ICON Of The Seas = THE END Of Affordable Cruising?
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- Опубликовано: 17 мар 2024
- Do the prices of the Icon Class ships mean that many people have to give up cruising?
The newest Royal Caribbean ship, Icon of the Seas has set sail, but does this spell doom for those seeking affordable cruise options? Since the time bookings opened up for the largest ship in the world, there have been many heated discussions about how much does it costs to go on Icon of the Seas and whether Icon of the Seas is too expensive. One of the biggest questions debated is whether Icon is worth it and whether the new pricing is making Royal Caribbean cruises unaffordable.
In this video, I will discuss the reasons why Icon Class ships are so expensive, whether this means that many people will have to give up cruising, and four different ways you can save money if you really want to sail on these newer class ships.
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See our current list of available reduced group rates for Icon Class and other ships - cruiseandtravelnetwork.com/
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• Icon Of The Seas
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Are you planning to sail on Icon this year?
Are you a travel agent?
@@lakesidedoggielounge-dogbo7477 , yes, let me know if you have any questions 😁.
Yes,I have booked trip on October for 7 days.It is an anniversary trip for me and my wife.With dinning package,beverage package,internet,empire club dinner and air fare costs me almost 9,000$.But I don't regret that.I am happy that there are lot of Icon videos on youtube so it is very helpful.
@@roddick1185 , it’s a great ship! While we won’t be sailing it often due to cost, we definitely got spoiled on it. Have an amazing cruise!! 🚢
This was a very well put together video! 100% agree with everything you said. Nice work, looking forward to more awesome content! It was so nice meeting you onboard the inaugural for Icon!
Thank you, JT! Yes, it was so nice meeting you too and I'm loving all your Icon content! 😊
Look here, just don't sail. On the icon class. Simple
That’s one of the solutions. While we absolutely loved our cruise on Icon, our next cruises are booked on smaller ships, anything from Freedom class to Oasis class. The key is to find what works for you personally and fits your budget.
It’s not that simple, especially if you’re other boats don’t really have as much as the newer boat offers. It’s OK to have an above average price cruise but they’re pretty much just seeing how much people are willing to pay to be on the newest product. They could pretty much just fix it by saying this is a premium and not a family cruise.
@@NewYorkBorn interestingly, I think they invented a new category of “premium family” or “luxury family” cruises with Icon class. Time will tell how many families are willing to pay these prices in the future.
I'll wait for a couple of years to sail on her - I don't want to pay $6,000 per balcony suite - like waiting for new TV's prices to go down - I wait for people to buy it at the high price - then it goes down. Symphony of the Seas is a gorgeous ship for about half the price. But if people will pay - I don't blame Royal Caribbean.
100% agree! Hopefully, after Star Of The Seas comes out August 2025, Icon prices will start coming down since it won't be as much of a novelty at that time.
The price will go down when the demand goes down and that will happen when there are newer ships that are the same or better. New always gets the premium but once it becomes old then it becomes more affordable.
100% agree!
And after a 3rd unnamed icon ship is launched in '26 - that's when prices might dip and I'll book
Most likely. So far, Star's pricing is way up there so looks like it will take a while.
Nice video very informative. Thank you. On a sidenote I love that globe that is behind you! Would you be able to tell me where you got it?
Thank you so much! My husband had that globe for about 25 years. He bought it at some furniture store.
Hola. This is Gil. Loved your video. Was spot on as to how I felt. One thing I did was use an agency for a Guaranteed Balcony. While the Royal Caribbean had balconies for $6k+ our balcony guaranteed balcony was $3800. HUGE difference. We were very fortunate with a decent balcony considering the deck. Had to jump on the deal.
