The world’s largest cruise ship has something for everyone, especially the tweens and teens on board. The Icon of the Seas offers a ton of activities to keep your older kids busy.
Here are the 12 top things that make this the perfect family vacation for tweens and teens. All but ONE of these items is included with your cruise fare.
1: Tween and Teen Club
Let’s be honest, while you may be on a family vacation, your tweens and teens won’t want to spend all of their time with you. To be fair, that feeling might be mutual. There are designated hangout spaces on the Icon of the Seas where they can make friends and do fun stuff.
Adventure Ocean is Royal Caribbean’s award-winning youth program. It serves kids ages 3-12, with a separate tween space called Voyagers for those 9-12 years old. It has lots of interactive screens and games. There are some structured activities that kids may choose to participate in. Crew members will even take the kids to the buffet for dinner, allowing parents to dine on their own.
Social020 is an exclusive space for teens ages 13-17. Social020 is surprisingly large with plenty of space for kids to spread out. As with the Adventure Ocean, there are screens and games to keep kids entertained.
KidTripster Tip: On the first day of your cruise, the youth clubs will be open for tours. This is your chance to check out the spaces and get your kids registered to participate in the programs. Otherwise these spaces are off limits to adults for the remainder of your cruise.
[ Related: KidTripster Teen: My Favorite Thrills, Chills & Snacks on Icon of the Seas ]
2: Category 6 Water Park
Yes! There’s an actual water park on Icon of the Seas. We’re not talking about just a few small slides. Category 6 includes six waterslides – one is an open free fall waterslide and another one is the tallest waterslide on a cruise ship.
For families who want to ride together, there’s Hurricane Hunter and Storm Surge — two new raft slides that have enough room for the entire group. You can also race each other on the mat slide.
The best part is that Category 6 is one of the many activities that are complimentary for guests.
KidTripster Tip: Height requirements range from 48 to 52 inches.
3: 7 Swimming Pools
With 7 pools, everyone has a place to swim on Icon of the Seas. The Royal Bay pool is the largest pool at sea, and popular with families. There are a few spaces just for adults, too.
Although there’s a lot of seating around the pool decks, the chairs closest to the pool do fill up early, especially on sea days. Although guests are asked not to reserve chairs, everyone does it and no one enforces the policy. We suggest getting there early if you want to lounge by the pool.
KidTripster Tip: If you want to splurge, reserve a casita. There are several large casitas located near the Swim & Tonic swim-up bar. The best pricing is available on sea days. You can sometimes reserve them for as low as a few hundred dollars. There’s seating for 8-10 people and your group will have access to the space for the whole day. Chilled water and fruit are included in your reservation.
4: FlowRider Surf Simulator
FlowRider simulates the experience of surfing. FlowRider is 40-feet long and has 30,000 gallons of rushing water. On the Icon of the Seas, FlowRider’s located on Thrill Island, right by the water park. Friends and family can watch the fun from benches. During certain times of the week, FlowRider is open exclusively for tweens and teens.
5: The Sports Deck
The Icon of the Seas has a sports court on the top deck. Check the app during your sailing to find out when specific activities are taking place – like 3-on-3 basketball or soccer. Kids can sign up to join these planned activities, or play on their own when the court is available. Sports equipment is available for guests to check out.
6: Mini Golf
Grab a club and a ball, and have a quick round of mini-golf. Lost Dunes is a nine hole course with obstacles like shipwrecks and fallen palm trees. You can even join in a casual golf tournament.
7: Rock Climbing
When’s the last time you went rock climbing alongside the ocean? The Adrenaline Peak climbing wall takes guests to the highest vantage point on the Icon of the Seas. There are several lanes with varying degrees of difficulty, allowing you to “race” family and friends to the top.
8: Crown’s Edge
If all of this isn’t thrilling enough for your tween or teen, sign them up for Crown’s Edge. It’s part skywalk, part ropes course, part thrill ride, and 100% adventure. It’s an attraction found only on Icon of the Seas.
Your kid will receive a full safety briefing, and then be outfitted in safety gear (and a helmet cam!) prior to their participation. The experience itself is quick – lasting just a minute or so. We appreciated that guests are offered the opportunity to do it for a second time at no additional cost. They’ll also provide you with a cool video from the helmet camera to download for free.
KidTripster Tip: This is the only thing listed in this article that will cost additional money. You can book the experience through the Royal Caribbean app. The cost varies depending on the day. We were able to get a better deal by booking it on-board during the last day at sea. The cost can range from $60-90.
