Royal Caribbean

As someone who cruises often, I normally find myself booking affordable inside cabin fares. These are often the cheapest accommodations on a cruise ship and provide the basic necessities and a comfortable stay. In fact, I usually pay for the inside cabin guarantee fare, meaning you do not choose the location of your cabin, but instead the cruise line assigns one to you.

Just when you think Royal Caribbean has hit the limits of cruise ship design, they take it a step further.

The cruise line’s newest ship, Icon of the Seas, is set to launch in January 2024 as the world’s largest cruise ship. Boasting record-breaking activities, unbelievable scale, and family-focused design, she will be a force to be reckoned with in the cruise industry.

Are you someone that believes bigger is always better when it comes to cruising?

Larger cruise ships typically feature the latest and greatest when it comes to technology, entertainment, staterooms and dining options. More space onboard allows for a cruise line to squeeze more amenities and offerings for guests.

These days, cruise lines are continuing to construct mega cruise ships that are essentially floating cities with distinct neighborhoods. You can also find multiple classes of suites available and endless things to do and eat onboard.

Icon of the Seas will be Royal Caribbean’s first cruise ship from it’s brand-new Icon class, which makes her the first new type of vessel for the cruise line in nearly a decade.

Debuting in early 2024, Icon of the Seas will take the new title of largest cruise ship in the world. Once complete, the brand-new vessel for Royal Caribbean will clock in at 250,800 gross tons, making her 6% bigger than Wonder of the Seas, which is currently the biggest cruise ship in the world.

Known for having the largest cruise ships in the world, Royal Caribbean is one of the most popular mainstream cruise lines at sea. In fact, they have held the title of largest cruise ship in the world since Freedom of the Seas' debut in 2006! 

Did you know that these two industry-changing cruise lines have private islands of their very own? In fact, Norwegian Cruise Line has two private islands; Great Stirrup Cay and Harvest Caye. while Royal Caribbean recently invested about $250 million dollars in 2019 to improve and renovate their private island - CocoCay, turning it into Perfect Day at CocoCay. 

Both Royal Caribbean and Disney Cruise Line have announced that they will be opening new beach resorts in the Bahamas in 2024 and 2025. The exact dates have yet to be released. 

Disney's Lighthouse Point will be located on the island of Eleuthera, while Royal Caribbean's Royal Beach Club will be on the western end of Paradise Island in Nassau. At just about 700-acres, Lighthouse Point is the larger of the two destinations. In comparison, Royal Beach Club is only about 17-acres. 

Booking a suite is a nice splurge that brings several extra perks. Bigger cabins, access to select venues, free drinks, and wi-fi are some of the major benefits cruises get to enjoy in these upgraded cabins. 

The suite experience varies by cruise line, and we tried both Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises to see how they compare. 

Both provided a great cruise experience, but there were some differences between the two. Was it worth it, and which was better ?

Two of the biggest names in the cruise line industry are Royal Caribbean International and Norwegian Cruise Line. 

These two cruise lines have a lot of similarities, but they also have a lot of differences that prospective guests should consider.