Plan The Ultimate Family Vacation Onboard Icon Of The Seas

Icon Of The Seas®️ Makes It Easy To Plan The Ultimate Family Vacation Thanks To A Seemingly Endless Array Of Thrills, Kid-Friendly Activities, Dazzling Entertainment And More.

By Amanda Mesa | Published on September 12, 2023

I'm always on the quest for the ultimate family vacation. For me, that means an experience that offers plenty of thrills, delicious dining, kid-friendly activities, nightly entertainment and attractions adults will love, too. And since I tend to travel with my entire extended family, I always look for and prioritize convenience, value and versatility. As you can probably guess, finding a travel option that checks all of these boxes can be tough — unless you opt for a family-friendly cruise. With so many activities, attractions, restaurant options and shows included in your cruise fare, they offer the best bang for your buck, hands down — plus an abundance of opportunities to bond with relatives as you sail from one exciting destination to another. And if there's something I've learned across my travels, nobody does adventurous vacations for the whole family like Royal Caribbean. Known for delivering unforgettable escapes for a wide range of travelers, this cruise line rocks when it comes to value-rich, fun-filled getaways for guests of all ages.

Their newest cruise ship, Icon of the Seas®️, promises to deliver one of the best family vacations yet. This huge engineering marvel will be loaded from bow to stern with adrenaline-amping thrills like Crown's Edge℠, an entire water park that beckons with exhilarating waterslides and shock-inducing rides, a different pool for literally every day of the week and an entire neighborhood designed to maximize family fun in the sun. And that's not all — guests can also look forward to a slew of dining options sure to please even the pickiest eaters, show-stopping entertainment every night of every sailing and plenty of things for grown-ups to do after dark. Sailing year-round from Miami, Icon of the Seas®️ will feature home to some of the best family activities in the Caribbean. Here are just some of the many ways families of all shapes and sizes can level up their next getaway onboard the world's first-ever Icon-class cruise ship.

Families Can Take Advantage Of Endless Fun For Little Ones Onboard

Icon of the Seas Water's Edge Mom and Daughter Swim Time

Perfect for parents traveling with kids and grandparents.

One of the biggest reasons why Icon of the Seas®️ tops my list of options for family-friendly cruises and vacations is how easy it will make traveling with kids of all ages. This record-breaking ship will be home to a sprawling neighborhood filled with kid-friendly activities and dining. It's called Surfside, and its marquee attractions will include the family-friendly Water's Edge Pool, a buzzing arcade filled with both classic and modern games, a beach-themed carousel that doubles as the perfect family photo opportunity, a climbable Playscape℠ and several eateries serving up kid- and parent-approved bites. Not to mention Splashaway Bay℠ and Baby Bay, two fabulous water parks designed specifically with pint-sized cruisers in mind — think mini water slides, interactive water cannons, a drench bucket and more. And the awesomeness doesn't end there — families can upgrade their getaway by booking one of the ship's Surfside Family Suites — a series of spacious staterooms designed to emphasize convenience for kids, parents, grandparents and everyone else in your crew. They feature roomy bathrooms, cozy kids' rooms and other great conveniences that will simplify your vacation. On the other hand, those looking to go all the way on the ultimate family vacation can book the aptly named Ultimate Family Townhouse. Perfect for parents traveling with kids and grandparents, it's three levels of world-class amenities, including an in-suite slide, a wraparound terrace with a private hot tub, a movie theater and direct access to Surfside from a private patio.

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Check out everything this game-changing cruise ship will have to offer or jump straight to planning the best family-friendly cruise here.

Guests Of All Ages Will Enjoy Gallons Of Fun During Their Icon Of The Seas®️ Cruise

icon of the seas flowrider

The Cove^SM Pool: where tropical chic daybeds and chill vibes will abound

If you and your family love to stay connected to the water while you travel together, this ship is for you. Icon of the Seas®️ will go the extra mile when it comes to its pool scene, offering seven sprawling pools — each with its own unique atmosphere, amenities and attractions. There's the family-friendly Water's Edge Pool, which will offer ocean views for days. The Hideaway Pool, which will be the first suspended infinity pool at sea, complete with its own resident DJ curating the perfect poolside soundtrack all day, every day. Swim & Tonic℠, the largest swim-up bar at sea and the first in the Royal Caribbean fleet. And my personal favorite, Royal Bay℠ — the largest pool at sea. With over 40,000 gallons of water, raised whirlpools and an abundance of in-water loungers, it will offer plenty of space for everyone in your crew to soak up the views and the sunshine. While kids are exploring adventures onboard, parents and grandparents can enjoy the chill vibes at the adults-only Cloud 17℠. And for those craving a more low-key pool day, it doesn't get better than The Cove℠ Pool, where tropical chic daybeds and chill vibes will abound.

