Icon of The Seas
Cruises
Departure Ports
Starting Price, Per Night*
Maximum Duration
| Spec | Value |
|---|---|
| Age | 2 years (entered service 2024) |
| Class | Icon class |
| Length | 365 metres (1,198 feet) |
| Beam | 48.5 metres (159 feet) |
| Tonnage | 248,663 gross tonnes |
| Capacity | 5,610 lower berth (7,600 maximum) |
| Crew | ~2,350 |
| Speed | 22 knots |
| Itinerary | Caribbean from Miami: Eastern and Western Caribbean, Perfect Day at CocoCay |
Prefer to sail Royal Caribbean from Australia?
Icon of the Seas homeports in Miami year-round, so an Australian booking is a fly-cruise. For a no-fly Royal Caribbean cruise from Sydney or Brisbane, see:
What is the Icon of the Seas?
Icon of the Seas is the world’s largest cruise ship by gross tonnage, at 248,663 gross tonnes, and the lead ship of Royal Caribbean‘s Icon-class. She carries 5,610 guests at lower-berth capacity (7,600 maximum when every berth is filled), with around 2,350 crew on board. Her standout features include her eight themed neighbourhoods, the Category 6 waterpark (the largest at sea), the glass-domed AquaDome, and the adults-only Hideaway with its suspended infinity pool.
Built by Meyer Turku in Finland and delivered in 2024 at a cost of about US$2.05 billion, Icon of the Seas was the most expensive cruise ship ever built and Royal Caribbean’s first designed to run on liquefied natural gas. She was christened at PortMiami by the footballer Lionel Messi, and she is the lead of a distinct class rather than an Oasis-class ship, with sisters Star of the Seas and Legend of the Seas following the same blueprint. She sails year-round from Miami on 7-night Caribbean rotations calling at Perfect Day at CocoCay, and she has no Australian itineraries, so Australian guests fly to join her.
How many decks does the Icon of the Seas have?
Icon of the Seas has 20 decks in total, 19 of them open to guests, with cabins spread across 11, so your stateroom sits on one of those. The remaining decks hold the public spaces you use during the cruise: the Royal Promenade, the main dining room and the Aquadome Market food hall, the Royal Theater, the AquaDome and its AquaTheater, the Absolute Zero ice arena, the Vitality Spa, the Adventure Ocean kids’ centre, the casino, and the top-deck pools, Category 6 waterpark, and FlowRider.
What cabins does the Icon of the Seas have?
Icon of the Seas carries 2,805 cabins, the most of any Royal Caribbean ship, in the most complex cabin line-up in the fleet. They roll up into four core tiers, so you can book:
- Interior cabins, from the standard interior up to the Surfside family-neighbourhood interior (the T5 category, which comes with access to the family-only Surfside zone).
- Ocean View cabins, which add a window, including the Panoramic Oceanview with its wide wraparound glass.
- Balcony cabins, including the Icon-class signature Infinite Balcony, where a glass wall slides open to fold the balcony into the room (so it’s a convertible glass balcony rather than a traditional open one), alongside standard balconies and inward-facing balconies that look into Central Park or the Surfside neighbourhood.
- Suites, which Royal Caribbean splits into three Suite Class tiers: Sea Class (the Junior Suites, with dinner access to the suite-only Coastal Kitchen), Sky Class (which adds a concierge and the Suite Lounge), and Star Class at the top (which carries the Royal Genie personal concierge and almost everything on board, and includes the unique three-deck Family Townhouse). The Royal Genie comes only with Star Class, not with suites in general.
The family-only Surfside neighbourhood, with its own pool, dining, and games, is open only to guests booked in a Surfside cabin; a booking elsewhere on the ship doesn’t include access.
What does the Icon of the Seas itinerary look like?
Icon of the Seas sails two regional itinerary types year-round from Miami, both 7 nights and both calling at Royal Caribbean’s private island. You can choose:
- Eastern Caribbean voyages of 7 nights from Miami, calling at Perfect Day at CocoCay in the Bahamas, Charlotte Amalie on St. Thomas, Philipsburg on St. Maarten, and Basseterre on St. Kitts.
- Western Caribbean voyages of 7 nights from Miami, calling at Perfect Day at CocoCay, Cozumel and Costa Maya in Mexico, and Roatán in Honduras.
What are the top facilities on the Icon of the Seas?
