The Traveling Steve's

Steve DOS and I had a wonderful sailing on Royal Caribbean’s (RCCL) the Icon of The Seas (OTS) the week of January 31. This sailing on the Icon OTS was for seven days, roundtrip out of Miami, and the ship appeared to be fairly full, which can hold up to a whooping maximum of 7,600 passengers (5,610 at double occupancy), plus some 2,350 crew. The Icon OTS was the first (of several to come), of a brand new class of mega ship; in fact the largest in the world as of of 2025 when it debuted, and it expanded upon the Oasis class of ships, with many new designs and enhancements. At over 250,000 gross registered tons (GRT) it is truly a floating city and mini-world nations at sea, with all of the different crew nationalities, as well as passengers sailing her. Compare that to the very first cruise I took back in 1997 on the tiny S.S. Veracruz, which was around 10,000 tons, and it would be like a tugboat compared to today, although with the ships Bow Thrusters, tug boats are (mostly) no longer needed (with some exceptions like the Panama Canal and more exotic itineraries for some ships.)

We had previously sailed last September on RCCL’s new sister ship to the Icon, The STAR of the SEAS (out of nearby Port Canaveral), which is tied with the Icon as the world’s largest ship. While we’re not really a huge fan of mega-ships, RCCL really has crowd control down to a science, and while humungous , like the Star OTS, it doesn’t feel overwhelming and is fairly easy to find your way around this behemoth of a ship. From the onboard signage everywhere, to the RCCL phone app, to the landmark “Pearl” adorning the lobby, to the awesome “smart elevators”, to the huge first night “Ballon Drop” in the main lobby boulevard, etc. the ICON, like the Star OTS really makes it easy to navigate the ship. Perhaps the hardest part is deciding what to do and where to go and when!

CABIN: We booked a guaranteed Balcony Oceanview cabin for this cruise; (a guarantee cabin is something we don’t normally do), but it worked out fine. Our only concern was the room was guaranteed Oceanview, but it could have been an Infinity Balcony (really a sitting room with a window that lowers) or an actual Balcony which we prefer, but the “guarantee” was the only cabin category left when we booked for an ocean-view balcony. We ended up getting a cabin toward the very Aft of the ship, although it was a couple rooms away from the very Aft, but it had a larger balcony than some of the standard balconies. The room was a bit of a walk to the elevators, but we quickly got used to it, and it was good exercise as well.

The room was almost identical to the room we had on the Star OTS, with the cage-type pull out drawers, sofa, large King sized bed, decent sized bathroom with shower (no tub). The in-room electrical and USB outlets could have used some more outlets, but we took our USB power port we bought on Amazon which provided us extra USB A and C ports as needed for charging, and it is Royal Caribbean compatible. I had an electrical outlet on my side of the bed, which I needed for my CPAP machine, and there was also a 110 outlet by the main vanity desk, as well as in the bathroom for an electric razor or other device. The room was standard size and not huge, but quite comfortable for us for the week.

BALOON DROP! One of the many fun and WOW things aboard the ICON was the first night’s “Ballon Drop”, which took place along the main atrium of the ship, on either side of the gigantic “Pearl”. The balloon drop literally runs most of the lobby atrium of the ship! I believe it was around midnight, but as we were sitting in the Irish Pub watching, where the decorative street clock always says 2 o’clock, (and this fame clock time messed with my mind more than once! LOL), I’ll put that down to a midnight ballon drop. (Check your schedule on the ICON app for exact times on your sailing.)

The Irish Pub is in a great spot for people watching, especially if you can get one of the tables sitting at the entrance to the bar in the atrium area. It faces a small statue of the shipboard mascot dog “Rover”, although DOS actually got to meet and pet the actual “Rover” one night of the cruise, when his handler walked him thru the Central Park area near where we were dining. Rover makes a lot of people happy just strolling by. Hope you can see him aboard the ship somewhere!

