Planning a cruise experience on Royal Caribbean's new ship Icon of the Seas combines adventure, relaxation, and the opportunity to create lifelong memories with your loved ones. For large families, finding suitable accommodation that caters to everyone’s needs without breaking the bank is crucial.
This cruise ship offers an innovative solution with its updated design for connecting balcony rooms. In this detailed review, we will explore the nuances of these rooms, comparing them to a few previous classes of ships in the fleet, highlighting both similarities and differences, and providing a review on whether they’re worth the higher price for your next family vacation.
Overview of Connecting Rooms on Icon of the Seas
The Icon of the Seas stands out with 88 of connecting rooms, specifically designed to accommodate large families or groups. Unlike the need to book an expensive suite, these connecting rooms offer a practical and somewhat economical solution for families, like mine, that have six or more people. The design is thoughtful, providing both privacy and space which are often scarce in typical cruise accommodations where you can fit up to 5 people in a small standard cabin.
How Connecting Rooms are Set Up
The Icon of the Seas promotes privacy and connectivity simultaneously, featuring a private foyer exclusive to the Icon class, distinguishing it from the usual connecting room setups found on other ships which are generally a shared open door between the rooms.
Below is an example of a set of connecting rooms on Icon that are not purchased by the same party. You can see two sets of doors, with the faux wood paneling being propped open.
This image shows what the doors look like when they are shut (this is an image of our exact rooms).
These connecting doors are now shut with the white doors propped open behind the brown set of doors. This is the standout feature of adjoining rooms on Icon of the Seas, where the foyer area that can be created between rooms. This not only maximizes space but also allows for the cabin doors to remain open without sacrificing privacy. It's a unique element that enhances the functionality of connecting rooms, making the living arrangements more versatile and adaptable to the needs of a family.
Cabin Tour for Connecting Rooms
Our family booked rooms 10744 for our four kids (accommodates up to 4 people) and 10746 for my husband and I (accommodates up to 3 guests). The room was located in the aft, which made going back and forth from the main attractions on the trip a bit longer of a walk. I didn't mind this, as it helped walking off all the calories at the different dining locations.
Number of People Per Room
The cabins that we booked could hold a maximum of three in one room and four in another. On our cruise, we chose to keep all four kids on one side while my husband and I stayed on the other side. This is what our cabin looked like. It could fit another person with the sofa cushions being pulled off and making it into a single bed. There are several other options for connecting rooms, including 3 on one side and 3 on another. However, I will assume that Royal Caribbean cabin designers ensured that connecting rooms would have options to accommodate as many as people as possible.
The beds were comfortable, but the sofa beds were not. I don't think that the sofa beds would be able to accommodate a typical average adult American male comfortably.
Here's the other bedroom connected where our four kids stayed. As you can see, there is no divider where the sofa was pulled down. If your kids are opposed to sleeping without dividers next to each other, they can always sleep on alternate side or ask for additional pillows as a divider if they are small enough to allow those pillows to separate them.
The rooms themselves are beautifully designed, albeit with some limitations. The lack of bunk or Murphy beds (as compared to Symphony of the Seas and Ovation of the Seas we've been on) was a noticeable absence, with the only additional sleeping option being a pullout sofa. While this may work for smaller children, it proved uncomfortable for my teenage daughter, suggesting that it may not be suitable for older children or adults.
Amenities and Features
Each room has a desk with plenty of outlets. As you can see from the image above, we have magnetic hooks that allowed us to hang things on the wall including swimsuits, lanyards, and even a plastic shoe organizer.
One of the outlets didn't work the first day of our stay. Without even mentioning it, we had a maintenance guy let us know that he was fixing it, which was mind boggling to have our stateroom attendant notice that type of detail.
There is a charging port on BOTH sides of the bed, which I find is a very small but important detail.
Royal Caribbean also added small shelving near the TV, which I found to be awkward, but I did find some use for them. This area also had another area for outlet charging, which I found really convenient for my Apple watch charger or small portable cameras.