Hola, Gil! I checked out your channel and I see you cruise Norwegian a lot. That's one cruise line I haven't tried yet. How would you compare Royal to Norwegian? Your Norwegian Viva review looks really good! Subscribed to your channel 😊
@@CruisingKat Too many : ) We've cruised on the Prima and Viva and understand where they were/are headed for this class. Prima & Viva offer more of a luxury relaxed cruise with emphasis on cuisine and views. Throw in some broadway theater shows and you'll have that nice NYC luxury hotel situated on Broadway. That's the vibe. The Breakaway+ Class ship are more balanced. Fun/Food/Entertainment. All boils down to what you're looking for. The Virgin Voyages is more like a boutique hotel in Miami. Hit the clubs at night and then back to your posh hotel room afterwards at 2am to do it all over again the next day. Ditto, chica. Loved your style.
@downtovacay, That's a very nice comparison. Makes it perfectly clear too! I may need to try Prima or Viva.
Good job! 1. Do you do your own editing? (Really good and your just a few videos in) 2. Do you have a link to the group rates? Didn’t see it in description?
Thank you! Yes, I do my own editing. Leaned Premier Pro while working on the first video on this channel. Didn't realize how long it takes, lol.
I also didn't expect to have many views on these videos from the start so I didn't have the website ready yet. Here is the link - cruiseandtravelnetwork.com/. It is currently showing under maintenance and my goal is to have it up and running by the end of Sunday this week.
Obviously she is a beautiful and extraordinary ship… but +12,000 people!!! I am old & have been on the original Titanic type ships back in 1965, but not run on coal, but real portholes in your suite and high class beauty! And yes, a 2 class system, 1st & 2nd, but wonderful still! I can’t fathom being on a ship that looks like a city, an amusement park, a local giant mall, and literally thousands of people! I almost wonder if these new ship concepts are similar to the pride of the Titanic…God forbid! But man is never satisfied…we are all mostly guilty of that. I respect those who want to cruise in any fashion they enjoy…but at close to 70 years old & 18 cruises, mostly on Royal, this is way overboard for me.! I like the smaller ships, that dwarf her..and even they are hard to navigate…I mean the walking…and the whole industry made so many costly changes. Soda was free, there were no extra restaurants, no extra anything…it was all included, except liquor and playing some games cost $$$. But now…they created a “giant”, so huge that it makes me feel how much farther will they take it!!! Well, money and bragging rights trump man’s desire to reach the stars! I am happy on a simple, quiet, peaceful ship…I have already experienced practically everything on her anyway! Give me simplicity, mixed with peace and tranquility in this world that is moving faster than it can handle where only time will tell…I hope she can handle what the future holds…???
Alisa, thank you for such a detailed comment. I definitely agree with you that the smaller ships have a completely different vacation feel and appeal to a different type of person who wants to have a nice relaxing cruise. The good 'ole times with everything included were good. Since then, all cruise lines have gotten into the game of "let's see what else people will pay for extra" so they have been adding more and more paid extras. As long as people keep paying for these extras, they will continue adding them.
The larger ships appeal to people who use the ship as their vacation destination. Icon definitely caters to families by adding all the extra features, such as the Surfside and the Water park. Even though it costs more to sail, you get to use the water park for 7 days during your cruise. A couple of years ago, when we went to Baha Mar water park in Bahamas with our 2 boys, we ended up paying around $900 for a day there for 4 people (including admission, food, and transportation). We'll never do that again! But I can definitely see the appeal of having an amusement park on the ship for many people because they can just stay on the ship and avoid paying for extra excursions in ports.
With that said, Royal Caribbean recently hinted that they are looking into building new smaller ships in the future since that size of their fleet is getting older. Hopefully, they'll bring us some nice new ones in that size too!
great video. keep it up
one suggestion, less of the "quirky" bits from other shows/videos. Its fun every now and then, but sometimes it gets a little overboard.
@@corgicastleadventures7861 , Thank you so much for the feedback! Just starting out this channel so still trying to find my style. 😊
The ship costs a lot because people Are obviously willing to pay for it
Yes, it looks like it's going to be like this for at least a couple of years. Hopefully after that it will start coming down some.
