The ship, which can carry over 10,000 passengers and crew, has barely scratched the surface of its first year of service as Royal Caribbean cancels its next voyage.
“We are currently conducting unplanned maintenance onboard the Icon of the Seas. While our crew is working hard to address this as quickly as possible, there is still some work that needs to be done over a few days while the ship is docked,” the company said in a statement emailed to guests.
Launched in January, the Icon was a game changer for the cruise industry, pushing boundaries in size, luxury, and experience. Departing from Port Miami on September 28, 2024, the cruise was set to sail to destinations in the Western Caribbean, including Cozumel, Costa Maya, and Roatán, as well as Royal Caribbean’s private destination in the Bahamas, Perfect Day at CocoCay.
“We understand the disappointment this news may bring and we’re truly sorry for the impact on your vacation plans,” the company wrote.
Guests on the current sailing are also already feeling the pinch. The ship had to scrap its scheduled stop in St. Thomas, leaving travellers with an unexpected day at sea.
To soften the blow, Royal Caribbean threw in an onboard credit equal to one day’s cruise fare. The rest of the itinerary remains mostly intact, with stops at Perfect Day and a return to Miami as planned for now.
So what’s the future for the “future of cruising”
Typically, cruise ships don’t face major issues early in their lifespan. These mechanical hiccups usually pop up on older, more worn-out vessels. Mechanical issues are forcing the ship to slow down, literally. It can’t hit its standard cruising speed, which is a pretty big glitch when you’re responsible for a floating metropolis.
The issue is propulsion problems—something that could make or break the pace of a ship this size. The silver lining here is that maintenance is expected to wrap up in a few days. If Royal Caribbean can fix the issue within this window, this could be the only trip affected.
Originally set to depart on Saturday, September 28, Royal Caribbean, to their credit, is offering a 100% refund and throwing in a Future Cruise Credit to match. “Additionally, we want you to come back and sail with us, so we’re providing you with an FCC in the value of 100 percent of your cruise fare paid to be used towards another sailing,” the company wrote. Essentially, passengers get their money back and a free cruise in the future.
A very generous make-good, but in an industry obsessed with scale and spectacle this cancellation is bound to raise questions about reliability and longevity.
O was on the ship from 21 to 27, and the right engine stop working.
All electric system working perfectly, but they canceled the day in Saint Thomas.
They give us 1 day credit in the statement.
10,000 guests and crew. That’s a lot of people to be castaway on a floating island with. If that mother of a ship is having propulsion problems, imagine it trying to distance itself from a sudden storm. The dang ship looks top heavy and a rogue wave would surely push it over. My grandchildren and I certainly don’t need amusement parks, wave pools, go cart tracks and so many people you are being herded constantly. I’ll stick with the mis-size ships and spend the difference in costs on fun and meaningful excursions at different ports.
Absolutely not the way tourism should be heading towards.
I mean who really wants to be sailing around on some gigantic “look-at-me-bling”….floating toy.
Do yourself a favour…and avoid at all costs.
I’m sail with RC in October between booking the trip & learning all the crap drink packages dinner package gratuity percentage who get the actual tips They have C/S people who have no idea what they are talking about !!! Call 7 times you will get 7 different stories. So far this has been terrible !!!
I hereby withdraw the offer of the owners suite and offer you the owners sweet tranny-granny
Enjoy matey!
There is nothing that man creates that is not perfect. Can only hope for the best.
I guess Royal is doing all it can.
Enjoy your cruise when you go. Great way of vacationing.
Bigger is not always better. 10,000 people on a ship? No thanks. Hope they continue having problems. Maybe they will figure people don’t need a floating amusement park.
October 19 cruise on Icon….will it be cancelled?
I’m surprised Royal is being that generous, my wife and I along with three of our daughters, their husbands and our six grandchildren went on the Oasis in March what Royal charged us was a ripoff. I emailed Royal three times asking for them to contact me with no response. Its not like I don’t know what the prices should be, my wife and I have been on 24 cruises most with Royal, we are Diamond members but we won’t be back. There are plenty of other nice cruise lines, they could have made an attempt to contact me.
FCC’s and refunds wont actually help all of the would be cruisers. Some will have bought air fares to get to Miami to join the ship and fly back after. They will have taken their holiday allowance days off work that cant just be refunded. They may have arranged for family to join them multiplying those costs several times over. And for some, they may not be able to rearrange another cruise that can fit in with their lives, making the 100% FCC worth absolutely zero.
I am not suggesting the offer of 100% and a full refund isnt generous (it is), but for some it just wont cut it and perhaps there should have been some sort of arraignment made with another cruise line or on one of their other ships to see if those who literally dont want to accept the offer could be accommodated.
10,000 passengers and crew. Not even a year old. Packed with people and miles and miles from land. No way will I EVER venture ANYWHERE on such a MONSTER. Not even if I was given a free ticket and the Owners Suite to boot.