kids and adults, the giant waterpark or day bed rentals are worth the splurge! 

Final Thoughts: Icon of the Seas is Perfect for Families

The Icon of the Seas is more than just a cruise; it’s a well-crafted balance of adventure, relaxation, and family fun. From impeccable service to thoughtfully designed spaces, it stays true to its goal of being the ultimate family vacation. While some aspects disappointed, like port excursions and the baby splash area, the overall experience made us reconsider our stance on cruising. We disembarked as cruise converts, already dreaming of our next voyage!

Ready to plan your ultimate family vacation? Contact us at Guide Me Away!