Hadn't sailed Royal Caribbean for some years as they had jacked prices up too much. Sailed on Anthem last year. It was absolutely rammed. The quality of food in the main dining room has plummeted, one assumes to get people to cough up for additional cost dining.
They've lost us as customers, but they don't care as there are people with deeper pockets still booking.
Princess are following suit, cutting inclusive features and sticking them on the Plus packages, which as non-drinkers is a huge waste of money for us.
These lines are not interested in basic cruisers. So if basic=affordable, then they do want to see the end of it.
So sorry to hear about your Anthem experience! I find that food tends to vary a lot by ship even though Royal Caribbean has the same menu on all ships. So the chef and cooks definitely matter. Interestingly, we've had some of the best tasting food on smaller older RCCL ships.
Unfortunately, most cruise lines have been adding more and more paid features. Thankfully, there is still usually plenty to eat and do that's included so we will hope that trend won't continue too far. Currently, the included options on most ships still make it a better value than a land-based vacation if you are paying for hotels, theme parks and restaurants.
@barnum4244… I agree.. very well said..
Interestingly, in the last 2 weeks, several cruise lines announced new ships coming. Most of them are large ships with a bunch of different extra activities. So this trend will probably continue...
@@CruisingKat And that trend will drive us away. The lines really don't care about the customers who supported them this far. Sadly, that's corporate greed.
@@barnum4244 , I 100% agree!
I have only ever cruised with Celebrity. I don't see that changing. Very reasonable prices, especially compared to Royal Caribbean. There is only so much you need on a cruise ship. Why pay double for stuff you will never have time to use. I mostly cruise for the ports of call one gets to visit anyway. The amenities of the ship are secondary for me.
I have mainly been cruising with Royal Caribbean, but Сelebrity is on my list to try soon! It’s nice that our diamond status carries over there too. 😁
@@CruisingKat Yep same company. That is how Royal Caribbean became Royal Caribbean International. They took over Celebrity which is based in Greece.
Looking for the link to the website you mentioned
Funny thing, I didn't expect to have many views on these videos from the start so I didn't have the website ready yet. Here is the link - cruiseandtravelnetwork.com/. It is currently showing under maintenance and my goal is to have it up and running by the end of Sunday this week.
Its definitely getting more and more expensive to cruise since the industry opened up again after covid.
Yes! Hopefully, it won't keep increasing at the same trend 🤞
Your defense of what sure looks like price-gouging by Royal is not very convincing. "Don't worry, it's still affordable! Just settle for 71% of a cruise (5 days). Or sail on the oldest ship in the fleet. Or become a travel agent to get better deals." The fact that Royal's pricing strategy may be "smart" for Royal shareholders doesn't mean it benefits the vacationing public.
I completely agree. I’m not really trying to defend Royal as much as just show that there are still options out there. But I don’t like these changes any more than the next person. I’d love to go back to $250 short cruises and $700 week long balcony fares. Unfortunately, those days are gone so we have to change our cruising habits or pay these crazy prices. We went on Icon because it’s new but we won’t be sailing it much in the future. Way too expensive.
Where's the link to your group rates please? I can't see it in the About description
Thank you for pointing that out! The website is cruiseandtravelnetwork.com/ and I'll add it to the description too. We're actually redoing the site this week so it's currently down for maintenance. It should be back up within the next couple of days.
These mega ships are far too crowded at full capacity. Off season is best.
Boycott the mega gargantuan ships. They are getting out of hand, and a great deal of cruisers don't like 6K people onboard. People cruise to get away from the hustle and bustle, not feel like they are in NYC.
Some people do like them so they will keep making them. But we do hope that this is not the only trend and that more of the other class ships will be built. Those smaller classes are getting older so it would be nice to get some new ones for the quieter relaxing cruising.
RUclips recommend me this video🎉
Awesome! It’s a new channel but a lot more videos to come soon 😁
We prefer normal sized ships line Voyager and odyssey. Looking for a classical cruise experience and don’t want gimmicks
Those are nice size ships for a relaxing cruise. This one is for people who want an all-in-one experience so they don't even have to get off the ship in port.