Speaking of Central Park, this was our favorite neighborhood on the ship, (of 8 different neighborhoods, over 20 decks!) although they were all themed nicely and fun. While not an adult’s only area per se, Central Park has that vibe to it, especially in the evening, with a jazz club, sushi restaurant, lush tropical landscaping, Chop’s Grill, and just outside at the forward end, is the ultra-chip (and pricey!) Empire Supper Club. In Central Park, the lighting is subdued, with light jazz or other music filling the air, and sometimes an artist or two playing in the middle of Central Park, in addition to the Jazz club venue at the entrance to the park.

For the younger set; i.e. kids of all ages and active parents, or those who simply want to watch the fun, energy, and excitement, is the Surfside neighborhood, with it’s open atrium towards the back of the ship, and hosts several food and drink venues, ice cream, arcade, shops, and the familiar RCCL carousel.

As I write this, I can’t help but compare the original Icon to the Star OTS we took out of Port Canaveral last September, just after it debuted. The two ships are virtually identical in layout, with slight difference in venue names, custom artwork, and some of pool side food venues. Perhaps the biggest change in these ships to us however, was the entertainment venues, particularly the big three: The Main Theater’s production of “The Wizard of Oz”, the Ice Skating Show, and the Diving show, and the pricey (but worth it)!) Empire Supper Club dinner show which features a New York theme, vs the similar but different Lincoln Park Supper Club on the Star OTS, which features a Chicago “speakeasy” theme of the 1930s.

Here is a huge mock-up model of the ICON OTS located on deck14 (our cabin’s deck) which we walked by every day in the lobby area by the smart elevators.

We loved the entertainment on the Star OTS, and based on this criteria, we had booked the ICON OTS to see their different themed shows and Supper Club dinner. Since I reviewed the Star OTS awhile back more or less in chronological order starting with the booking, I’m going to start the ICON review with the entertainment as that was our primary focus for taking this ship, and also for taking the future Legend OTS when it comes out, although we’re not sailing her until next year in 2027.

While the Star OTS had “Back to the Future” as its main production show which was excellent, the ICON OTS has the beloved “Wizard of Oz” production which we enjoyed even more.

We can both honestly say the production of “The Wizard of Oz” was the best show we’ve ever seen at sea! While we had reservations for the show (complimentary for all guests), we still showed up nearly an hour before our 3pm matinee show to get good seats. The doors open 45 minutes ahead of time, and other passengers were literally jogging to get their preferred seat! Some people went to the very front couple of rows in the center section, however as we had scouted out the seats earlier that day, didn’t want to be that close to the stage due to the aerial and other effects that are best seen further back. We sat in the front row of the second section of the theater, which is back from the stage quite aways, but the seating is elevated, so the views were great. Actually just about any seat in the theater was excellent due to the stadium type seating. We’re still glad we got there early as I like to be near the aisle should nature call in this one hour 45 minute show.

We watched the entire Wizard of Oz show on our first reserved time (each passenger can only reserve each Production show once, however you can stand-by for other shows within 15 minutes of show time, space available) if you don’t have a reservation or would like to see the show again. We did return for the last 20 minutes of the Wizard of Oz a couple times during the sailing as we enjoyed it so much, and stood in the back of the balcony (not interrupting the show or others) or found a seat in the back last rows of the balcony where there were usually a couple open seats, especially towards the end of the show.

The Wizard of Oz is a long show, set for an hour and 40 minutes, however ours actually lasted nearly 2 hours, due to two separate technical issues. Like in Star OTS’s show, which had a technical issue in “Back to the Future”, we initially thought maybe that was put into the show as a means of an unscheduled intermission as the show is quite long. After later taking the Backstage Tour towards the end of the cruise, we realized these were legitimate “Technical Glitches” and they explained then what and why it happens occasionally. The technical issues didn’t bother us at all, and in fact gave us and others a quick chance to head to the restrooms! The only issue with the technical break, is you don’t know how long it will be. It could be 5 minutes or could be 20 minutes; safety first! More about the technical issues further down below in the backstage tour.