Icon of the Seas has eight standout facilities:
- The Category 6 waterpark, the largest at sea, with six waterslides including Pressure Drop, billed as the first open free-fall slide on a cruise ship.
- The AquaDome, a glass-domed venue at the top of the ship housing the AquaTheater with its high-diving shows.
- Crown’s Edge, a skywalk on the side of the ship at Deck 16 that ends in a thrill drop.
- Seven pools, the most at sea, including Royal Bay (the largest pool at sea) and the adults-only Hideaway suspended infinity pool.
- The FlowRider surf simulator and the Absolute Zero ice-skating arena.
- Music Hall for live music, plus “The Wizard of Oz” production show in the Royal Theater.
- More than 20 dining venues, headlined by the Empire Supper Club, a multi-course speakeasy, and the suite-only Coastal Kitchen.
- The family-only Surfside neighbourhood, with the Adventure Ocean and Social020 kids’ and teens’ programs.
What is the onboard experience of the Icon of the Seas?
Icon of the Seas‘s onboard experience covers six areas:
- Dining
- Bars and lounges
- Entertainment
- Activities and pools
- Wellness and fitness
- Kids and teens programming
Dining runs to more than 20 venues spread across the neighbourhoods. The main dining room and the Aquadome Market food hall anchor the included options, with casual outlets such as El Loco Fresh for Tex-Mex, the Caribbean-themed Lime and the Coconut (in four locations), Park Café in Central Park, and 24-hour Sorrento’s Pizza. Specialty (extra-charge) venues span the Empire Supper Club, Icon’s signature multi-course speakeasy, the Chops Grille steakhouse, Giovanni’s Italian Kitchen, Izumi for sushi and teppanyaki, Hooked Seafood, the family-style Celebration Table, and Sushi-on-5. Suite guests have their own two-storey restaurant, Coastal Kitchen.
Bars and lounges sit across the eight neighbourhoods. The Royal Promenade carries Boleros for Latin music, the Pub, and the Schooner Bar piano lounge, while Central Park has the Trellis Bar. The adults-only Hideaway Bar serves its pool deck, and the Vue observation lounge, the 1400 Lobby Bar, and coffee at Café Promenade and Starbucks round out the day. Casino Royale is the gaming floor.
Entertainment is built around the AquaDome, a glass-domed venue whose AquaTheater stages high-diving performances, production shows, and DJ sets. The Royal Theater runs the Broadway-style “The Wizard of Oz”, the Absolute Zero arena hosts ice shows, and Music Hall delivers live music and DJs. Crown’s Edge adds a skywalk-and-thrill attraction on the side of the ship at Deck 16.
Activities and pools centre on seven pools, the most at sea, led by Royal Bay (the largest pool at sea), the Chill Island cluster (including the adults-only Cloud 17), and the adults-only Hideaway infinity pool. The Category 6 waterpark carries six slides, including the free-fall Pressure Drop, and the FlowRider surf simulator, the Absolute Zero ice arena, the Sea Trek suspended bridge, and a sports deck with basketball and mini-golf fill out the active side.
Wellness and fitness centre on the Vitality Spa & Fitness Centre on Deck 5, with a full massage and treatment menu, a thermal suite, and a salon. The ocean-view gym carries cardio and weights, with paid group classes available.
Kids and teens programming runs through Adventure Ocean, Royal Caribbean’s age-banded program, covering Aquanauts (ages 3 to 5), Explorers (6 to 8), and Voyagers (9 to 11), plus the Adventure Beach wet zone and Splashaway Bay. Social020 is the teen-only club for 13 to 17s, and the family-only Surfside neighbourhood adds The Yard outdoor games and a family pool. Family travel is positioned as the central Icon experience.
Who is the Icon of the Seas best for?
Icon of the Seas is a strong fit for you in four scenarios:
- You’re a multi-generational family with kids and want the most fully developed family setup at sea, with the family-only Surfside neighbourhood (family suites, family-only dining, The Yard, Splashaway Bay, and a family pool).
- You’re a thrill-seeker after the headline rides, with the Category 6 waterpark, Crown’s Edge, the AquaTheater high-diving, the FlowRider, and the Absolute Zero ice arena.
- You want a genuine adults-only escape, since the Hideaway, with its suspended infinity pool and dedicated bar, is the largest adults-only neighbourhood on a Royal Caribbean ship.
- You want a suite-tier stay with the Royal Genie service, the Coastal Kitchen, and the Suite neighbourhood, which come with Star and Sky Class.