The background switching from the monitor and ship to the globe and light is WEARING ME OUT! 😆
Sorry about that! Thank you for the feedback though. I'm new at this so still trying to figure things out. 😊
Sadly I think it is. It's a bummer. We love cruising. But now I may just travel more. Cruising is great because you get a variety at a good price. Now your paying top dollar. I went to book last year the icon. It was 7100. I didn't book because my family wasn't sure. 2 months later the price went over 9000 dollars. Now it's like 10,000. To me it's crazy. I can now do two vacations elsewhere for that kind of money. They will lose my business.
Pricing has definitely been going up for all cruises. Thankfully, we still have some other options that are in line with what they have been. We're going on Harmony of the Seas in May with our boys and it's under $3,000 total for 2 balcony cabins. Every time I think about doing a land vacation and start adding hotels, dinners, entertainment, etc, I end up booking another cruise 😂. With that said, we won't be sailing on Icon class much in the near future. Not at these prices. I think it's designed for those "big family vacations" that people save up for a while to go on.
Awful, just awful. There's no way I would sail on it. It's not a cruise, it's a resort/amusement park. We have those ashore. Traditional cruising was/is the best because it's so completely different from anything else.
I agree that this is a floating amusement park. Looking at most new ships coming out, they all have the same idea. They are adding rollercoasters, water slides, bumper cars, etc. This is good for those who are looking for this type of a vacation because the ship becomes the destination and they don't have to pay anything extra in ports.
Let's hope enough cruise lines keep some ships like they used to - traditional / elegant cruising experience. Then, everybody can choose what they like.
We sailed Icon and loved it, but not worth double the price. We are booked on a smaller ship in November and an Oasis class ship a year from now. If prices keep going up, we may reconsider. We may start considering NCL or MSC.
We're currently on Harmony and we love Oasis class. I think it's a great middle point between Icon class and smaller classes like Freedom. Still a ton of things to do but a lot more affordable than Icon.
I agree!! I thought Disney was expensive at $4,500 for family of 4 (7 nights). Icon is over $11,000 for same cabin category!
Oh, I thought Disney is usually even more than that.
What is the point of spending money on coco bay water park when we have it free in the ship?
Very good point! That’s definitely a big draw for families with kids: kids get to spend 7 days at a waterpark (while parents can enjoy the cruise).
Seeing how elaborate icon of seas is and all it offers lol how dare we want everything for nothing 😂of course! It makes sense it’s more expensive. It’s like asking for a high end purse to cost the same as a purse you found in Dollar General smh
100% agree!! Icon class is designed to be "next level".
I just go back off the Icon and it was simply amazing!!!! It’s worth the price tag
100% agree! While it was very expensive, we felt that the improvements and upgrades on this ship were worth it.
Your comment about Royal going after the Disney World customers was right on. Disney customers will pay any price to stand on lines all day , eat terrible food, and stay in soso overpriced hotels with little or no amenities, This also goes for major league sports fans who will cough up $75 to $150 a month to watch their favorite team on television and folks who will happily pay $1,000 to see a rock star lip sync their songs in a sports stadium with terrible acoustics.
Thank you! And those are very good analogies too!
I'm autistic-I'll likley never be able to afford to go on a cruise or take a tropical vacation.
Love the ship waiting for it to come down in price. Royal pr people, if you're watching, we'll take the unclaimed cabin. We just want to get on the ship. WE miss you.
Honestly I'm not sure I want to be on a ship with 7000+ people that cannot fit into almost any port other than its own island. Feels more like a vanity thing where the ship is meant to be the focal point of the destination rather than part of it.. why get off at all??
This size ship becomes the destination so we only got off the ship once during our 7 day cruise. During the rest of the port days, we enjoyed the ship’s amenities with a lot less people on board.
They need to fix those older ships!!! They're cheaper but icky.
Yes, they are getting dated. Better yet, they should make more smaller-class ships. Many people would prefer them.