The Wizard of Oz show was incredible, and is such a huge and technical production show it’s amazing it can be performed on a moving ship! Photos and video are requested not to be taken during the show, but with a couple technical issues going on, I did manage a coupe photos, unlike some of the people who were actively and rudely video taping some of the show. I did take a couple photos (without flash) and video at the end of the show curtain call with the full cast barely fitting on the huge and very wide stage.

I won’t spoil the show or special effects for those who haven’t seen it, but suffice it to say, the Wizard of Oz is absolutely amazing! We went back two other times for the last 20 minutes of the show, discretely standing or sitting in the back of the balcony section so as not to be intrusive to others. Every show we saw received a standing ovation, and rightly so! There was a matinee show on a few days, as well as an evening show.

Later in the cruise, we were invited as Diamond Plus guests (as well as Diamond Guests) to tour the backstage are of the main theater on the next to last sea day. Steve (DOS) and I jumped at the opportunity, which met at 9am, and we’re usually late sleepers on cruises! I was concerned there would be too many people attending this to really go backstage, and it would be more of a meeting in the theater discussing the show with cast members and stage staff, but that was not the case. The Cruise Director did speak with the invited guests in the theater first, along with introducing a couple of the cast and crew members, and gave us an overview of some of the show facts, before we split up into smaller groups and actually went back stage.

The show has a whooping 32 cast members, 25 backstage staff and crew, and a 14 piece orchestra! The theater seats 1219 passengers, and offers great views throughout with the stadium type seating, with both stage and aerial scenes that are performed throughout the show. As be broke up into smaller groups, we went to some of the areas backstage, which were enormous for a cruise ship, or any land theater for that matter. The stage area was obviously the largest of any theaters at sea, and is probably more hi-tech and larger than some Broadway theaters as it’s newly built with all the latest technologies. I’m including a few photos here of the backstage area, including parts of the dressing room rooms, the actual stage itself with various props that are moved throughout the show, lots of lighting etc. It was really a highlight of our cruise getting to take this tour after enjoying the actual show so much!

ICE SKATING SHOW: Changing the venue now, the ICON’s ICE Skating Production, STARBUST: Elemental Beauty, was also incredible. The show is in the back of the ship on a lower level, but there are a couple flights of stairs you need to navigate to get there. (There is a small (and staffed) elevator should you need mobility assistance.). Even though we had reservations, we arrived about an hour early to get good seats at the end of ice theater, facing the stage. The stadium style seating offers good seating everywhere however, but we enjoyed the view looking straight on towards the stage.

AQUA SHOW: The Aqua Show production of “Aqua Action” was the last of the three main shows we saw, and was equally impressive. To say it’s a Water Show, is a bit of a misnomer, as it’s so much more than that. It features acrobatics doing breath-taking stunts, platform and other divers, aerial acts, choreographed dancing etc all synchronized to an amazing light and sound show. We saw the entire show once from the indoor Dome theater itself, but also saw this show a second time from the restaurant Hooked, on our last night of the cruise, as we sat in the (tables in front of the restaurant) inside atrium area. Here are some photos and video from this highly technical and acrobatic water show.

Here is a 14 minute video I uploaded to my YouTube channel (Like2cruz) which features hi-lights of the Aqua Action show if you’d like to see more of the show itself. Unlike the Wizard of Oz, there were no restrictions on photography or video, but you still didn’t want to block other passengers views or be annoying. We were on the back row (by choice) as with the stadium seating we had a good overall view of the Aqua Theater.

THE EMPIRE SUPPER CLUB: This original New York-themed Supper Club debuted on the ICON OTS, and later modified its theme to the Lincoln Park Supper Club for the Star OTS. Both the Icon and Star OTS stick to the same Formal style in their Supper Clubs, with an intimate and classy setting and a nine course meal with 9 matching cocktails and ultra chic food presentations, Moet & Chandon, and a 3 piece band with the men (and waiters) clothed in fancy tuxes and an elegantly dressed lead singer in full length designer gown.

