NEWS UPDATE: Icon of the Seas First Look, is an Oasis Class ship coming to Australia + more!

Join my private Facebook group for cruise deals, tips and advice - the more members we have, the better we’ll get! www.facebook.com/groups/CTGdeals Follow me on Facebook and Instagram: www.facebook.com/thecruiseandtravelguy www.instragram.com/thecruiseandtravelguy Support the channel with a slogan tee: https://thecruiseandtravelguy.myshopify.com Head to my website for great cruise and travel deals: www.thecruiseandtravelguy.com.au Royal Caribbean today unveiled its newest and boldest ship yet. The aptly named Icon of the Seas is the first of the cruise line’s brand new Icon Class. Iconic apparently means enormous, as Royal Caribbean cements itself as the continued title holder of the world’s largest cruise ship. At 250,800 GRT and 365m in length, the ship has a full occupancy capacity of 7600 guests. The ship debuts a host of new and improved features with an undeniable focus on water attractions. This includes the largest waterpark at sea with 6, yes, 6 waterslides including the tallest drop slide at sea and a raft slide that even caters for groups. There are also 7 pools, with one of those of course being the world’s largest at sea holding over 150,000 litres of water. Another pool offers a swim up bar and is appropriately named, Swim & Tonic. Not to be outdone though, there is a stunning infinity pool suspended 8 storeys above the open decks below, called The Hideaway. The ship continues with the neighbourhood concept first introduced on the Oasis Class ships, with 8 distinct spaces designed to make the ship feel more intimate and accessible than its size might suggest. In a strangely similar vein to Princess’ upcoming Sphere, Royal Caribbean are introducing the Pearl. Central to the Royal Promenade, the Pearl is expected to produce special effects, and the Promenade as a whole will see a return to more outward facing windows and sea views. The Flowrider returns, but with it comes a new attraction called the Crown’s Edge. A rope course and walk that sees its victims, um, participants perched precariously off the side of the ship facing the potential of taking a tumble and hanging in mid air before being rescued. Might leave that one for the adrenaline junkies. Icon of the Seas will also see the return of an ice skating rink. Called Absolute Zero, the arena will host performances by evening and during the day, the rink will be open for passenger skating. In terms of accommodation, the big news is that Royal Caribbean are incorporating the infinite veranda concept from Celebrity Cruises. Different to a standard balcony, the infinite veranda is a actually a sliding floor to ceiling glass panel that can be lowered or raised at your whim. The new balcony technology means that the space traditionally reserved for the veranda can be utilised as an internal space when the panel is closed. There’s also a big focus on family friendly accommodation, with the new Family Infinite Balcony room catering for up to 6 passengers. The pinnacle though, is the Ultimate Family Townhouse. Set across three levels, the home at sea contains a cinema and in-suite slide. Because why not. The ship is scheduled to launch at the end of 2023 but won’t begin passenger service until early 2024. Her maiden season will commence in January 2024, sailing from Miami on alternating Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries. Booking open October 24th for Crown and Anchor members and October 25th for everyone else. In a Cruise Weekly exclusive, the publication has been able to confirm that Royal Caribbean is seriously considering the reality of an Oasis Class ship for Australia. Reporting on their conversation with Royal Caribbean VP, Gavin Smith, it was noted that Brisbane’s brand new cruise terminal has opened up the possibility of an Oasis Class deployment to our region. According to the article, the successful launch of Disney Cruise Line’s upcoming Australian season has proven that a ship can be a destination in itself. This is primarily because an Oasis Class ship would have very few destination options, with Noumea a possibility but only after modifications to its existing container terminal. I suspect it’ll be some years before we see an Oasis Class ship here, but where I once thought it only a fanciful dream, I now say, watch this space. Tasmania has joined the rest of the country, excluding South Australia, in exempting children under the age of 12 from being included in the 5% unvaccinated passenger limit. This eliminates one more complexity for families looking to cruise this summer season. Additionally, Carnival Australia confirmed that unvaccinated passengers aged 12 and over, that is those with medical exemptions, will now be able to disembark in Australian ports without needing to book a cruise line shore excursion. Australia no longer has on-land restrictions based on vaccination status, so this rule always seemed strange and its elimination is another small victory. Thanks for watching!