I Think I Want to Take an "Icon of the Seas" Cruise

[quote]it looks amazing!

It looks like the tenth circle of hell.

It's part of the trend to make the ship the destination rather than the ports. Let's face it -- most of these megaship cruises are quick trips to boring and redundant Caribbean islands. People are taking cruises in these huge floating resorts for the experience on board rather than the ports.

I like that there's a dedicated area for kids and family. I'm all for keeping the rugrats and their frau moms far away.

It looks like a seaborne Florida. Not for me.

I like going on cruises, but this would be a hard no for me. Just too big/too many people.

R5 For me, the fact that the ship is big is a plus. More places to get away and hide from people.

It’s too expensive for what is provided.

RC just had a cruise from San Diego to Miami (?) that had norovirus on it. At least you'll comb back thinner!!

Is that the ship that looks like a top-heavy Suzuki Samurai? Like it's going to keel over with even the slightest shift in direction?

OP

Celebrity is better for elders who don’t want to be around families with young kids.

I'd rather go on a Star Trek cruise. $2710 USD (the cheapest option for new guests!) is a bit steep though IMO.

But I also envision myself soiling my TNG era suit with norovirus vomit and diarrhea...

that would be fun, KD.

Not the vomit and diarrhea part, the Star Trek Cruise part and costumes.

Doesn't a bigger ship just mean they can pack more people on it, making it just as crowded as a smaller ship?

Look. If it's one of those "cruises to nowhere" like the Caribbean islands, and you don't plan on leaving the ship, go for it. But if you plan any shore excursions my advice is sail on a smaller ship. The logistics of moving 1,000 people on and off the ship takes forever on big ships. If you're in a port for 6 hours, and you spend 2 of them disembarking and then rushing to get back, it's not a lot of fun.

[quote]Celebrity is better for elders who don’t want to be around families with young kids.

Viking and Virgin are the only ones that prohibit under-18s. But you're correct that lines that are one tier up (e.g., Princess, Celebrity, Cunard, etc.) aren't as child-oriented. The other way to avoid a lot of kids is to take longer cruises and those when most schools are in session.

Where’s the ship part?

OP looks like Phil Harris.

The Trekkie cruise prohibits kids under 12, yay!

Also we're getting closer to an oral vaccine for the two major norovirus strains. It's in phase 2 trials, maybe 3 by now.

R15 Yeah, I don't think I'd be all that interested in excursions. When I did a Bahamas cruise, we did excursions, and I found them kind of rushed and boring. I think staying onboard while everyone else gets off the ship would be kind of nice.

R19, you mean "was" Donald Trump and RFK have killed funding and scientific research.

Cruise ships are getting too big. Something is going to happen and it won’t be pretty. Ships carrying upwards of 10000 passengers and crew will be an absolute bear to evacuate. That being said, the ICON and STAR are gaudy and quite florid in terms of decor.

It's too fucking big.

Yeah that's an appetizing opportunity to quote Dr Oz.

And they can only visit certain ports because of their size.

[quote]The logistics of moving 1,000 people on and off the ship takes forever on big ships. If you're in a port for 6 hours, and you spend 2 of them disembarking and then rushing to get back, it's not a lot of fun.

R15 has dissuaded me of any miniscule interest I might ever have had in a cruise. I've seen tourists in port cities rushing, always rushing to get back to the ship in the middle of the afternoon, or heard people describe how much they "just loved Barcelona (from the very few hours we had there)" and thought they had just planned poorly, but if that counts as excursion time, forget it. I've no interest in a booze cruise with the occasional stop at a port for tine enough for a lunch and to scurry your ass back to wait in line to check back in to the ship.

Travel is so very broadening... About whether the frozen shrimp are better today than yesterday, and should we go to that auction of bad art for a laugh?

A few hurried hours in a port is ridiculous. I don't see the point if it's not to enjoy the stops at ports but rather to decide they're not worth the bother given the few hours. That's not seeing the world, it's seeing a stinking ship.

This article from a writer who went on the Icon of the Seas' maiden voyage is hilarious. I never realized cruising was such a cult phenomenon. People are so odd.