Royal Caribbean’s “Making an Icon” Series
Each video and description courtesy of Royal Caribbean International.
Introducing “Making an Icon,” the online, monthly video series – premiering this August – that’s an inside look at Royal Caribbean International’s journey to create the world’s greatest vacation, Icon of the Seas. Industrial engineers, interior designers, architects, artists, teams across entertainment and food and beverage, and more take you behind the scenes to see all that goes into envisioning, designing and constructing the soon-to-be-revealed cruise ship. In each episode leading up to Icon's arrival in fall 2023, watch Royal Caribbean’s drive and unparalleled innovation at work as experts from Miami, Turku, Finland; New York City, Toronto and beyond come together on this iconic ride to make a bold, game-changing vision a reality. The stakes are high, and the aspirations are even greater when you’re creating the vacation to rival all vacations.
Royal Caribbean takes you behind the scenes on delivering the world’s best vacation. The forthcoming Icon of the Seas℠ — is poised to be its greatest creation yet promising bolder-than-ever onboard experiences, cutting-edge design and milestone advances in the cruise line's push for cleaner energy. Discover all that is to come from the very first ship in the all-new Icon class.
Find each episode here as it is released and follow along as the most exciting ship in the world comes to life. Make sure you save this page to your favourites, or subscribe below so you never miss an episode.
Scroll through to watch all episodes (latest through to the beginning)!
‘Making an Icon’ Extra - Behind Icon of the Seas & AquaDome Lift
Royal Caribbean International's Icon of the Seas debuts the first-ever AquaDome, a tranquil oasis by day and vibrant hot spot by night with restaurants, bars, wraparound ocean views and entertainment in the next-level AquaTheater. A record-breaking milestone in constructing the new neighborhood was installing the single largest glass and steel structure onto the new ship in November 2022 – an 80-hour process from start to finish. Go behind the scenes with the specialists on the ground as it all came together in Turku, Finland.
Episode 14 Creating Show-Stopping Entertainment
It’s showtime on Royal Caribbean International’s Icon of the Seas. “Making an Icon: Creating Show-Stopping Entertainment” pulls back the curtain on what it takes to bring to life full-scale productions across four stages – air, ice, water and theater – live music from every genre, and activities for all ages in one vacation. The experts show and tell the details about the process, from designing the venues to casting and rehearsing with skateboarders, high divers and even the first cast of “The Wizard of Oz” at sea. More than five years in the making, the playbill of entertainment on the first-of-its-kind combination of every vacation is a show-stopping lineup for everyone.
Episode 13 Creating Flavours for Everyone, Part 2: Dining
Royal Caribbean International is cooking up something for everyone across more than 20 ways to dine on the highly anticipated vacation Icon of the Seas. “Making an Icon: Creating Flavors for Everyone, Part 2: Dining” dishes out the behind-the-scenes of bringing everything from an upscale, eight-course dining experience paired with live music to a convenient window for fresh sushi and gyoza to life. After years of research, travel and 100-plus tastings and showcases, watch how it all came down to three ingredients – variety, convenience and choice – to serve up memories for every occasion while on vacation.
Episode 12 Creating Flavours For Everyone - Part 1: Beverages
Royal Caribbean International’s Icon of the Seas serves up flavours of all kinds, even just for the kids. Part one of “Making an Icon: Creating Flavors for Everyone,” dives into the process to come up with the right blend of drinks across all eight neighbourhoods. From over-the-top milkshakes to a walk-up champagne bar to coffee-based cocktails and more non-alcoholic options, see the brains behind the menus and experiences research and test all-new recipes, twists on favourites, glassware and more to create sips for every palate.
Episode 11 Creating Royal Promenade
Memorable vacations start with memorable first impressions, and Royal Caribbean International delivers that from the very first step onto Icon of the Seas. In “Making an Icon: Creating Royal Promenade,” the experts show and tell how the heartbeat of the ship has transformed in 25 years since its introduction in 1999. The next generation of Royal Promenade comes together with revolutionary feats in engineering, architecture and design to create a place with experiences for everyone day and night. From the neighborhood’s first ocean views to the seamless connection between two floors of 15-plus new and returning restaurants, bars and lounges, alongside dedicated areas for kids and teens, shows, activities like ice skating, and more, it’s the place to be and be seen.
Episode 10 Creating The Crew’s Neighbourhood
Behind Icon of the Seas is the heart and soul of every Royal Caribbean vacation: the dedicated crew. In “Making an Icon: Creating the Crew’s Neighborhood,” get the first look at the new home away from home designed for the 2,350 crew members who will bring the world’s best vacation to life. The experts, captain and crew walk through how they started with a blank slate and created the evolution of their public spaces and rooms with the help of the crew themselves. From the cruise line’s first room patent to more ways to get together, kick back and celebrate in dedicated spaces across four decks, the neighborhood sets a new standard of home and community for Royal Caribbean’s world-class crew.
Episode 9 Creating Chill Island And The Hideaway
In “Making an Icon: Creating Chill Island and The Hideaway,” Royal Caribbean’s innovators across naval architecture, design, food and beverage operations, and product development break down the pools, dining, bars and more that make up the ways to chill on Icon of the Seas. Designing the new Chill Island and The Hideaway neighborhoods came down to engineering more water on the top of a cruise ship than ever before and the purposeful combination of different experiences and vibes for every mood and vacationer. Discover how it was all made possible, from adding five pools – including the first suspended infinity pool at sea – to carving out an adults-only retreat and creating a variety of ways to grab a bite and drinks.
