Icon of the Seas - Eastern Caribbean & Perfect Day: St. Maarten & St. Thomas
Icon of the Seas' classic Eastern Caribbean rotation from Miami pairs the duty-free shopping and beaches of Philipsburg and Charlotte Amalie with a full closing day at Perfect Day at CocoCay. Two opening sea days give you time to work through the world's largest ship before the islands arrive.
Price Range
$$$
Premium
*Prices vary by cabin type, sailing date, and availability. Confirm rates with Royal Caribbean before booking.
Ship Details — Icon of the Seas
View full Icon of the Seas details
Year Built
2024
Tonnage
248,663 GT
Passengers
7,600
Crew
2,350
Decks
20
Class
Icon
Itinerary & Route Map
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Where this cruise calls, day by day
5 ports and 3 sea days over 7 Nights.
- Day 1
Miami, FL
United StatesDepartPortMiami is the busiest cruise port on earth and behaves like it: a lettered row of terminals strung along Dodge Island - A for Royal Caribbean, B for Norwegian, C for MSC, D through F for the Carnival brands, V for Virgin. Traffic funnels in over the Port Boulevard causeway or through the tunnel under Government Cut, and on a Saturday with six ships turning around, both back up.
- Ocean Drive and the Art Deco district in South Beach, 20 minutes across the causeway
- Wynwood Walls and the warehouse murals around it
- Calle Ocho in Little Havana - a cortadito and the domino tables at Maximo Gomez Park
- Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, a 1916 bayfront villa in Coconut Grove
- Getting ashore
- Terminals A-G and V sit on Dodge Island, reached by the Port Boulevard causeway or the PortMiami Tunnel; Miami International is about 8 miles west, usually 20-30 minutes but longer on a heavy turnaround morning.
- Best months
- Nov-Apr (Aug-Oct is peak hurricane season and August ashore is punishing)
Day 2 · At sea
Day 3 · At sea
- Day 4
Philipsburg
St. MaartenPortA one-street town on Great Bay: Front Street for duty-free liquor and jewelry, Back Street behind it, and a boardwalk of bars on the sand. The island's real draw is elsewhere — Maho Beach at the end of the Princess Juliana runway, where arriving jets pass a few dozen feet overhead, and the French side at Marigot and Grand Case for lunch.
- Maho Beach plane spotting
- Great Bay boardwalk and Front Street
- Orient Bay on the French side
- Loterie Farm zip line and hiking on Pic Paradis
- Getting ashore
- Docked at the A.C. Wathey pier; town is a 20-25 minute walk around the bay or a few dollars each way by water taxi.
- Best months
- Dec-Apr; Sep-Oct is the hurricane peak, and damage from Irma in 2017 is still visible in places
- Day 5
Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas
U.S. Virgin IslandsPortThe busiest shopping port in the Caribbean, and it feels like it — four to six ships on a peak day and duty-free jewelry stores stacked end to end along Main Street. What saves a call here is everything outside town: Magens Bay's long sheltered crescent, and the ferry to St. John, where about two-thirds of the island is national park.
- Magens Bay
- Ferry to St. John for Trunk Bay and Virgin Islands National Park
- Coki Beach and Coral World Ocean Park
- Skyride to Paradise Point above the harbor
- Getting ashore
- Most ships dock at Havensight, about a mile east of town — a mall at the pier, a cheap open-air taxi, or a 20-minute waterfront walk; Crown Bay is a similar distance west.
- Best months
- Dec-Apr dry season; Aug-Oct is hurricane season
Day 6 · At sea
- Day 7
Perfect Day at CocoCay
BahamasPortRoyal Caribbean's island in the Berry Islands, open only to its own ships and Celebrity's. Beaches, the freshwater Oasis Lagoon, the Splashaway Bay kids' area and lunch at the buffet grills come with your fare. Almost everything with a name attached does not: Thrill Waterpark, Coco Beach Club, the zip line, the helium balloon and every cabana are separate purchases that sell out weeks ahead.
- Chill Island, the main swimming beach
- Oasis Lagoon, the freshwater pool with a swim-up bar
- Thrill Waterpark and Daredevil's Peak (extra cost)
- Coco Beach Club and its overwater cabanas (extra cost)
- Getting ashore
- Ships dock at the pier - no tendering - and the island is walkable, with a free tram running the main spine.
- Best months
- Nov-Apr for reliable sun and calm water; Aug-Oct calls are the most likely to be swapped for weather
- Day 8
Miami, FL
United StatesArrivePortMiami is the busiest cruise port on earth and behaves like it: a lettered row of terminals strung along Dodge Island - A for Royal Caribbean, B for Norwegian, C for MSC, D through F for the Carnival brands, V for Virgin. Traffic funnels in over the Port Boulevard causeway or through the tunnel under Government Cut, and on a Saturday with six ships turning around, both back up.
- Ocean Drive and the Art Deco district in South Beach, 20 minutes across the causeway
- Wynwood Walls and the warehouse murals around it
- Calle Ocho in Little Havana - a cortadito and the domino tables at Maximo Gomez Park
- Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, a 1916 bayfront villa in Coconut Grove
- Getting ashore
- Terminals A-G and V sit on Dodge Island, reached by the Port Boulevard causeway or the PortMiami Tunnel; Miami International is about 8 miles west, usually 20-30 minutes but longer on a heavy turnaround morning.
- Best months
- Nov-Apr (Aug-Oct is peak hurricane season and August ashore is punishing)
Onboard Amenities
Cruise Highlights
About the Ship
What Travelers Say About Icon of the Seas
Reviews of the ship itself — the same for every Icon of the Seas sailing. Based on 5,000 discussions.
Icon of the Seas is Royal Caribbean's headline act: the world's largest cruise ship, the first in the LNG-powered Icon class, and a floating resort organized into eight distinct neighborhoods so it never feels like one undifferentiated mega-ship. What stands out most is how well it manages its own size - even with roughly 7,600 passengers aboard, smart neighborhood zoning, an intelligent elevator system, and seven separate pools keep the crowds dispersed in a way older Oasis- and Wonder-class ships never quite cracked. The vibe is high-energy, family-forward, and unapologetically maximalist, anchored by record-setting attractions like Category 6 (the largest water park at sea) and The Hideaway (the first suspended infinity pool at sea).
What People Love
- Crowds disperse remarkably well across 8 neighborhoods despite ~7,600 passengers - decks and the Royal Promenade rarely feel packed
- The Hideaway is the first suspended infinity pool at sea, anchoring an adults-leaning party zone among the ship's 7 pools and 9 hot tubs
- Category 6 is the largest water park at sea with 6 slides, including Frightening Bolt (longest drop slide at sea) and the free-fall Pressure Drop
Common Complaints
- Peak times get genuinely crowded - members report shows and restaurants must be booked early, leaving little room for spontaneity
- The top water slides draw long lines on warm sea days (waits of nearly an hour reported for the drop slides)
- Premium and steeply rising pricing - balcony fares that launched near $4,100/wk have climbed to $7,000-$8,000+, and over $12,000 on holidays