At the start of 2024, Icon of the Seas beat out Wonder of the Seas as the largest ship in the world. Royal Caribbean's mega-ships continue to break records, and just a few months later, Utopia of the Seas debuted as the second-largest ship in the world.
Determined to compare the industry's biggest cruise ships, I sailed on both Icon and Utopia this year. How different are the two largest ships in the world?
The two feature some of the same new Royal Caribbean amenities, such as destination elevators, huge water slides, ice skating rinks, and marvelous Aquashows. However, the two vessels come from different classes of ships in the fleet.
Much like car models, Royal Caribbean's ship classes identify different sizes, layouts, and features.
Royal Caribbean has more than one blueprint for its mega-ships. After sailing on the two largest vessels, I was surprised by how different the two ships were.
Despite both vessels representing the newest and largest the cruise line has to offer, they came with surprising differences in everything from cabins to dining.
Read more: Royal Caribbean ship classes guide & explanation
Utopia offers short sailings, while Icon sails for a week at a time
One huge difference between the vessels was clear the moment they launched.
Both ships sail out of Florida to the Caribbean, but Icon of the Seas sails 7-night Eastern and Western Caribbean cruises, while Utopia debuted offering 3- and 4-night cruises straight away. As a result, cruises on these ships feel different when it comes to the number of ports and pacing.
On my Utopia sailing, I barely got off the ship. The 4-night cruise featured a stop at Nassau and Perfect Day at CocoCay, and I only visited Royal Caribbean's private island, using the rest of my time to enjoy onboard activities.
The fast-paced party atmosphere kept me busy as I tried to experience everything the mega-ship had to offer.
On my Icon sailing, on the other hand, the ports were a much larger focus: I visited Roatan, Honduras; Cozumel, Mexico; and Perfect Day at CocoCay.
My cruise on the largest ship in the world felt more relaxing, with long days spent at the pool between visits to new countries.
Icon had a much more spacious and innovative design
One of the differences that surprised me most between the two ships was in the design.
Given that both ships boast eight distinct neighborhoods and a huge stature, I expected the onboard layout and atmosphere to feel similar. However, the Icon and Utopia's layouts were quite different.
Icon of the Seas has five completely new neighborhoods: Thrill Island, Surfside, Chill Island, Hideaway, and the AquaDome.
The larger ship felt much more spacious, with wider walkways and bright decorations.
Both ships feature innovative destination elevators, reducing crowds in transit. However, Utopia still featured wide open spaces, and the Royal Promenade got packed quickly.
Plus, Icon's activities—from pools to mini-golf to waterslides—were all located on the same open-air deck at the aft of the ship. The layout was breezy, cheerful, and easily navigated.
I stayed in a guarantee interior cabin on both sailings, but my stateroom on Icon was superior
On both cruises, I choose an interior guarantee cabin, allowing Royal Caribbean to assign me a room for a lower price.
On Utopia of the Seas, I was assigned a small inside cabin with a connecting door. When I got onboard the new Oasis-Class vessel, I stepped into a 170-square-foot room with a simple layout and no windows.
The room had enough storage space for two travelers to store their items and luggage, but the bathroom was cramped and tiny. While it had the same cabin layout as other Oasis-Class ships, I was surprised that Royal Caribbean didn't make any changes or upgrades for its newest ship.
In contrast, my stateroom on Icon of the Seas was just 157 square feet—and it cost $1500 more.
I was assigned a small, Interior Plus cabin—a new design to the classic inside stateroom.
I liked this cabin much better than the one on Utopia. The new design was ingenious, the bathroom and shower were larger, and it had more modern fixtures.
The Interior Plus room on Icon separated the main bedroom into two areas: a tiny living space with two beds, and a separate dressing area with the room's vanity and closet.
This separation granted me more space to store clothes and get dressed, but it did make the bathroom more cramped.
Both cabins featured modern amenities and plenty of ports for charging—but with a bigger shower, clever layout, and brighter lighting, my cabin on Icon won that round.
Read more: Cruise ship cabins: Everything you need to know
The entertainment was similar, but I enjoyed Utopia’s shows more
The two ships had surprisingly similar entertainment: professional musicals, ice skating shows, Royal Caribbean comedians, and AquaShows.
While both ships had quality, exciting entertainment, I enjoyed Utopia’s more. The vessel had a unique, fun spin on classic Oasis-Class shows. I was blown away by the "All In!" signature production; I loved the Name That Tune live game show; and I appreciated the call back to other ships in Aqua80too. The dynamic water production showed off remarkable performers to a fun, cheery soundtrack.
While Icon of the Seas had similarly exciting, quality shows, I felt that the ship went almost too over the top to produce something new. The Aqua show added so many elements it was hard to keep track of everything.
Icon of the Seas offers incredible complimentary dining
Both Utopia and Icon of the Seas have over 40 dining venues and bars onboard. However, I enjoyed Icon's complimentary dining options more.
While Utopia had a wide variety of quality specialty dining, I think Icon shines when it comes to delicious complimentary food. New venues such as the AquaDome Market and the Pearl Cafe became my favorite spots onboard Icon.
While Utopia's complimentary dining had some of the new, quality dishes I enjoyed, Icon's new complimentary venues made for a better included dining experience.
Read more: How the world's biggest cruise ships shrink to fit under bridges
Plus, the Main Dining Room food came out quicker and hotter on the Icon of the Seas, and the Windjammer featured a wide variety of dishes.
When it comes to specialty dining, the two ships were neck and neck, featuring many identical specialty restaurants such as Chops Grille, Giovanni's Italian Kitchen, Izumi Hibachi and Sushi, Sugar Beach, Playmakers, Starbucks, and Hooked Seafood.
Plus, each vessel had new and unique options, like the Empire Supper Club on Icon and the Royal Railway on Utopia.
