Day 1: Embarkation in Miami; Naming Ceremony | Icon of the Seas Preview

We’ve travelled halfway across the world from home for Icon of the Seas’ big day

*Icon of the Seas* - the World’s Ultimate Family Vacation, and the new Queen of cruise ships.
**PHOTO: SINGAPORE CRUISE SOCIETY**

No other port in the world sees more cruise passengers than Miami, Florida. The city’s harbour hosts numerous cruise ships in its many terminals, and is home to the headquarters of the largest cruise conglomerates.

And beginning January 2024, it has also become home to Icon of the Seas — the newest member of the Royal Caribbean family! After more than 24 hours of flights, and more than 16,000 kilometers travelled, Singapore Cruise Society is in Miami to join Icon of the Seas for a 3-Night Preview Cruise, as well as witness the ship’s Naming Ceremony!

But First, A Quick Re-Introduction

We are no strangers to Icon of the Seas. We previously saw her in May 2023, while construction was still ongoing at the Meyer Turku Shipyard in Finland.

The *Aquatheater* aboard *Icon of the Seas* in May 2023, when the ship was still being built in Turku.

Rendering of *The Pearl*. **PHOTO: ROYAL CARIBBEAN INTERNATIONAL**

And this is the completed *Aquatheater*.

Today, we no longer need the hard hats and renderings, for the ship is finally a reality!

Arriving At The Terminal

We made our way to PortMiami Terminal A — Royal Caribbean’s very-own cruise terminal, and home to Royal Caribbean’s ships in Miami.

Unlike in Singapore, where cruise ships share the berths at Marina Bay Cruise Centre or Singapore Cruise Centre, some major cruise lines in Miami have their own terminal, catering to their own ships.

We got to the terminal at 11:00 AM. The process is similar to past cruises — drop off the bags, and go through the check-in formalities like the Wellness Check.

Arriving by Uber, we dropped off our bags here.

The propeller-inspired art installation greets guests as they step into the Terminal.

Boarding Icon of the Seas

And once it was time to head aboard, we crossed the gangway, and set foot on Icon.

Guests are first welcomed into the Royal Promenade, featuring The Pearl.

Since this was a media preview cruise, we also picked up our Media Credentials at the Conference Centre on Deck 3.

Our Stateroom

Our stateroom was ready at 1:00 PM and we made our way there to settle in soon after.

We are staying in a Central Park View Infinite Balcony Stateroom this trip. Instead of sweeping ocean views, we are treated to the lush greenery of Central Park — the ship’s living garden with 20,000 live plants.

We found this universal plug particularly useful, and hope more can be installed throughout the room. (especially bedside!)

Shower cabinet doors have been redesigned, giving larger sized people (like us) a more comfortable experience!

Our Infinite Balcony can be opened and closed with a switch on the left side of the balcony.

Instead of sweeping ocean views, we are treated to the lush greenery of Central Park

First Impressions: Exploring Our Home-Away-From-Home

They say first impressions count. And once we were settled in, we took a short tour of the Icon of the Seas.

Never mind first impressions. Icon practically blew us away with her sheer size and number of offerings for her guests.

**The Main Event — Icon of the Seas’ Naming Ceremony**

A Short History Lesson

A ship’s Naming Ceremony is a long-standing maritime tradition that dates back thousands of years. It is believed to bring good luck and protection to the ship over her lifetime. The practice has evolved and varies from region to region, but usually involves the breaking of a champagne bottle on the hull, traditionally done by the ship’s Godmother.

Venue: Aquadome, Deck 15

Guests were welcomed into Icon’s Aquadome to witness the big occasion, and we took our seats at the AquaTheatre.

In attendance for today’s Iconic event were VIPs and several executives from Royal Caribbean, including:

Lionel Messi, Icon of Icon
Jason Liberty, President & CEO, Royal Caribbean Group
Michael Bayley, President & CEO, Royal Caribbean International
Captain Henrik Loy, Master, Icon of the Seas

Also in attendance were Royal Caribbean Crew and Employees, as well as partners from Meyer Turku Shipyard and Inter Miami CF.

From left to right: Lionel Messi, Jason Liberty, Michael Bayley and Capt. Henrik Loy

Opening Remarks By The Host

Our Host tonight was four-time Emmy Award-winnning host, Mario Lopez.

The Icon of Icon

Royal Caribbean is known for breaking the mould when it comes to tradition. Instead of a Godmother, we were introduced to the Icon of Icon — footballer Lionel Messi.

“Family is everything to me, and it was exciting to take part in welcoming what is the world’s best family vacation to Miami,” said Lionel Messi, Royal Caribbean’s Icon of Icon. "Everything I’ve seen on Icon of the Seas is next level. There are experiences for the whole family to make memories that they’ll remember forever.”

Opening Remarks by the Royal Caribbean Execs.

“Icon of the Seas is the culmination of more than 50 years of dreaming, innovating and living our mission – to deliver the world’s best vacation experiences responsibly. She is the ultimate multigenerational family vacation, forever changing the status quo in family travel and fulfilling vacation dreams for all ages on board,” said Royal Caribbean Group President and CEO, Jason Liberty.

Jason Liberty, President & CEO, Royal Caribbean Group

“We did it! After seven years of pursuing the bold vision to create a one-of-a-kind vacation for every type of family and adventurer, Icon of the Seas has become a reality,” said Michael Bayley, president and CEO, Royal Caribbean International.

“Officially naming Icon marks more than the introduction of a new ship; it is the start of a new era of vacations, and we’re excited to see tens of millions of families and friends make their mark with memories they create together and on their own adventures without compromise.”

Michael Bayley, President & CEO, Royal Caribbean International

Entertainment

We were treated to a special Bagpipe Performance by the Red Hot Chili Pipers (not peppers),

The Red Hot Chilli Pipers take centre stage at the Aquatheatre,

and a short excerpt of Aqua Action! - the Aquatheatre show aboard Icon of the Seas.

The Blessing Of Icon of the Seas

After the traditional blessings given by Rabbi Jeremy Barras and Priest Ricky Scott, Icon of Icon Lionel Messi was then invited to officiate the naming of Icon of the Seas, with none other than a football!

Rabbi Jeremy Barras gives his blessing to *Icon of the Seas*.

Priest Ricky Scott gives his blessing to *Icon of the Seas*.

Lionel Messi officiates the naming ceremony of *Icon of the Seas*

And a bottle of champagne was broken over *Icon of the Seas*’ name.

Headliner Show - Pete Matthews

The evening entertainment tonight included a Headliner Show by juggler Pete Matthews (a.k.a., Crazy Juggler), who wow’ed the crowd with his juggling antics, and entertained with his funny jokes!

Ships Ahoy! Parade & Balloon Drop

After the show, we went for the Ships Ahoy! Parade at the Royal Promenade. The colourful, nautical-themed parade was filled with different types of ships and their crew from the past and present. It was a visual spectacle, fit for the young, young-at-heart, and old!

And after the parade, we celebrated the start of our cruise with a Balloon Drop.

See More Here:

Check out more of our day at our Facebook Page, in the embedded post below!

DAY 1: EMBARKATION; NAMING CEREMONY | ICON OF THE SEAS PREVIEW Day 1 of our #IconOfTheSeas Preview Cruise with Royal...
Posted by Singapore Cruise Society on Wednesday, 24 January 2024

See more of our voyage in the links here:

ICON OF THE SEAS 3-NIGHT PREVIEW CRUISE & NAMING CEREMONY (Miami round-trip)