Episode 8 Creating Memorable Vacations Responsibly
As Royal Caribbean International’s first ship powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG) and fuel cell technology, Icon of the Seas marks the next step in the cruise line’s journey to create a clean-energy future. “Making an Icon, Creating Memorable Vacations Responsibly” looks under the “hood” with experts in environmental programs, decarbonization, marine operations and more as they break down the firsts and proven efforts to come on Icon. From large-scale systems, including the first waste-to-energy plant at sea, to the smallest details like LED lightbulbs, every initiative and application will play a part in making the world’s best family vacation the most sustainable Royal Caribbean International ship to date.
‘Making an Icon’ Extra! - The Top Deck Challenge (March 2023)
Creating unrivaled water experiences for the world’s best family vacation comes with a unique set of challenges, an unprecedented amount of water and weight. In this Icon Extra, “The Top Deck Challenge,” hear from the Royal Caribbean experts tackling one of the biggest tests of engineering, naval architecture and design as they construct Icon of the Seas. They dive into the ship’s top deck, where adventurers will find the largest waterpark at sea at the new Thrill Island, all kinds of pools at Chill Island and The Hideaway, and more.
Episode 7 Creating Next-Level Accommodations (March 2023)
From families to couples, to groups of friends, every type of vacationer can make memories their way every day on Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas, even when it comes to where they stay. In “Making an Icon: Creating Next-level Accommodations,” the experts walk through the longest timeframe the cruise line’s ever dedicated to designing the perfect home base, 28 different types, for everyone. Discover details about the research, design and construction of the rooms on the first-of-its-kind combination of the best of every vacation, where every detail was scrutinized to create more categories for families, more layouts with ocean views and more space for groups of three, four, five and more.
Episode 6 - Creating Thrill Island (January 2022)
Bold vacationers call for bold adventures, and Royal Caribbean is delivering that and more at the new Thrill Island on Icon of the Seas. The world’s best family vacation will feature never-before-seen experiences and signature favorites, from the largest waterpark at sea, Category 6, to the first Crown’s Edge – an adventure course 154 feet above the ocean. In “Making an Icon: Creating Thrill Island,” the innovators cover the adventures in store and how they are pushing the envelope on cruise ship design by adding more weight at the top of Icon with six record-breaking waterslides and more water than ever before. The thrill-o-meter will be off the charts for thrill-seekers and their families who cheer them on in this new neighborhood when Icon sets sail in January 2024.
Episode 5 - Creating Surfside (January 2023)
The world’s greatest family vacation, Icon of the Seas, is taking memory-making to the next level for grownups, kids and even grandparents. And when it comes to young families, Royal Caribbean’s insights and feedback from adventurers inspired a whole new neighborhood. In “Making an Icon: Creating Surfside,” find out why and how the cruise line’s creating its first neighborhood dedicated to young families. The goal: to design a place where every family member can spend time together and do what they enjoy all the same. From different water experiences to new restaurants, even a bar with menus for adults and kids, to classic adventures with a twist like the signature carousel and an arcade, and the first three-story Ultimate Family Townhouse, Surfside is set to make a splash debut in January 2024.
Episode 4 - Creating AquaDome (Dec 2022)
To create the first-of-its-kind combination of the best of every vacation for the whole family, Icon of the Seas, Royal Caribbean International’s bringing together a variety of firsts and next-level favorites across eight neighborhoods that come alive day and night. Now you can dive into each of these destinations in and of themselves with the experts, starting with AquaDome, a tranquil oasis by day and vibrant hotspot by night that features restaurants, bars, wraparound ocean views and deck-defying entertainment in the next-level AquaTheater. From a sketch on a napkin to the installation of the 363-ton dome, in “Making an Icon: Creating AquaDome,” innovators of all types of disciplines are coming together on the journey to bring this new, transformational neighborhood to life.
Episode 3 - Introducing the Icon of Vacations (Oct 2022)
A new era of vacations starts here. Royal Caribbean International unveils the first look at the ultimate family vacation, Icon of the Seas. In “Making an Icon: Introducing the Icon of Vacations,” the innovators behind it all reveal the adventures in store ahead of the new ship’s official debut in January 2024. Now is when you’ll see how the culmination of 50 years of expertise, innovation and passion is brought to life through adrenaline-pumping thrills, unrivaled ways to chill and more in an all-encompassing lineup of firsts and favourites across eight new and reimagined neighborhoods.
For more detail and up images see my related post HERE
Episode 2 - Shaping The World’s Newest Icon (Sept 2022)
Royal Caribbean International “broke ground” on Icon of the Seas in June 2021, when the first piece of steel was cut at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Turku, Finland. Yet, putting pen to paper to bring this bold vision to life started long before that. In “Making an Icon: Shaping the World’s Newest Icon,” watch key design and construction milestones of the iconic vacation unfold. Hear from the industrial and naval engineers, interior designers, architects and other innovators about what it takes to manage unique challenges that come along with the most ambitious construction timeline cruising’s ever seen.
Episode 1 - Envisioning An Iconic Vacation (Aug 2022)
Making an icon begins with a bold idea: to create the world’s greatest vacation. Come fall 2023, Royal Caribbean International is bringing this game-changing vision to life with the introduction of Icon of the Seas. You could say Icon has been in the making for more than 50 years, combining the best of the cruise line’s past, present and future. In the first episode of “Making an Icon,” Envisioning an Iconic Vacation, meet many of the innovators behind it all. From naval architects to interior designers and industrial engineers, to futurists and more, they share details from the early days of imagining the soon-to-be-revealed cruise ship and a sense of the revolutionary, evolutionary and familiar experiences to come.