Our Iconic Adventure Part 1
It’s been almost two weeks since our multi-generational family spent seven adventure packed days aboard Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas ship. It’s taken me a little time to reflect, process and recover from all of the activities, the food (!!!!) and the experiences that we enjoyed (and sometimes endured). If you’re ready, here’s our recap.
To be sure we didn’t miss boarding, we flew into Miami a few days early to enjoy the city. The morning we checked out of our hotel and headed to the port was gray, rainy and a little depressing.
Our dreary view on the way to the port of Miami
When we arrived, porters efficiently collected our checked luggage and routed us through security. Since we travel with medical equipment, I had contacted the Royal Caribbean Access Department ahead of time. Many standard electrical equipment (like irons, steamers and extension cords) are confiscated before boarding and I wanted to make sure my son’s airway clearance Vest machine and nebulizer would be allowed. We were given clearance and even provided with an approved extension cord.
Our requisite “boarding the boat” photo was taken and we were officially on board!
Walking onto the Icon was pretty amazing and overwhelming. We’d optimistically packed swimsuits in our carry-ons, but the gloomy weather steered us to the main buffet restaurant, the Windjammer (nicknamed the Jindwammer by our family) for lunch.
The Windjammer had something for almost anyone — burgers and fries, pastries, soups, salads, Indian and Asian foods along with gluten free and vegetarian options. Because my older son has a soy protein allergy, I asked to meet with a manager helped us make a list of safe foods for my son to consume.
Despite hundreds of choices, my younger son was perfectly content with his “iconic” meal of fries, ketchup, grilled cheese, cheese pizza and an occasional ice cream cone.
After filling up, we decided to check out our balcony cabins. My husband and boys bunked together, my sister shared an adjacent cabin with her two sons and my mom and I were down the hall. I took photos before unpacking and was pleasantly surprised by the amount of functional storage and relative spaciousness of the room. I especially loved the wire baskets in the closet — perfect for swimsuits, jammies and the daily shuffle of kids’ stuff.
The rest of our first day was spent exploring the ship and familiarizing ourselves with the layout before dinner in the main dining room. This time, the head waiter came to our table and spoke with us about Jack’s allergy and identified which menu items were safe for him to eat. He also allowed Jack to pre-order his food for the following evening. I felt very confident that his meals were safe.
After a busy first day, we all agreed to get some rest and headed back to our cabins. Typically, just making eye contact with a boat, makes me queasy, but I hardly felt any movement on the Icon and the little rocking I did feel helped lull me to sleep.
We woke up the next morning to this sapphire view!
Since we had a few back to back sea days, our crew decided to split up and check out the various activities that appealed most to them. The adults felt comfortable giving everyone autonomy to roam the ship, with instructions that the two youngest had to stay with another person at all times. Since we’d purchased Wow Bands, everyone had anytime access their cabins and to make purchases (this was optional).
Also, as a family, we decided to opt everyone except my sister out of the cost prohibitive internet plan. The adults sent out a quick note to family, friends and neighbors back home, instructing them to contact Christy in case of emergencies. (It was a good idea because there was record flooding in our hometown during the cruise and we were able to check on the status of our basements.) Also, the Royal Caribbean app allowed us to text each other using their app without any fees and that turned out to be entirely sufficient for our communication needs.
Here’s a handful of the activities that we investigated.
My nephew, Will, suggested an art class held in the Adventure Ocean kids’ club and because this is right up my alley, the two of us forced convinced a few others to join us. Walking into the room was like being gobbled up by a box of jewel toned crayons and I loved it. (I also accidentally coordinated my outfit perfectly with the decor!) Our group found seats and the instructor helped us draw a picture of an owl using only letter and number shapes.
My sister, Christy, and I realized pretty quickly that the cruise was going to be as fun as we allowed it to be and so we decided to jump in with both feet.
Do you want to play charades? YES
How about a scavenger hunt? YES
Wanna watch a live Family Feud game? YES
What about Harry Potter trivia? YOU BET
Charades was one of our first activities. Here’s Scott, our valiant charades leader, and Matthew convincingly acting out a scene from Jurassic Park. As a family, we like to play charades at home, but this was next level and turned out to be one of our favorite activities. It also gave us a chance to meet other cruisers.
(Before charades started, the room was being used for a Latin dance class, which looked fun. Next time, I’m going to say yes to a dance class too!)
And I know you’re wondering about the pools. We did check out most of the pools and I’m happy to say that despite what I’d read beforehand, we were always able to find a seat on the pool deck. Sometimes it wasn’t our first choice location, but we always managed to find a place to park ourselves.
The boys agreed that the waterslides were fun, but you needed to hit them up before 10 am or after dinner otherwise the lines were too long. (As a side note, the theming and decor of the pool deck areas was bright and perfectly tropical and along with the rest of the ship spotlessly clean. One night, I saw employees power washing the decking area of the pool and wiping down everything in sight.)
Meanwhile, our teens generally spent their time finding other options. Catching photos (or even sightings of them outside dinner meals) was harder than performing wildlife photography. Thank goodness they sometimes responded to texts sent via the Royal Caribbean app.
Because two of our cabins were adjacent, the steward opened the connecting door between the balconies and they hung out here a lot.
They found a surprisingly fun soccer table that let you score goals with your feet
And I think James was the first to spot the soft serve ice cream machines
They did more relaxing and ice creaming
Prior to sailing, we’d paid to book a space themed escape room. The escape room activity wasn’t offered daily and we were lucky to grab a spot before it was sold out.
I hate suspense combined with stress and opted out, but apparently it was terrific and they solved the puzzle in record time. One thing to note, depending on your party size, you may end up paired with other cruisers, which was the case for this activity.
Each day was filled with a rotating combination of meals, activities, snacks, relaxing and hitting up the soft serve ice cream machines dotted liberally around the boat. Often at least one member of our group ended up taking a cat nap sometime during the day.
Beforehand, my biggest worry about cruising on the Icon of the Seas was that it’d be too crowded, too many people, too many lines, but that wasn’t our experience. Wherever we went, there was a place to sit and rest or eat. So many little tucked away niches or cozy corners made it feel welcoming and comfortable — hence the napping!
And there’s a lot more like I’d like to tell you about our cruise, especially about the excursions and cool innovations on board the ship, but I’ll save that for Part 2 so please stay tuned!