Icon of the Seas

[pjacobi]

What's your source? I know they do this for some higher end specialty dining.

I was probably confused with the no-show charge for dining reservation.

No-shows for reservations are always a bad idea, regardless of a charge.


-Paul

 

[peacefrogdog]

I was probably confused with the no-show charge for dining reservation.

No-shows for reservations are always a bad idea, regardless of a charge.


-Paul

Yes - the response to people making multiple bookings and not showing up (preventing others from getting spots). I can see DVC eventually going this route if it gets harder to book ressies even at the 11 month mark

 

[lengmui]

My husband and I have sailed on Utopia of the Seas and Star of the Seas (sister ship to Icon). We’ve sailed DCL a bunch with our kids.

I think Icon would be great for your family, but I’d definitely want two staterooms. Royal staterooms are just not set up for families the way DCL is … no split bath and the sofa converts to one bed for the 3rd and 4th passengers on Icon (it varies by ship). They also only service the rooms once a day and my understanding is that they just leave the sofa made up like a bed for the duration of the cruise if you have more than 2 passengers. The plus side over DCL is that the king bed splits into two twins on Royal, so if you get two rooms, each kid would have their own nice bed.

IMO, the biggest difference between Royal and DCL is the overall vibe and the amount of catering DCL does to families with young children. Royal definitely has a drinking culture (so many bars everywhere and multiple servers running drinks during the shows - I never had any issues with drunk passengers or anything, but it just speaks to its adult focused atmosphere vs. DCL) and the entertainment is geared more towards adult than kids. Royal would not be my first choice as a family cruise with kids … but with older teens or young adults, I think it’s a good choice unless you have absolute Disney fanatics that would be sad it they weren’t on a Disney vacation (I think my college kids would enjoy it and they are Disney fans, but also appreciate other types of vacations).

DCL is so well themed and has a more elegant feel than Royal. Royal ships feel more like a nice Marriott and the dining rooms have a generic wedding venue feel - they are nice, but there is no real theming. That really stuck out to me on our first Royal cruise … by the second, I was used to it and it didn’t phase me … but after 20 years of cruising only with DCL, it was a little jarring not to be surrounded by Disney artwork and Disney touches everywhere. Disney ships are truly elegant and have an overall classier feel than Royal.

Royal main dining was not great on Utopia, but it was really good on Star. I don’t know if that was the difference between a 4 night and a 7 night sailing or what, but the food and service was on par with DCL on Star. We had MyTime dining on Star and I really liked it - we were able to making dining reservation on the app ahead of time and ate at 6:45 or 7:00pm every night - which I much preferred to the early or late options on DCL. Royal has more food choices than DCL - more quick type service places, the buffet is open for dinner and they have specialty restaurants for an additional charge (you definitely don’t need to pay for specialty dining … we paid for one specialty dinner and one lunch on our week long cruise and it was nice, but definitely not a must do). Royal also has the free soft serve … just vanilla and chocolate.

Soda is not included on Royal, but they have a soda package where you can get a refillable mug and use the Freestyle machines. I think it was $10.99/day per person if you wanted the soda package. They also allow you to carryon a 12 pack of soda (I think it’s technically per room, but people do it per person). They have water, tea (iced and hot), coffee, fruit juice (at breakfast), white milk, chocolate milk and a bunch of fruit flavored drinks (fruit punch, lemon lime, strawberry kiwi, etc. … usually 3-4 selections at each machine) that are included. You can also buy individual sodas if you have a hankering for one, but don’t want a package.

Entertainment on the newer ships is actually pretty impressive. It’s different than Disney, so you aren’t getting Disney shows … but they have a water show and ice skating show that are both not to be missed. They also had a Broadway production (Back to the Future on Star) and some shorter stage shows as well as comedians, trivia, game shows, karaoke, etc. I thought it was a nice change of pace from DCL. You make reservations for each show in advance (they also take walk ins, but reservations are recommended).

Coco Cay is more built up than either of Disney’s private islands, with a lot more added fee offerings … but it’s also very easy to just get off the ship and find a chair with an umbrella at no additional charge. Their on island buffet has more offerings than DCL’s islands.

You do have to check out pool towels on Royal. They have stations everywhere and you just give them your room key and tell them how many towels you want … then you have to check them back in or you get charged. I prefer just grabbing towels on DCL … but it definitely keeps used towel clutter down.

Royal embarkation, disembarkation and muster drill were more streamlined and more efficient than DCL. Royal walk in showers are better than DCL tub showers (for adult only parties) and the ocean view balconies on Star and Utopia both had footstools for the chairs.

IDK. If you want a Disney cruise, but are “settling” for Royal because of price, I think there’s a good chance you’ll be disappointed. If you want a family vacation with your young adult children and are interested in trying something other than Disney, I think Icon would be a good choice.

I just got off my first Royal cruise on Star (after 5 DCL cruises), and you probably summed up my thoughts almost exactly! I did the main dining on Royal and I preferred DCL. Honestly I thought doing MDR in the same place every night was pretty boring compared to DCL's rotation. I haven't tried the new Wish/Treasure/Destiny yet but I imagine the dining entertainment kicks that up a notch as well.

My primary thought after going on Royal was I finally understand why everyone says DCL is the ultimate family/kids cruise. They really do cater to kids, I went with my husband and 7yo son and there is a true difference between the target audience between ships. I will still sail Royal again, but I definitely appreciate aspects DCL more after going on RCCL.

 

[pjacobi]

DCL is the ultimate family/kids cruise

Exactly! I am in total agreement.

When your children grow up, it opens up opportunities for different cruise line with different target audiences or other vacation possibilities.


-Paul

 

[NauticalNights]

We were fortunate to do two inaugurals this year. DCL Treasure and RCCL Star. Our family only has had experience with DCL (X7) and a one-off Alaskan princess. DCL Treasure was pretty in many areas and vanilla in others (staterooms). We are not wish class fans. My teens did not like treasure very much.

Star from beginning to end was amazing. So many options. Hot tubs and seating were plentiful, and the entertainment were jaw dropping. Back to the future show to the F1 style water show. We were blown away at every turn. The water park and rock climbing were a big hit. The parade in the atrium was fun and well done. Just book everything as far as that goes before you get on the ship and you will be fine. They did have stand by areas though for some things.

Food is always subjective but what is not is options. RCCL blew Disney out in this category. So many venues and late hours. As far as the soda thing. The coke fanatic bought the soda package, and we brought 2 bottle packs on board with us and some wine for the rest of us. We did not finish them. The tea, flavored water was really good. There are so many of those free style machines everywhere unlike DCL where it is just on the pool deck or in the dining room. So, it didn't feel like you were just paying for soda but also for convenience and options.

As far as service goes... Every ship experience is different from sailing to sailing. We had better dining room service on RCCL Star and better rooms service on DCL. We have sailed enough to know this is a toss-up sailing to sailing. The general overall service in the bars and hallways etc. was better on RCCL. DCL felt like they were working out the kinks and RCCL felt like they brought their A game.

We will definitely sail on DCL classics again but will also definitely be back on Icon too, FWIW I never wanted to sail on the mega mall ships, but I was very wrong on them. We loved it and I was surprised by that. We are aged out of kid's club but cherish those memories, but DCL is catered for them so if that is your age group then yes that's probably the way to go. Although the kids area on RCCL was amazing and huge almost like a ship within a ship. Teens I would take on RCCL Icon. Lessons we learned after RCCL is it really is best to look at ship to ship not necessarily line to line when comparing.

As always though Castaway Cay remains the best!