In addition to its seven incredible pools, Icon of the Seas®️ will also boast the largest water park at sea — Category Six. True to its name, it will be home to six epic, record-breaking slides — including the tallest drop waterslide at sea, the first open free-fall slide at sea, the first mat-racing slide duo ever to sail and two new raft slides that guests can conquer with the entire family.

"Serving up the brand's most ambitious family-friendly cruise yet, Icon of the Seas®️ will go long on adrenaline-amping thrills that are sure to wow even the bravest daredevils in your traveling party."

Thrill-Seekers Will Find All Kinds Of Reasons To Call This The Ultimate Family Vacation

Girl Enjoying the View from Crown's Edge

Guests that meet the 49-inch height requirement will be able to strap into a harness and step onto a walkway that hangs over the edge of the ship

When it comes to creating adventurous vacations for the whole family, nobody tops Royal Caribbean. Serving up the brand's most ambitious family-friendly cruise yet, Icon of the Seas®️ will go long on adrenaline-amping thrills that are sure to wow even the bravest daredevils in your traveling party. One of the onboard attractions that I'm most looking forward to is Crown's Edge, a true test of bravery that's part ropes course, part skywalk and part aerial adventure challenge. Guests that meet the 49-inch height requirement will be able to strap into a harness and step onto a walkway that hangs over the edge of the ship. They'll have to keep their wits about them as they test their balance while putting one foot in front of the other, dangling over the waves below. Another exciting attraction to look forward to is the ship's rock-climbing wall, Adrenaline Peak℠. This next-level riff on the fleetwide classic will have five climbing lanes, so guests can challenge their kids, siblings or parents to a white-knuckle race to the summit. And if mini golf is your family's jam, you'll be pleased to know that Icon of the Seas®️ will debut Royal Caribbean's coolest mini-golf course ever, Lost Dunes℠. While a putt-putt session may seem a bit tamer than the other attractions I've just mentioned, this one will offer plenty of excitement. This epic, nine-hole course throws all kinds of obstacles at players as they make their way through, from shipwrecks and plane crashes to fallen palms — creating plenty of fun for competitive types like me and my family.

Couples Traveling With Kids Can Still Dial Up Date Night

Couple Toasting Martinis at Empire Supper Club

There's also after-hours babysitting and childcare services

Fun family travel is all about finding opportunities to make memories together — but even the best family vacations should have some options for parents and even grandparents to enjoy a little adult time together. Icon of the Seas®️ will offer plenty, thanks to great childcare options. Grown-ups can reconnect while little ones have plenty of supervised fun at Adventure Ocean®️, Royal Caribbean's award-winning youth program and kids' club. There will even be a hangout onboard just for teens called Social 020. Of course, there's also after-hours babysitting and childcare services available at an additional cost. While kids and young adults are making memories together, parents can enjoy the perfect date night at 15 bars and entertainment venues onboard — including top-shelf sips served with sea breezes at 1400℠ Lobby Bar, frosty pints and lively singalongs at Dueling Pianos℠, flutes topped off with fizzy favorites at Bubbles℠, coffee-inspired cocktails mixed, muddled and stirred by talented bartenders at Rye & Bean℠ and nightcaps paired with live performances at Lou's Jazz 'n Blues℠.

You Can Settle In For Spellbinding Shows Every Night Of Your Cruise

Absolute Zero Ice Skating Show

Hands down, one of my favorite things about cruising is that every evening promises opportunities to keep the thrills going strong. Icon of the Seas®️ is no exception. The world's first-ever Icon-class cruise ship beckons with a seemingly endless list of incredible shows and performances to fill every evening with wow-worthy stunts, electrifying choreography, stellar soundtracks and more. One of the highlights onboard the ship will be Absolute Zero℠, the largest ice-skating arena in the entire Royal Caribbean fleet. During the day, families can lace up and work on their turns and carving. At night, this massive ice-skating rink becomes the stage for awe-inspiring shows by the ship's world-class figure skaters — all accompanied by mesmerizing visuals and a digitally mapped backdrop from ceiling to rink powered by high-resolution digital projection technology. Another highlight attraction onboard will be the AquaDome℠, a first-of-its-kind theater space that will merge technology and artistry. Perched at the crown of the ship, this larger-than-life venue will host dazzling performances that combine music, dance, synchronized swimming, high-diving stunts and cutting-edge lighting and sound. For late-night laughs, there's The Attic — an adults-only comedy club that will host some of the most hilarious standup acts at sea. And if you're craving a night of music and dancing, you can head to Music Hall, where the lineup will change nightly from disco to classic rock to big band and beyond.

When it comes to planning the ultimate family vacation, you'll find few options that can match a cruise onboard Icon of the Seas®️.

Written By
AMANDA MESA

Amanda has written for Royal Caribbean since 2017. She also covers travel, lifestyle, food and beverage for Indulge Magazine, the Miami Herald and PureWow. She's traveled extensively around the world, enjoys building unforgettable itineraries and loves introducing readers to lesser-known destinations.

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