Itsnt it $400 a day?
It depends on the season and the cabin. In off-season (I just checked February 2025), interior cabins are $225 per day per person and balconies start at $285. But in summer time, yes, its $400+ per day. Very expensive!
For that ship...naw..it's not for the " hey let's do a weekend cruise" types.
Royal Caribbean has Utopia of the Seas, an Oasis class ship, starting three and four night cruises out of Port Canaveral, Florida starting summer 2024. Will be the newest and largest ship offering long weekend cruises.
Definitely not for the weekend cruise. Icon Class is more of the "save up for a big family vacation" type. And as @dchenkin02 mentioned, Utopia will be the newest ship for the weekend getaways. The older ships are still a good option for quick cruises. We sailed on both Freedom and Independence of the Seas last year for a quick cruise and enjoyed them.
its a 2 billion dollar ship.... the have to pay for it, and their investors......
Exactly!
It's probably fun, but besides the cost I just don't want to sail on a giant bald bini ship like thing.
Ha ha, do you like sailing on smaller ships?
@@CruisingKat I do. The biggest ships I have sailed on is the Carnival Firenze and Horizon and Norwegian Breakaway.
That ship is too big!! There's certainly not enough lifeboats for all the passengers. I'll pass...
Interesting topic! I had to look it up to find out... Icon has 17 lifeboats that hold 450 people each. So they have enough to fit 7,650 people. The goal is to have enough room for all paying passengers. Plus they have MES (Marine Evacuation System) that has rafts to provide enough space for all crew members. Hope we never have to find out how a full evacuation would work! 😧
@@CruisingKat good job.
@@randolphkersey5155 , thank you! 😊
Cruising can still be affordable, it would depend on the class size/age of the ship. The newness and overall experience on Icon makes that appealing to many who are willing to pay the higher price...to be on the "world's largest cruise ship". Of course, there are prices for every travel budget, cheap prices for older/smaller ships/interior cabin vs. suite/ocean view balcony on a newer ship.
Absolutely! We sail on a variety of ship sizes and there are definitely a lot more affordable and are still an amazing value when compared to land vacations.
Stupid people will pay for being on a new ship! They always have and always will. When you have more money than common sense, every place counts on the P.T. Barnum class of people. As the ships get older the prices will go down. This isn't just for cruises, people pay too much for the newest phone, the newest, audio or TV, etc.
I agree that this applies to pretty much everything in life. So, technically, the public "trained" companies that they can charge a lot higher pricing when new products come out.
Caribbean cruising has become a joke. The ship is the destination and cruise lines are acting accordingly.
I agree. We end up staying on the ship in many Caribbean ports now. So having a ship with a lot it things to do helps.
We just got back yesterday from a week on the icon and I can tell you that while it is a very nice ship, it was underwhelming and absolutely not worth the price we paid! Royal is known for low quality food and this held true on the icon. 7 pools, no, 7 wading pools that were all very small. Entertainment was ok but not near as good as I’ve seen on other ships. Activities very limited on this ship. Trivia 6 or 7 times a day, boring. All bars were very small. The aqua dome food court was the absolute most disgusting food I’ve ever had at all 5 eateries. Very limited food options after 9 pm. Just overall not a great experience and extremely overpriced. I will not sail Royal Caribbean again.
@annabellefrailey2596, thank you for sharing your experience! I love hearing different perspectives. Is there another cruise line that you like more that you feel does better with all these aspects? It is always interesting to hearing comparisons, especially when something new like this class ship is out.
@@CruisingKat not one in particular but I’ve been on several and I enjoyed them much more. Icon is absolutely for families and kids. 1700 kids on our sailing, 2600 on the week before us. Kids are allowed in everything on icon including bars with the exception of the hideaway. 3 pools (wading pools) were closed on our sailing due to kids pooping and vomiting in them. Kids in the swim & tonic??? Just kids everywhere. This ship is just a floating waterpark. In my opinion not for anyone without kids.
