ICON BY NAME, ICONIC BY NATURE
CRUISE
BY SARAH PICKERING
sarah@nitravelnews.com
FINDING the perfect holiday destination for all of the family can prove stressful at the best of times, but even more so now as variety, price and exclusive tailoring plays such a major role when choosing a suitable holiday. But what if I told you you can do it all? Be all things, to all people and still have the holiday of a lifetime- An iconic holiday of a lifetime! Royal Caribbean international introduced an Icon class of ships with the announcement of Icon of the Seas back in October 2016. Sailing from Miami for the first time in 2024,
Icon the Seas has been described as the ‘world’s best vacation’ due to the colourful allure and
giant scale of the ship. Not to mention the largest waterpark at sea, the tallest waterfall at sea and an
Aquatheatre featuring a
first-time cast of robots, skateboarders and high divers it its mists.
The dual-fuel,
first of its kind, engined ship has chosen a homeport of Miami at the beginning of 2024, where guests can get the full Royal treatment with
the permanent
terminal built exclusively for Royal Caribbean passengers-
A JOURNEY THROUGH THE MED
NI Travel News’ Senior Journalist Erin English takes us on a journey through the Mediterranean via cruise ship and checks out her top cruising ports to stop off by, and why they should be included in your next cruise itinerary. First stop takes us to Barcelona and Cannes form some film fun and historical infrastructure…
A JOURNEY THROUGH THE MED, CONTINUED
Next up, Erin covered the wonderful port towns of Palma and Livorno- From the Spanish sun to the Italian coastlines, be sure to pop these two cruise giants on the list…
Not to mention the close proximity to Royal Caribbean’s own private island in The Bahamas, Perfect Day at CocoCay. With 17 decks to explore, it is no wonder that Icon has a little bit of something for everyone. Featuring 8 neighbourhoods, five of which are new to the Royal Caribbean fleet, the ‘world’s best vacation’ can take you to anywhere you wish to be- No, literally! From the long street of Central Park located in the middle of the ship, to the adults-only Hideaway, guests are free to roam the various inclusions at their leisure and to whatever extent they wish. As mentioned, The Hideaway is one of five new neighbourhoods included within the
Icon class, and portrays an adult-only oasis with warm peachy-pink hues greeting every visitor.
With two whirlpools exclusive to The Hideaway and an infinity pool towering high above the back of the ship, its hard to imagine how guests have time to visit the boujee Hideaway bar, featuring tailored cocktails and high-end drinks. This needs not be an issue as a friendly Royal Caribbean member of staff will be on hand to beacon your drinks call, as you lounge aloft one of the peached poolside sun loungers. After all, everyone knows sun bathing is an important time to squeeze in. To an already jam-packed day of activities (or chilling by the other 7 pools- that is totally up to you!), The Hideaway can be the perfect excuse to catch the sunset (and hide from your kids) and have a pre-dinner drink whilst setting sail or exploring the vast ocean. Maybe you want to chill out with the family; no need to look far. Chill island, located
on ocean
decks 15- 17, homes ‘a pool for every mood’ and a luxury view of the from all
angles. Four of the seven pools located
onboard can be found in this
water oasis covering three decks. In fact, the ship holds 62% more water surface than any of their other ships. Your mind may automatically think, ‘a kid inspired ship... with pools; There won’t be much relaxing done there’ but not to Continued on Page 24...
CRUISE COMPETITION SPECIAL
This month’s competition is a big one… How about the chance to win a seven night river cruise? NI travel News’ has teamed up with AMA Waterways to give one lucky winner a seven night river cruise in Europe for two! The prize also includes flights valued up to £350. Read all about it in this cruise pull out special...
NEWS
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