Royal Caribbean's new Icon of the Seas, world's largest cruise ship, opens for bookings
The first voyages of the biggest cruise ship ever built are now available for booking.
Royal Caribbean on Monday began taking reservations for the initial sailings of its much-awaited Icon of the Seas — the first in a new series of vessels at the line that will be bigger than anything seen before in the cruise world.
For now, only members of Royal Caribbean's Crown & Anchor Society loyalty program can make reservations. However, bookings will open to all customers on Tuesday.
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At 250,600 tons, Icon of the Seas will be more than 6% bigger than the current size leader among cruise ships, Royal Caribbean's 7-month-old Wonder of the Seas. It'll be able to hold up to 7,600 passengers — a new record for a passenger ship.
As previously announced, the first sailings of Icon of the Seas will be seven-night voyages to the Caribbean out of Miami, starting in January 2024. The ship will alternate between Eastern Caribbean and Western Caribbean itineraries, with four different routings now available for departures between January 2024 and April 2025:
- Seven-night Eastern Caribbean voyages with stops at St. Kitts, St. Thomas and Royal Caribbean's private island in the Bahamas, Perfect Day at CocoCay. There are 17 such departures.
- Seven-night Eastern Caribbean voyages with stops at St. Maarten (the Dutch side of the island of St. Martin), St. Thomas and Perfect Day at CocoCay. There are 16 such departures.
- Seven-night Western Caribbean voyages with stops at Roatan, Honduras; Costa Maya and Cozumel, Mexico; and Perfect Day at CocoCay. There are 31 such departures.
- Seven-night Western Caribbean voyages with stops at Costa Maya and Cozumel, Mexico; and Perfect Day at CocoCay. There are two such departures.
The very first sailing of Icon of the Seas available for booking is scheduled for Jan. 27, 2024. As of early Monday, it was priced starting at $1,537 per person for the least-expensive windowless inside cabin — a significant premium to the typical seven-night Royal Caribbean cruise to the Caribbean. Balcony cabins for the sailing early Monday started at $1,958.
The initial voyage will be on the ship's Eastern Caribbean routing that stops in St. Kitts.
Later sailings of Icon of the Seas early Monday were available starting at $981 per person for an inside cabin. The least expensive voyage on the ship as of early Monday was a Sept. 14, 2024 departure to the Western Caribbean.
Currently under construction at the giant Meyer Turku shipyard in Turku, Finland, Icon of the Seas was ordered before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic brought a downturn in cruise bookings and has been under construction since June 2021.
Icon of the Seas features
When it's finished, Icon of the Seas will have 18 passenger decks — two more than the current size leader Wonder of the Seas.
It'll also be longer than Wonder of the Seas, by a tad. It'll measure 1,198 feet long — 10 feet longer than Wonder of the Seas.
But its biggest difference may be in the number of passengers it will hold. Its maximum capacity of 7,600 will be about 7% higher than Wonder of the Seas' maximum capacity of 7,084 passengers.
The bigger passenger capacity is in part due to the ship's greater focus on family travelers. Icon of the Seas is being built with a lot more cabins that have plenty of extra bunks to accommodate families with many children. It'll also have more amenities geared to families, including a new-for-the-line outdoor "neighborhood" called Surfside dedicated to families with young children.
Related: Icon of the Seas will cater to families
As announced on Thursday, Surfside will feature splash areas for babies and kids, pools and lounge spaces for parents, family-friendly eateries and shops, and a bar with "mommy and me" matching mocktails for kids and cocktails for grownups.
Icon of the Seas will also feature the largest water park ever built on a cruise ship, with a record six decktop waterslides.
In all, the ship will include eight neighborhoods, as Royal Caribbean calls distinct areas of its bigger ships themed around specific activities. Five will be new to Icon and three are returning from the line's last series of giant ships, the five-vessel Oasis class. The current size leader in the cruise world, Wonder of the Seas, is part of the Oasis class.
Icon of the Seas is just the first of three sister ships Royal Caribbean has on order for delivery by 2026 that will make up its new Icon class. The line also has one more Oasis-class ship on order for delivery in 2024.
The arrival of the Icon class is one of the biggest stories in the cruise world in more than a decade. When the first of the vessels begins debuting in 2024, it'll mark the first time in 15 years that a new series of larger ships has arrived.
Royal Caribbean's first Oasis-class ship, Oasis of the Seas, debuted in 2009. The line added additional Oasis-class vessels in 2010, 2016, 2018 and 2021, with each of the vessels being a little bigger than the last.
Ranging from 226,838 to 235,600 tons, the five Oasis-class ships are, in turn, more than 10% bigger than any other cruise vessels afloat.
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There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)Pros
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- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
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| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com. |
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You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.As High As 100,000 points. Find Out Your Offer.Annual Fee
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Why We Chose It
There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)Pros
- 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
- 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
- Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
- Solid welcome bonus
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.