This venue is definitely NOT for kids, although oddly enough there was one family that brought their 4 and 5 year old-looking kids with them. I don’t know if the “no kids” is an actual rule or not, but due to the alcohol being served as well as the Formal atmosphere, jazz and oldies dance music, long pace of the meal (approximately 2 1/2 hours), it’s not something very accommodating for children, not to mention the $200 a person cover charge. The venue is designed for adult couples (with perhaps 4 booths or tables for four people) and holds a maximum of 42 diners in a single dinner show each evening.

Even the staff of the Supper Club were surprised this family brought 2 kids, and actually apologized to us as we were seated right next to them, although the family was discretely seated in the back booth. The kids were honestly very well behaved, but were clearly bored, did not eat the food (and obviously did not drink the continuous alcoholic drinks been served to the parents). By the end of the evening they were asleep on their parents laps!😀

Surprisingly, the Father and 3 other men (not together) dining that night did not wear the required jackets to the Supper Club. All of the dining guests are told ahead of time to meet outside the restaurant by 6:20pm (doors open at 6:30), when each couple is then escorted to your table by your waiter.

The 4 men (all who were unknown to each other and with a female as a couple) who did not adhere to the dress code by not wearing a jacket, were discretely ushered inside the restaurant first (one couple at a time) while waiting with the rest of us prior to the entrance door opening. At first we thought they were VIP’s or something being ushered in before everyone else, but no, there were brought in first to be lent a blazer to wear for the evening! 🤣

The Empire Supper Club (as does the Lincoln Supper Club on the Star OTS) clearly states in its description that it’s a Formal venue, and jackets are required for men. The restaurant hostess also calls you the day of the event to remind you of your reservation and dress code, as well as send you a fancy invitation (with wax stamped seal on the envelope!) the night before, again confirming and reminding you of the dress code. I really don’t understand how couples paying $400 for a fancy night of dining and entertainment can’t dress up for one night and enjoy the memories! The NY Supper Club is not just another specialty dining venue; it’s a fancy dining and entertainment experience you don’t find on most other cruise ships. Dress up and enjoy and remember the fun evening!

Here is a short photo gallery of photos from our night out at the New York Empire Supper Club:

CHOPS STEAKHOUSE: We prepaid for the unlimited Specialty Dining package before boarding, which included all specialty restaurants (The NY Supper Club was $140 up-charge per person, basically they credit you $60 off the $200 a person coverage charge), and was well worth it. We enjoyed dining at Chop’s Steakhouse several evenings, and once for lunch on the first day of the cruise; always enjoyable. For lunch we just had the steak burgers, but for dinner paid the very reasonable $40 uncharge for the shared Tomahawk Ribeye, which was plenty for both of us to eat. We especially liked sitting in the outdoor section overlooking Central Park. The area was covered, and it was a bit cool due to the weather, but dining with a sweater or light-weight jumper was perfect for here, and it’s not as noisy as it is inside the restaurant, plus you can hear the music coming from the jazz bar further down in Central Park.

HOOKED RESTAURANT: We went to Hooked Seafood Restaurant twice on this seven night voyage, sitting once inside the restaurant, and once in the outdoor atrium section overlooking the Dome and stage where the Diving Show is performed. We enjoyed equally great service in both places, but it was nice sitting outside, with a different kind of noise; i.e. from the show performance vs the other diners and noise inside the restaurant. The food was excellent, and now that I’m (since New Year’s!) on my Keto-ish diet, the seafood was a healthy option! The shrimp cocktail appetizer, just like at Chops, is huge, and for the entree one dinner we had the Sailor’s platter which was a bit too much too eat, while another visit we had the shrimp cocktail appetizer and the salmon only. Well plus a shared cheesecake for dessert. The Sailor’s platter includes a lobster tail, scallops, shrimp and salmon, and is quite filling but delicious!