@@annabellefrailey2596 , oh wow! That’s a very different experience than ours. We were on the inaugural so there were not many kids at all (understandably). Most people on the water slides were adults. I thought the higher pricing would keep many people from bringing a lot of kids to the ship, but Icon definitely caters to families with kids more. Thank you for sharing your experience!
Always bad news with her - deleting her from my profile
Thank you for checking it out. You may have just stumbled on a couple of the "cons" videos that I did. This is actually the second part to my Icon series and the first part was about 9 huge improvements we saw on Icon (which we absolutely loved). The video before that was about Crown's Edge on Icon, which we also liked and thought was worth doing. Just trying to be objective and show both positives and negatives to help people choose what is best for them.
Having previously sailed on Royal Caribbean I can't imagine ever sailing with them again. They want more for a 7 day cruise than I'm paying for a 43-day cruise on Holland America ($5950pp).
@nyala4996, Yes, their prices definitely have gone up. This new class is extremely expensive so I don't think we'll be going on many of these. We usually try to cruise off season and on smaller ships on Royal, which is a lot more affordable. Haven't tried Holland America yet. How would you compare these two cruise lines in terms of experience? Are they similar?
Princess is our favorite line and we have Elite status. We cruise by itinerary first and Princess always seems to have what we want. However, in Jan 2023 we did our first HAL cruise (21 days) when we could not find what we wanted on Princess It was a very nice cruise but we didn't think that the entertainment nor the food were as good as Princess. That being said, we didn't think that we would would abandon Princess for HAL. In fact, HAL offered a great deal on the 43-day and we grabbed it. In looking at Princess we could not duplicate this cruise. RCCL has cast its lot with family cruising and that is not derogatory on any way on my part. We are simply beyond that age or need. In fact, I took our family on an RCCL cruise some years ago. We have Crown & Anchor membership. However, they apparently believe their cruises are worth more than I think they are. We will be taking our granddaughter on a cruise soon and it will likely be on Carnival, a line we have not cruised with. @@CruisingKat
Demand for cruises less than eight days is higher on every cruise line than cruises over thirty days. A Holland America cruise of seven nights has a higher per night cost than your forty-three day cruise on Holland of America.
Very good point! Most people can't take off that much time for a vacation so 7 days has pretty much become a standard length for most people (who are not looking for a quick getaway).
Well, that makes a really eye-catching headline, but I’ve sailed on her, and it’s simply not true. But I do realize you want to get viewers with the sensational headline.
Thank you for the comment and the perspective. I agree with you 100% and (spoiler alert) state so in the video. We have sailed on the inaugural sailing and absolutely loved it, even though it was the most expensive cruise we've taken.
The reason for this video is because there are so many comments online saying how cruises (especially on these newer class ships) are now so expensive that people can't afford them. So the discussion in the video is actually to show what is happening with Royal Caribbean, how people can cruise at different budget levels, and how to save money.
What people need to do is stop cruising or we need to have the government shut down cruising for a year as a Punitive measure against these companies that are gouging Americans
Now, that's an interesting thought!
@@CruisingKatthe shut down is likely the cause of the huge increase of price the company is trying to recover from not making money.
Yes, definitely. They had to burn millions per month just to keep ships operating during the shut down. So glad they didn't go under and were able to come back afterwards.
Gouging usually refers to staples and necessities, not luxury items. We need food, electricity and gasoline. No one needs a cruise.
@kissedbysun2517, very good point!
had to use cc to understand
no on likes you.
Sorry
I will never take a cruise on this monster.
Completely understand. Many people don't like huge ships. We regularly cruise on smaller ships when we want a quiet relaxing vacation.
Way way too many people not fun at all
I hear you. Do you prefer smaller ships?
@@CruisingKat yes I much prefer smaller ships with less than 3,000 passengers
@@nsmith6215 Actually guests per space is much better than smaller ships. There's much more space everywhere per guests on board!
Very good point! Even in places like Windjammer, where it's usually very crowded, there are less people because of all the other places you can eat at.