Icon of the Seas has no Australian itineraries, so you’ll need to fly to Miami to sail her. If you’d rather leave from home, Royal Caribbean’s Anthem of the Seas and Ovation of the Seas both base in Australia for the southern summer. She is also a genuine megaship built around scale and energy, so she won’t suit you if you prefer a smaller, quieter ship.
Where does the Icon of the Seas dock in Miami?
Icon of the Seas sails year-round from PortMiami in Florida, using Royal Caribbean’s Terminal A, a terminal purpose-built for the line’s largest ships. Miami is an easy gateway from across the United States, and for Australian guests it means a flight to Florida to join the ship. Some 2026-27 sailings have also been announced from Galveston in Texas.
Prefer to sail Royal Caribbean from Australia?
Icon of the Seas homeports in Miami year-round, with a seasonal Galveston repositioning, and has no Australian, New Zealand or South Pacific sailings, so an Australian booking is always a fly-cruise. If you’d rather board closer to home, three Royal Caribbean fleetmates sail from Australian homeports:
- Anthem of the Seas is the closest pivot for modern Royal Caribbean scale and recent hardware, a Quantum-class ship that homeports in Sydney over the Australian summer, with signature features such as the North Star observation pod and the RipCord by iFLY indoor skydiving simulator. See Anthem of the Seas cruises.
- Ovation of the Seas is the other Quantum-class Australian regular, with a similar modern feature set on Sydney and Brisbane summer rotations. See Ovation of the Seas cruises.
- Voyager of the Seas is the smaller, older Australian-homeported option, a Voyager-class fleetmate sailing Australian summers from Sydney and Brisbane. See Voyager of the Seas cruises.
Icon of the Seas FAQs
How old is the Icon of the Seas?
Icon of the Seas entered service in January 2024 as the lead ship of Royal Caribbean’s Icon-class, which makes her 2 years old in 2026. She was built by Meyer Turku in Finland for about US$2.05 billion, the most expensive cruise ship built to date, and was christened at PortMiami by the footballer Lionel Messi. She is too new to have had a refurbishment.
How many passengers can the Icon of the Seas carry?
Icon of the Seas carries 5,610 guests at lower-berth capacity (standard double occupancy) and up to 7,600 passengers when every upper berth and sofa bed is filled. With around 2,350 crew, that is roughly 7,960 people on board at standard occupancy and about 9,950 at full capacity, making her the largest cruise ship in the world by gross tonnage.
How long is the Icon of the Seas?
Icon of the Seas measures 365 metres (1,198 feet) in overall length, with a beam of 48.5 metres (159 feet). At 248,663 gross tonnes she is the largest cruise ship in the world, having taken the title from the Oasis-class Wonder of the Seas.
What are the noisy rooms to avoid on the Icon of the Seas?
Icon of the Seas only entered service in January 2024, so there isn’t yet a reliable, researched picture of which cabins run noisy on this particular ship, and we won’t guess by generalising from older vessels. For a cabin-by-cabin view in the category you’re considering, call Cruise Guru on 13 13 03, use Contact Us, or submit a Request a Call Back form, and a consultant can talk you through the quietest options.
Does the Icon of the Seas have a water slide?
Yes, and more than most. Icon of the Seas has the largest waterpark at sea, Category 6, with six waterslides, including Pressure Drop, billed as the first open free-fall slide on a cruise ship. They’re included in your cruise fare. Younger children also have Splashaway Bay, a water-play zone in the family-only Surfside neighbourhood.
Can Australian cruisers book the Icon of the Seas?
Yes, Australian cruisers can book the Icon of the Seas, but you’ll need to fly to the United States to join her, as she has no Australian homeport. She sails year-round from Miami on 7-night Eastern and Western Caribbean voyages, with some 2026-27 departures from Galveston in Texas. If you’d prefer to sail a Royal Caribbean ship from an Australian homeport, the section above on Anthem of the Seas, Ovation of the Seas and Voyager of the Seas is the better starting point, though all three are far smaller than the Icon-class Icon of the Seas.
As an indicative starting point, cruise-only fares at retrieval started from around A$1,923 per person for an interior cabin, around A$2,734 for an oceanview, around A$2,664 for a balcony, and around A$4,180 for a suite, roughly A$274 per person per day at the entry tier, though these are volatile snapshots that move with demand and the sailing, so check the live fares on this page for current pricing on your chosen voyage.