PORTS: This was an Easter Caribbean Cruise and we had 3 scheduled stops: St. Martin, St. Thomas, and Coco Cay, mixed in with a few Sea Days. On this cruise, the weather was quite bad; not hurricane-like, but cool and rainy, misty, and generally windy and overcast most of the trip, which made the ports not very desirable to visit. We did get off briefly in St. Martin and St. Thomas, however our last port of Coco Cay was canceled due to the heavy winds and weather which prevented the ship from docking there. In all honesty, we were on the Icon to see the ship, and the ports which we have been to several times were secondary.

We’ve always liked St. Martin, but on this trip due to the weather, we did not take a taxi or a ferry to downtown. If we had planned better, rather thought about it ahead of time, we could have taken a taxi over to Mahalo Beach for a bit and watch the jumbo jets land. I’ve actually never been to Mahalo Beach, but would love to go sometime; the beach literally backs up to the airport runway and there are lots of iconic photos of jumbo jets flying right over tourists lyingon the beach. There’s also a bar there that overlooks the runway and posts the the arrival and departure times of flights. Oh well, it takes quite a while to get there and back, and today was not a good weather day to do this. Another time; another visit perhaps.

As far as St. Thomas goes, we were docked at a newer yet further away port from downtown St. Thomas. This must be a fairly new port built for mega-ships, as we’ve never docked here before. Again, DOS and I just walked around the shopping area by the port, and of all days this was our best day weather-wise with a bit of sunshine, but this was a fairly short port stop, leaving at 2pm, so we didn’t head into the downtown area which we’ve been many times. I’ve always liked the sail-away from St. Thomas as it’s so scenic, but as we were docked site aways from the downtown area, the pathway to the open sea was rather quick, and not as scenic as I remember the times we sailed away from the original port, further towards town.

Our last port stop at Coco Cay, was supposed to be on the last full day of the cruise. Most ships stop at their Bahamian private island the second or last day of the cruise, as it’s so close to Florida, (perhaps 100 miles or less) compared to the more distant Caribbean ports. As we sailed towards Coco Cay, the Captain made an announcement the day prior to our stop, that we would be delayed getting into Coco Cay due to the weather, and he didn’t sound promising we would stop there. Sure enough, our last full day of the cruise, another announcement was made at breakfast that Coco Cay was indeed cancelled due to heavy winds and water.

Actually most passengers seemed to take Coco Cay’s cancellation in stride; no one we met seemed very upset, given there is so much to do aboard the ship, although we did feel bad for some of the “northerners” we met who had come down from Maine, Michigan, Wisconsin, New York etc and were a bit disappointed with the cold Florida weather they were hoping to avoid from back home.

POOLS: Likewise the weather on this cruise was rather cool and yucky aboard, although people still went to the many outdoor pools. There were lots of teenagers and younger kids (must have been on winter break the first week of February?) and some adults were in the pools, but very few people were actively enjoying one of the many mega-slides into the pools. We didn’t get in the pools or even lie out on the deck chairs, although without the sun shining brightly, there were many chairs unoccupied. Still, it was fun just walking thru the adult pool areas for a drink, or the Surfside and the Boardwalk area watching the kids and adults have fun, or even riding on the Carousel.

MISCElANIOUS: Here are just a few random photos I’m adding of the ship and places we went. There’s so much to do aboard that it really spreads the people out. Unlike smaller ships where you get to know the crew and passengers better, the ICON is so large if you meet someone you might not see them again for the whole cruise it’s so big. We did meet one couple, Seth and Rebecca from Colorado, whom we had met at the Hyatt Regency Hotel Lounge the night before the cruise, that we did run into almost every day! It was nice seeing familiar faces, although almost everyone aboard was friendly and in a good mood despite the weather.

