A patented L-shaped design for Icon of the Seas’ crew rooms gives more privacy, storage and enhanced finishes
Aboard Icon of the Seas, crew get their own neighborhood that spans four decks plus a new, patented cabin design.
The crew neighborhood includes the Clubhouse, an indoor-outdoor pub, gaming area, gym, store and a /salon. There’s also amultifunctional spacefor celebrations /or training and anenhanced Windjammer Cafe.
Icon of the Seas will be served by more than 2,300 crew from 83 countries.
‘For us to think about where our crew live as a neighborhood tells a lot about our focus on the crew,’ said Jason Liberty, /CEO, Royal Caribbean Group, in the latest ‘Making An Icon’ video (embedded below).
Increased energy and investment in crew areas
The ‘amount of energy and investment’ in crew areas has increased and it mirrors the effort Royal Caribbean puts into its guest areas, according to Michael Bayley, /CEO, Royal Caribbean International.He has special insight since he got his start as a crew member, working at sea for a number of years. For example, Bayleyconsiders crew accommodations ‘incredibly important.’
New ships give Royal Caribbean the opportunity to ‘start from scratch and elevate the crew life onboard,’ Icon Capt. Henrik Loy said.
This started by research including a fleetwide survey of crew to get their feedback. Their No. 1 interest: their room.
Cabin ‘designed by crew, for crew’
After the classic process of having executives and architects design a cabin, Royal Caribbean started over andwent to the crew. More than 1,000 —from over25 positions and nationalities — reviewed room mock-ups in person.
The result: Icon sports an entirely new type of cabin, ‘designed by crew, for crew,’ with a patented, L-shaped layout and features like an easier climb to the top bunk (stepsinstead of a ladder), privacy curtains, more storage and enhanced finishes and materials.
The Clubhouse
Designers also enhanced the Clubhouse at the front of the ship —’Our place to chill out and relax,’ said Robert Hines, newbuild human resources manager, RCI.
Icon’s Clubhouse offers a coffee shop, lounge seating with TVs and massage chairs, virtual balconies with digital ‘windows,’ and pool tables, ping-pong and foosball. There’s also a private lounge.
Gaming, celebration area and training
The adjacent Game Room offers seven gaming nooks, a VR station and private spaces.
The pub has forward-facing views and an outdoor area.
A multifunctional room can transform for celebrations with karaoke and entertainment. Next door is a crew training space. The wall can be opened to combine the areas.
Enahnced Windjammer Cafe
The crew Windjammer Cafe, with portholes for ocean views, will provide ‘a lot of the same options we offer our guests,’ according to Rebecca Burns, senior manager, restaurant operations, RCI. It offers hot and cold stations and introduces live cooking stations.
Finding a balance
Thelarge number of crew carried means that when designing their spaces, Royal Caribbean had to strikea balance between functionalty, practicality, comfort and design, ‘which I think we’ve found with Icon,’ Bayleysaid.
