Icon of the Seas: 5,610 guests, 2,350 crew, and one number that surprises people
Delivered by the Meyer Turku yard in Finland and in service since January 2024, Icon of the Seas measures 364.75 metres, is rated at 248,663 gross tons and carries 20 decks. She takes 5,610 guests at double occupancy, 7,600 at maximum, with 2,350 crew.
That last figure deserves a moment. Divide: 5,610 by 2,350 gives 2.39 guests per crew member. On Voyager of the Seas, a ship half her size in the same fleet, the ratio is 3.00. A 248,663-ton hull carries more staff per guest than her mid-sized elders. The idea that a big ship thins out the service does not survive the arithmetic.
One useful clarification, because brochures blur it: Icon is rated higher than any other ship in the fleet at 248,663 gross tons against 236,857 for Wonder of the Seas. But it is Wonder that carries more guests at double occupancy, 5,734 against 5,610. Which ship is "biggest" depends on what you measure.
Twenty decks, and what that changes in practice
Twenty decks is double Vision of the Seas, which has 10 and sails under the same flag. A traveller who says "I want a Royal Caribbean cruise" is in fact choosing between two products that no longer have much in common. On Icon, the height allows distinct themed neighbourhoods to be stacked rather than identical decks repeated.
The practical consequence is walking time. Crossing 365 metres and climbing eight decks takes several minutes. Families with young children do well to pick a stateroom near the lifts they will use most, and to identify on day one the two or three lift banks serving their area.
Liquefied natural gas propulsion
Icon of the Seas runs on liquefied natural gas with fuel cell technology, driven by a diesel-electric plant with azimuth thrusters. This is the first Royal Caribbean class designed around LNG. For the guest the difference shows mainly alongside and in calm seas: less vibration on the aft decks than on hulls built in the 2000s.
Where she sails from, and what that means from Montreal
Our catalogue lists 87 departures on Icon of the Seas: 50 from Miami and 36 from Galveston, Texas. No embarkation port within driving distance of Quebec. Miami is a direct flight of roughly three and a half hours; Galveston goes through Houston.
Of the 30 Royal Caribbean ships in service, only four sail from a port a Quebecer can reach by car — three from New York and one from Baltimore. Icon is not among them. If avoiding a flight is a firm constraint, look instead at Odyssey of the Seas, with 42 New York departures.
The two sister ships
Star of the Seas, in service since 2025, shares the hull, the 20 decks and the 5,610 berths. She is 8 centimetres longer at 364.83 metres and sails mostly from Port Canaveral. Legend of the Seas, delivered on 10 June 2026, is rated at roughly 250,800 gross tons and spends her first summer in the western Mediterranean.
The three are alike enough that the choice comes down to itinerary and departure port, not to the ship. That is good news: you can aim for the date that suits you without giving up the experience.
Who she suits, and who she does not
Families with children aged 4 to 14 get the best ratio between what is on board and the time to use it. Couples after quiet and long sea days are better served by a 2,000-berth ship. A traveller prone to seasickness benefits from the steadiness of a 248,663-ton hull, well above a 90,090-ton unit such as Brilliance of the Seas.
Our Royal Caribbean advisors know the deck plans and will place you according to your tolerance for noise, motion and walking. Applicable conditions and inclusions are confirmed before any booking, in line with Quebec consumer protection rules.