[ Related: Teen’s POV of Crown’s Edge ]
9: Ice Skating
When the kids need a break from the sun, they can cool off by going ice skating at sea. Open skate sessions are offered throughout the sailing. Sometimes there are specific times just for tween and teens. Conveniently, the skating rink, Absolute Zero, is located right by Social020, the teen club.
KidTripster Tip: Ice skates, helmet, elbow and knee pad equipment will be provided. Full length pants and socks are required, so pack accordingly if you think your kid will want to skate.
10: Evening Entertainment
There are some stellar shows that will captivate your kids’ attention. We loved the amazing theatrics in The Wizard of Oz, which gave a modern spin to the classic. The stunt work in AquaAction! was incredible, showcasing athletic feats of divers, dancers, gymnasts and skaters. Starburst: Elemental Beauty takes place on the ice skating rink. Most performances are less than an hour, the perfect length for young attention spans.
KidTripster Tip: Although the shows are complimentary, you should reserve tickets in advance using the app. This guarantees you seating. A stand-by line may be available.
11: A Perfect Day at CocoCay
Your Icon of the Seas sailing includes a stop at Royal Caribbean’s private island, CocoCay. There’s so much to do on the island. You can enjoy the ocean, beach, and pools at no extra charge. Even the food here is free. (A few select food items do cost extra!)
However, if you really want to elevate your day, there are plenty of add-on experiences that will appeal to your tween or teen. Namely Thrill Waterpark. It’s a huge waterpark that you see immediately upon exiting the ship. The slides are intense! At 135 feet tall, Daredevil’s Peak is the tallest waterslide in North America. If that’s a bit too scary, there are several other more mid slides. There’s also a wave pool and an adventure pool.
Admission to Thrill Waterpark can be expensive. We’ve paid as much as $175 per person, but you can often find better deals in advance of your sailing. The cost of admission allows you all-day access, but you can come and go throughout the day.
KidTripster Tip: Everyone who enters the waterpark must pay admission, even adults or smaller kids who may not be doing the slides. Children under age 14 must be accompanied by a ticketed Guest age 14 or older to enter Thrill Waterpark.
You can book other adventurous activities at CocoCay, like a hot air balloon ride, zip lining, parasailing, snorkeling, scuba diving and more. The cost varies depending on the activity.
12: Endless Free Snacks
If your kid has a seemingly bottomless appetite, you’re in luck. They’ll be well-fed on the Icon of the Seas. There are a bunch of places to get snacks and treats from early morning until late at night.
You can expect to find Sorrento’s, a favorite with Royal Caribbean’s young cruisers. Just like on the other ships, it stays open late and serves hot pizza by the slice.
But there’s so much more that the tween and teen crowd will really love on the Icon of the Seas. The world’s largest cruise ship has more than 20 restaurants.
Aquadome Market is a food hall-style dining experience. There are five different global food stands serving items like crepes, Korean beef, gyros, fancy macaroni and cheese, and more.
Basecamp has pub snacks like pretzel bites with cheese, waffle fries, and hot dogs.
El Loco Fresh is fresh-made Mexican food with grab and go burritos and quesadillas. Guests can also make their own tacos or nachos, and spice everything up at the salsa bar.
Surfside Eatery is a buffet with a grab and go option, too. It serves all kinds of kiddie favorites as well as quirky stuff like quesadilla wrapped hot dogs.
KidTripster Tip: Although we’d argue that the free food is plenty good, fun treats are also available at a price. For instance, there are shrimp bao buns and smashburgers at Basecamp. Izumi in the Park has sushi and bubble cones. And Desserted serves up elaborate milkshakes.
Soft-serve ice cream cones are always a hit with kids of all ages. Fortunately, ice cream is conveniently available in a few places on-board.
Download the App for a Smooth Sailing
It’s important to download the Royal Caribbean app prior to your sailing. Once on-board the Icon of the Seas, you’ll be able to see a daily listing of events. You can access the app without purchasing wifi. You can use the app to communicate with your kids while on-board via the text feature, however minors must be 13 and older to have an account. Some guests say they’ve had success with texting using iMessage, even without purchasing wifi, but don’t count on that.
Another trick for smooth sailing is to book through a travel advisor. Our partners at Magic Family Getaways are Royal Caribbean experts. We used their services to book our Icon of the Seas cruise. Our advisor helped us get the best room at the best rate, and helped to plan out our iconic family vacation. Their services are free. Use KidTripster’s partner link for a free quote.
[ Related: What to Expect on Your First Royal Caribbean Cruise ]
