The eight-course Empire Supper Club Tasting Menu is the most exclusive offering on Royal Caribbean’s newest ship, Icon of the Seas. As the world’s largest cruise ship, the ship can accommodate more than 7,000 guests. Designed as a laid-back New York jazz club with Art Deco influences, with features such as the Royal Promenade and the five-story “Central Park” running through the center, as well as dozens of amenities, the Empire is a landmark in this expansive seaside Seems out of place in the maze. Of floors. Climbing walls, mini golf course, water park and 40 places to eat and drink.
In contrast, Empire accommodates only thirty guests per seat for two and a half hours each evening, putting guests in the top 0.5 percent of cruise visitors. The cost of the dinner and show is $200 per person. Even for residents of the Royal’s luxurious new Star Class suites, which can be rented for up to $100,000 per week, booking with Empire isn’t exactly one of the optional “includes”. When we arrived at the front door, the waiter already knew our faces and names.
“It’s not really a restaurant. “It’s an experience,” says Jay Schneider, Royal Caribbean’s director of product innovation, as he gives us a tour of the ship during our three-day familiarization trip before our maiden voyage. “It’s something that people should do.”
The supper club is one of several royal “revolutions” (new branding efforts incorporated into the ship) that Schneider points out while strolling the ship’s 20-quarter-mile deck. These updates, backed by consumer research, aim to improve the on-board experience. The hope is to attract elite guests from short cruises, luxury yacht charters or other fancy private getaways to spend six people on a ship for seven nights, while thousands of people in other “neighborhoods” find economy rooms ranging from four to four. Give on rent at low rates. ,
Our room was a 450-square-foot suite at the rear of the ship, with neutral fabrics, marble tiles, and modern Scandinavian furnishings in birch tones, including an Alvar Aalto-inspired curved wood headboard. Compared to the larger Star Class suites, they are at least modest in size, featuring a private wooden terrace with a hot tub and double-height living rooms with ocean views and a white grand piano. But our room was still very nice.
During my long career in tourism and transportation, I have stayed in all kinds of expensive resorts. But I had never been on a cruise before and wanted to compare it to other five-star hotels, especially on a ship as spacious and versatile as Ikon. Can a small private island or a luxury yacht with space for 7,000 people provide such exclusivity and intimacy?
The team at Schneider is certainly committed to achieving this goal. His list of “small surprises” includes a champagne bar in leafy Central Park, doubling the budget for commissioned artwork, a takeout sushi kiosk at Izumi Teppanyaki and a major increase in spa offerings. And facilities.
Then there is great applause. The most important of these is the suites area, located on the upper floors of the ship. Here at The Grove, a private bar, swimming pool, café, sun terrace, lounge and two-storey restaurant are available only to those staying in the premium residences. “The intention was to take this concept further than ever before and create a dedicated space for suite guests,” says Schneider.
The aesthetic here is very different from the driftwood and faux pastels of “Island Time” in other areas, such as the family-friendly Surfside and the chill Island-like water park. At The Grove, metallic teak countertops, neutral cushions, forest green glossy mosaic tiles and fabric-covered pergolas come together to exude sophisticated taste.
Gina’s dedicated staff, and even personal concierges drawn from experienced workers aboard other royal ships, cater to people’s wishes: making reservations for dinners and shows, organizing port adventures, and offering laundry and ironing. Like performing servant duties. Even the drinks are more exclusive: The Grove was the only bar to offer real margaritas, made with high-quality tequila, Cointreau and fresh lime juice rather than frozen Neon Slush or Cuervo-lime mix.
This highlights a fundamental problem facing Royal, a company that Schneider says prides itself on being an “accessible e-company for all”. Can it really be all things to all people? If so, how can you improve the experience for a select group of guests while staying true to your mission of equality?
Making matters more complicated, one of Royal’s primary goals in designing the Icon-class ships is to provide easy navigation between areas. “One of the things we’ve focused on is making sure the flow of this ship is as open and fun and accessible as ever,” says Schneider.” and can move between major attractions without stopping or returning to the central lift.
The suite quarters, which make up only 7 percent of the rooms on the Ikon board, have been isolated. It is located between the upper levels of the ship. Smoked glass sliding doors block access to the amenities until you register your key card as a resident. (We were also given access to the suites, and were provided with a genie during our stay.) This area overlooks but is not directly connected to other popular areas, leaving little foot traffic. “We made every effort to remove this area from the flow of the ship,” says Schneider.” “So much so that the average guest won’t even know it’s there.”
Occupancy during initial sailings was about 70 percent of capacity, or approximately 5,000 guests. Despite all the people, the Grove felt isolated and quiet: just a few guests, panoramic views of the ocean, less waits and better food, less loud background music and pleasant glances amidst the noise of the ship.
This allowed us to feel in touch with the forced joyous atmosphere of Ikon, without the chaos of more populated areas – like the day thousands of falling balloons were trampled by locusts, which we saw on the first night on the main Royal Promenade Was. Photos from Royal Caribbean show small crowds, but many public areas can be very crowded.
When we arrived for a ride at Cocoa Cay, the company’s artificial island theme park, the same special atmosphere continued at the Cocoa Beach Club, another new “inclusive” luxury level (or $250 per person). It was distinguished by its special characteristics. The pool, beach, restaurant and cabanas over the water are designed in Fijian style. Caneel Bay wasn’t at its peak, but with its pulsating dance music, DJs, pool bar and colorful sun loungers it certainly outshone neighboring Hideaway Beach.
Back at the Empire Supper Club, the singer, wearing a gold sequin dress, sang a series of New York-themed songs. Moet shouted. They served caviar, langoustines, filet and branzino. Fresh nutmeg is grated into the ultimate handcrafted espresso martini cocktail. Service from gray-suited waiters was attentive but not intrusive. The paintings were creative and full of “small successes”; Many of the dishes taste fresh and are prepared with care. The atmosphere was real. Overall, I found the experience personal, leisurely, and perhaps most of all, luxury.
By the end of the trip, I was still wondering: Are these subtleties enough to attract the discerning consumer?
“Large cruise ships have long offered separate categories, but specialty enclaves came later. For those who like larger ships and the variety and space they offer, this is a great The product is.”
Pedraza says that when it comes to cruises, most of the rich and affluent prefer smaller, more yacht-like products such as those offered by the Four Seasons and Ritz-Carlton. “But both concepts can co-exist peacefully because the rich are willing to experiment in both directions,” he says.
My final opinion? miscellaneous. The overall experience isn’t exactly five star – probably more than four and change – and I’m not sure I’ll take another cruise. Frankly, we don’t like crowds and prefer to make our trips and destinations more authentic. The built environment was somewhat like Disney World at sea. The Grove experience was definitely more nuanced than I expected, and the effort put into scaling and optimization was noticeable and noticeable. But we couldn’t ignore the fact that we were on a cruise ship with 5,000 other guests.
But, as Pedraza points out, there are specific travelers who enjoy such opportunities. For the affluent target consumer, Royal’s strategy seems to be working. According to Schneider, Icon sales are strong across the board, but the Wings have been particularly attractive. He says: “I wouldn’t say we oversold, because everything is reserved.” “I would say they sold out earlier.”