The bathrooms all have refillable shampoo, conditioner, and body wash that smell great, but are standard similar to other hotels. The doors of the bathroom swing differently than other Royal Caribbean cabins, where it's almost like a half turnstile, which can cause one to be wet if you are starting your shower to get it warmed up.
Temperature and Balcony Door
Unlike other Royal cruise ships, you do not need your cabin card to "turn on" the room's climate control. There is a small thermostat that also provides four options for dimming the lighting, which I found great for myself and the kids to help them prepare to go down for bed.
Balcony Review
With a larger balcony with an additional 20 square feet per room, it made drinking coffee on the verandah well worth the additional cost. Our stateroom attendant had our balcony divider open immediately, which was great!
Each connecting room comes with its own balcony, equipped with two chairs and a small table. Although modest in size, these balconies offer a private outdoor retreat where one can enjoy the sea breeze and stunning vistas.
This is the view from our cabins from the balcony. We had an amazing view of ALL of the ports (we lucked out on picking the side).
Price Comparison and Value for Icon of the Seas Connecting Rooms on Other Class of Royal Cruise Ships
It’s important to note that the pricing on the Icon of the Seas is initially higher due to its novelty. However, it’s anticipated that prices may become more competitive with the launch of sister ships, Star and Utopia. When compared to a similar itinerary on the Symphony of the Seas in 2022, the price premium for the Icon was noticeable. Families need to consider whether the newer amenities and designs justify this additional cost, especially given that many travelers spend limited time in their rooms.
These are the dates of my purchase, the embarkation date of each, and what we paid for each room with our own money. As you can see, you are paying a premium for Icon of the Seas.
| Icon of the Seas | Symphony of the Seas | |
| Booked Date | 12/23/2023 | 02/10/2021 |
| Embarkation Date | 03/23/2024 | 01/22/2022 |
| Cruise Duration | 7 Days | 7 Days |
| Itinerary | 7 Night Eastern Caribbean & Perfect Day | 7 Night Western Caribbean |
| Ports of Call | Miami, St. Kitts, St. Thomas, Cococay | Miami, Roatan, Costa Maya, Cozumel, Cococay |
| Room No. for 4 | 10744 | 10586 |
| Room No. for 2 | 10746 | 10588 |
| Cost of Room for 4 | $7,972.04 | $4,724.36 |
| Cost of Room for 2 | $6,356.02 | $3,332.18 |
| Promotions Applied | Extra Sav NRD 30% Savings NRD | 30% Savings NRD Double Up NRD |
When I look back in hindsight, I would overall recommend Symphony of the Seas as an overall value for the experience, the number of ports, and the similarities of the dining and experience options overall. While Icon of the Seas has a larger footprint, more options for dining, Symphony of the Seas can't be beat even if you take into account the inflation of money over time. Symphony of the Seas is over 178% more expensive at a $6,272 difference (and that's not taking into account inflation and time value of money).
It is overall thousands of dollars cheaper than upgrading to Suite rooms, which may provide only one bathroom (vs two).
Overall Opinion
Taking everything into account to their connecting room design, the rooms are very similar if you are looking for connecting cabins that share doors, especially if you want privacy yet need to be nearby and accessible. The innovative connecting rooms with a private foyer provide a blend of privacy and family living that is hard to find in standard cruise accommodations. However, the cost factor and some of the design choices, such as the uncomfortable pullout sofa, might be drawbacks for some families.
If your priority is having a spacious and flexible living space and the budget permits, the Icon of the Seas could be an excellent choice. However, for those more concerned with value and comfort, particularly regarding sleeping arrangements, it might be worth exploring other options or waiting until prices stabilize after the introduction of additional new ships.
Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas brings exciting innovations to family cruising, especially with its connecting balcony rooms. While it offers distinct advantages in terms of space and privacy, the higher price point and some minor design issues should be carefully considered. Ultimately, whether this ship is the right choice for your family will depend on your specific needs, budget, and how much time you plan to spend enjoying the room versus the ship's myriad of activities and amenities.
