Michael Akana, Travel Advisor

01/23/2024

You are not in Kansas anymore. You are not on land. You are aboard the Icon of the Seas surrounded by an eighteen piece orchestra and drawn in to the Emerald City and world of Oz.

What a privilege to be among the first to see the full production. Photos are from the Common Ground Executive Q&A session on Sunday. Royal Caribbean senior executives—Jason Liberty, Michael Bayley, and Vicki Freed welcomed us aboard, presented the Icon of Seas, and fielded questions. They also gave us a show—one number that morning with full productions in the afternoon and evening.

01/22/2024

I love the elevator system on Icon of Seas. Instead of pressing Up or Down to call an elevator, passengers select their destination floor on a panel. The system chooses the elevator and display the door (A, B , C, D, E, F, G, H, I , J, K) of the elevator that will deliver them to their chosen floor.

Daniel Kline explains the annoyance of waiting on elevators well in a news article. Headline on elevators being a massive problem may be a bit over-sensational, but the story is solid.

The innovation on new ships is exciting, offering new venues and features as well as improving the overall experience.

The cruise line has a clever solution that makes a passenger pain point a positive.