Which is World’s Largest Cruise Ship?

World’s Largest Cruise Ship: Icon of Seas

More than a year before Icon of the Seas launched, Royal Caribbean Cruises launched an unprecedented marketing campaign with dazzling messaging promising a ship that would be fun, exciting, and great for families. The name of the ship was on everyone’s lips.

With room for 5,610 passengers at double occupancy (7,600 at full capacity), the mega-ship is a water-based family destination in its own right, offering numerous activities for kids, adults, and families, and will continue to attract cruise ship enthusiasts and curious travelers looking to experience sailing for the first time.

Its success lies in its smart approach to eight communities, each with its distinct character but seamlessly transitioning into the next. The ship offers plenty of thrills, from a mind-blowing water park with six water slides to a gravity-defying water theater, as well as some fun kid-friendly features (like a full-time resident golden retriever and a slide that lets you move between decks).

The blocks are a destination in themselves, each offering free bars and restaurants, as well as takeout and specialty restaurants. The result: Guests don’t have to leave their seats to find food and drinks, and crowds are naturally controlled—even when the ship is fully loaded, the space can be unbearably crowded. (Another smart crowd-control measure: passenger elevators offer multiple elevators located front, middle, and back. Passengers choose their floor before boarding so they can spread out and avoid overcrowding.

However, this may result in longer wait times.)

Idol of the Seas, Royal Caribbean’s first ship to be powered by clean-burning liquefied natural gas (LNG), is packed with innovations at every corner, including a multi-story powered art sphere that welcomes passengers aboard and serves as the centerpiece of the Royal Mile, and a beautiful, tranquil viewing area that offers stunning sea views and tranquility during the day and transforms into a water dome at night.

The variety of rooms on Idol of the Seas is impressive, with more than 80% of the rooms available for three or more passengers. Cabins are designed for families, but storage space can be an issue for larger groups, especially in standard accommodations.

The food on Icon of the Seas is OK. You'll come back for tasty meals, but unless you're willing to try the specials, you won't find anything special. Kids will be happy, however, as nearly all of the company's restaurants offer special menus for them.

The cruise ship is also more expensive than any other Royal Caribbean cruise. Many Caribbean cruises start at around $200 per person per night, based on double occupancy. What you get, however, is a ship that will keep you and your family busy and happy throughout your vacation; you may not even want to leave the ship when the ship is docked in port.

The deck design of Icon of the Seas highlights immersive living and includes new options. With 20 decks (18 of which are for guests), the Icon of the Seas looks impressively large. While you won't have any trouble walking a few thousand steps a day, the rooftop design is clever and practical, allowing you to travel between neighboring communities easily.

Speaking of neighborhoods, there are eight on Icon of the Seas, five of which are new to Royal Caribbean: Aquadome, Thrill Island, Chill Island, Surfside, and The Hideaway. Once aboard, you’ll walk through Royal Promenade, the cornerstone of Royal Caribbean cruises and the heart of the ship.

But on Icon of the Seas, this familiar neighborhood takes on a new and unique feel, thanks largely to the prominent presence of The Pearl, an interactive glass artwork spanning two decks with more than 3,000 panels that move and change color. The Pearl defines Icon of the Seas: It’s big, bold, colorful, and impossible to ignore. It’s also responsible for providing Royal Promenade with natural light—a feature that was missing from previous iterations of the neighborhood.

The Royal Promenade also connects two other pedestrian neighborhoods: Surfside on the seventh floor and Central Park on the eighth floor. The former is the ship’s dedicated space for young families.

This open-air space features quirky attractions like the arcade, carousel, and Splashway Bay play area, as well as new restaurants like Surfside Eatery, Pier 7, and Sugar Beach. Finally, there’s the serene Central Park on the 8th floor, a Royal Caribbean signature attraction since it debuted on Oasis of the Seas in 2008.

However, the Icon of the Seas’ real star attraction is undoubtedly its upper decks, where the ship’s focus on multigenerational families is most evident. This area is home to several pools and a dozen bars and restaurants, and some of Icon of the Seas’ most popular attractions are located here.

Head to the 16th-floor Category 6 attraction Thrill Island, a magical maze of six slides and the largest water park at sea, or Royal Caribbean’s newest attraction, Crown’s Edge, which combines a ropes course with a zip line.

Deck 15 features the AquaDome, one of the Icon of the Seas’ newest areas, housed in a 363-ton glass dome. The highlight is the Aqua Theater, where the water shows are performed. But other areas, such as Hooked Seafood, the Celebration Table, the AquaDome Marketplace, and the quirky and original Overlook Pods gathering area, also bring the AquaDome to life.

Icon of the Seas staterooms are located on decks 3-4, 7-14, and 16-18. Unlike Royal Caribbean's Oasis-class ships, Icon of the Seas' staterooms are not located on the same deck as the Royal Mile (6th), making for a more spacious and bright space.

The ship's main dining room occupies decks 3 through 5, as do other entertainment venues, including the Royal Theatre, Concert Hall, Casino Royale, and the Absolute Zero Ice Rink (now round instead of square).

The icon of the Seas' staterooms has categories that suit families of all sizes.

The icons of the Seas' staterooms are designed to keep with the family theme of the entire ship. Half of the ship's 28 cabins are new, including the much-talked-about three-level Ultimate Family Townhouse, which costs $80,000 per week and comes with a slide from the upper deck to the lower deck.

Overall, Icon of the Seas' staterooms are spacious and feature stylish amenities, such as charging points throughout and storage space in the dresser, drawers, and closets.

The cabins were also relatively quiet for a busy ship. Other rooms to avoid on Icon of the Seas include those directly above or below crowded areas, especially on the 14th floor.

Icon of the Seas Restaurants Offer New Options for Cruisers

The kitchens on Icon of the Seas are the most complete in the fleet; there are more than 40 restaurants and bars on board. The overall approach to dining is smart, with each of the ship's eight cabins offering at least three restaurants (and a bar): one with table service, one for takeout, and one specialty restaurant. This means you don't have to leave your neighbors to find food and disrupt your routine.

Overall, food quality was mixed. Windjammer's market is a success; the company has successfully created a buffet with a good selection of food (including some for allergy sufferers) and an efficient layout that makes it easy to move around. The specialty restaurants were also a highlight; our recommendation is to purchase a dining package so that you can try some of the paid restaurants in addition to the included options.

Variety is key to Icon of the Seas' cuisine. There are more than 40 restaurants and bars on board, nearly half of which are new to Royal Caribbean. You'll find most of these places in eight zones on the ship. There are classics like Izumi and Chops Grille, as well as new spots like Empire Supper Club and Celebration Table.

One of the things we like about Icon of the Seas's zone divisions is that each zone has an on-site restaurant, a takeout option, and a specialty restaurant. That means you don't have to stop what you're doing to find a place to eat. Icon of the Seas has classic cruise ship features: a main dining room (simply called the Restaurant), a buffet (Windjammer Marketplace), and room service (for a menu fee).

You could easily eat at all of the restaurants listed on Icon of the Seas without spending a penny more, but you'd be missing out on some of the great food the ship has to offer. Our advice: plan to try one or two specialty restaurants during your weeklong cruise.

Tip: You can save on dining costs by making restaurant reservations or purchasing a dining package before your cruise.