The Iconic Vacation
Royal Caribbean · 7 Night Eastern Caribbean & Perfect Day
July 12 – 19, 2025
The Coe Family's first voyage on Royal Caribbean's Icon of the Seas. A highly anticipated adventure by all. While not all of the family members could make it, those of us that did were sure to share the experience with plenty of rich content.
An absolute marvel in engineering; the pearl greets you as you board Royal Caribbean's Icon of the Seas in all of its glory. Spanning a full 3 decks of the ship, it is as technologically advanced as it is beautiful.
Nearly everything about Royal Caribbean's Icon of the Seas is upleveled by technology--the elevators are no exception. A unique array of control surfaces adorn each elevator lobby in a convenient and accessible way. Cruisers simply choose the floor to which they'd like to travel and a big letter beside the elevator chosen by the system illuminates. As the elevator approaches, the big letter will flash (along with an audible alert in the area, to let cruisers know where to step in. Now, we all know that technology isn't perfect--the elevators on The Icon of the Seas is not immune to this fact. During embarkation day you'll undoubtedly notice that the system succumbs to the volume of requests being thrown at it in a condenced time frame. There are extreme wait times for getting to your floor. This isn't a complaint; rather, simply the reality of the situation. You've got upwards of 5,500 people boarding the vessel--all trying to get to different floors. Patience is a must.
I hadn't really given The Grove much thought. After seeing it in pictures I kind of wrote it off as nothing special. I'm so glad that the manager over housekeeping insisted that I check it out. WOW! The Grove is quite fabulous! Very quiet, offering nice views of seventy-five percent of what's visible from the ship's forward position. The morning after my first experience with The Grove I made it a point to get my wife up to the 18th deck to experience this part of the ship. She absolutely LOVED IT!
One of the exlusive ammeneties for suite guests, Coastal Kitchen offers a wonderful set of menus for each meal time of the day. Opening at 8 am each day, cruisers are able to select from a good variety of meals. There is also a bar located inside the space with a broad array of spirits. My personal favorite breakfast item: The Omlette with Ham, Onions, and Mushrooms.
For this journey we were fortunate enough to be able to select suite 11754. This suite is located in the very rear of the ship, and is the middle suite of three on the starboard side of the ship. Wonderful views are provided for each port as you depart and the calming sounds of the ocean waters being disturbed by the ship's propultion devices is heavenly. Booking this suite entitles the traveler(s) to Sky Class ammenities, which means you gain access to exclusive areas of the ship (e.g. The Grove and The Coastal Kitchen), as well as the services provided by the suite concierge staff.