DEBARKATION: Debarkation on the gigantic ICON was one of the smoothest and quickest debarkations we’ve ever experienced (with a big caveat once we were off the ship). We were informed via flyers in our room the night before, that we had to vacate the room by 8:30am, but they did recommend getting off by 7:30am to avoid potential traffic. (NOTE: Pay close attention to what they wrote! Get off the ship early in Miami!) We left our room around 8:15am, and headed up to the Windjammer Buffet for breakfast, as our Brightline Train back to Orlando did not leave until noon.

Surprisingly, there was no wait for the smart elevators going up to the buffet, or later down to the disembarkation area. Way to go Smart Elevators! Smart Elevators are really the best, and most of the newer ships now have them. On older ships the elevator lines and crowds can be horrendous on debarkation day with everyone carrying off their hand luggage, but the Smart Elevators really space the crowds out for an efficient traffic flow. The Windjammer Buffet on deck 15 was busy, but really no more than usual, and we had no problem getting a seat or waiting in line for food.

After breakfast , we went down to the disembarkation area around 8:55am, and with our Icon room key card in hand, simply swiped out thru security one last time, took the multi-level gangway to the terminal, where we quickly retrieved our luggage in the huge terminal. Today (it varies on port, cruise, or random) the terminal used Facial Recognition, which really speeds up the Immigration and Customs process. After getting a porter and our luggage, going thru the quick Facial Recognition line, we were off the ship and at the pick-up and transportation area. Along with what seemed like a million other people!

Wow, now we were physically off the ship, thru Customs, and curbside, and back to reality. This is the only time we felt super-crowded; it was actually quite overwhelming, with everyone trying to get taxis, Ubers, airport or hotel transportation, etc, and unfortunately there was only one entrance in and out of the terminal area for traffic to flow.

There were nine mega-ships in the Port of Miami on debarkation day (Saturday) and the taxi lines were so long, our porter told us we were better off Uber-ing to the train station, which was only a couple miles away. We eventually did take an Uber, but compounding the traffic and crowd issue was the lack of cell signal in this debarkation/pickup area as everyone was doing the same thing. I’ll skip forward an hour or so, and we eventually got our ride and made it to the train station by 10:45am. Note to self or anyone traveling out of Miami: Get off the ship at the earliest possible time, especially if you’re arriving on a busy weekend for ships. Better to wait at the airport, train station etc, than to be stuck in the 9am traffic jam debarkation mess.

BRIGHTLINE TRAIN: Once we finally got to the Brightline train, we ran into a couple people we had met on the ship also heading back to Orlando. Like us, they had a wonderful cruise in spite of the weather, but were frustrated getting from the ship to the train station just as we were. Anyway I point this debarkation issue out again, as it’s not a problem at our nearby Port Canaveral, outside of Orlando, or Port Everglades in Ft. Lauderdale. Taking Star OTS out of Port Canaveral, as a comparison is so much easier with well planned traffic flow!)

Once at the very modern, spacious, and clean Brightline Station in Miami, we relaxed in the Premium Class Lounge for 45 minutes or so, as we were traveling in Premium Class back to Orlando. The Brightline train, like the Miami and Orlando Brightline terminals is new, clean, and makes for comfortable journey.

Premium Class is arranged in a 1 x 2 seating arrangement, while Coach is arranged in a 2 x 2 seating. In Premium Class, they serve complimentary snacks and drinks (including alcohol), along with a light meal on the longer segment of the train from West Palm Beach to Orlando and vice versa. (The train has quick stops in Ft. Lauderdale, Adventura, Boca Raton, and West Palm Beach as well.) The Coach Class offers snacks and drinks for a fee, and both classes offer complimentary reserved seats which is nice. The train from Miami to Orlando takes around 3 1/2 hours and has complimentary wifi, plenty of overhead space, and checked baggage for a fee (one bag is included in Premium Class), making it much more ideal for us than driving, even with our Tesla navigating the Miami and South Florida area the times we have driven down (which we’re not planning on driving down again!)

So we arrived back to the Orlando Airport where the Brightline originates and terminates around 3:45pm, retrieved our luggage, and then Uber’d home. Another cruise is on the books!

Welcome Home!