Cruise tourists blast world’s biggest ship – ‘7 days in jail would be better’

Travellers on the world’s biggest, have described their “terrible experiences”, with one particularly saying he would have preferred spending “seven days in jail”.

The Icon of the Seas journey around the was launched from a base in Miami in January and has 20 decks, seven swimming pools and six waterslides. 

Its much-publicised novelty has soured over the last 10 months, however, with more than one tourist unsatisfied with their experience aboard the megaship.

One person, who had shelled out upwards of $1,775 (£1,398) for their journey, claimed on that they had fallen victim to “overrated marketing”, and described the huge vessel as “not that big of a deal”.

They added: “It’s average-looking, expensive, overpriced and crowded. The customer service is terrible and rude. You may be drawn to the marketing videos but (in) real life there are way better options for your money.”

Someone else described it as a “beautiful new ship with a lot of problems”. They said: “We had a terrible experience and when we asked customer service for help, it only got worse.

“Our balcony suite had a serious noise issue at the sliding balcony door. First they offered ear plugs, then to sleep in a separate room, finally they moved us. When we asked for compensation, we got the run-around and were offered 10% off our next cruise (which was) the last thing we wanted. We won’t cruise again with Royal Caribbean.”

Yet another disgruntled visitor went so far as saying “seven days in jail would be better than the Icon cruise”. They claimed that their captain had missed multiple stops because of a a hurricane that “wasn’t even close” and also criticised the “horrible” food.

And another said it was “beautiful but too expensive”, questioning why “having paid a hefty amount already for the trip, everything else is an addditional price” and especially slamming the cost of an eight-person cabana priced at nearlt $1400 “for half a day”.

Opinion is very much divided, however. While the ship’s most recent reviews trend towards the negative, some travellers had nothing but praise for their voyages.

A tourist from Miami, who went on the cruise as a birthday treat, described the suite as “very comfortable” and service as “excellent”. One shortfall was the ‘Hooked’ seafood restaurant, but the 86-year-old traveller said they had particularly enjoyed a steak meal onboard.

And for another TripAdvisor reviewer, it was “the best cruise ship I have ever been on”, thanks to its “bunch of activities for everyone and bunch of good food”.

The tourist vessel has an overall rating of 3.5 stars from 46 reviews.

Royal Caribbean was contacted for comment.