Wealthy travelers are paying $100,000 a week for the most luxurious cabin on Royal Caribbean's new ship see inside the floating mansion with a private hot tub
- Sailing on Royal Caribbean's new Icon of the Seas won't be cheap.
- Wealthy travelers are booking Icon's most expensive cabin for an average of $100,000 a week.
Traveling on Royal Caribbean's new Icon of the Seas won't be cheap during its first year in service.
But if you think the current starting fare of over $ 345 per person per day is expensive, just wait until you hear about the world's largest cruise ship's most coveted cabin: the $100,000-a-week Ultimate Family Townhouse.
The cruise giant isn't shy about its target demographic: families (unless you think Icon of the Seas' water park and carousel are just for adults). So to accommodate the inevitable crowds of multi-generational guests, a whopping 80% of the ship's 2,805 cabins were designed to accommodate parents and their children, Michael Bayley, Royal Caribbean International's president and CEO, told reporters during a recent preview sailing.
There’s likely no better example of Icon’s attempt at a family-oriented cabin than its giant Ultimate Family Townhouse.
But there's a catch: It's also the ship's most expensive cabin, of course.
Travelers have been “quickly” booking the multi-level townhouse for an average of $100,000 a week, a Royal Caribbean spokesperson told Business Insider.
Think that's too expensive? The price can range up to $200,000 for Icon's week-long sailings, according to a cruise ship worker stationed at the cabin, noting that the plush accommodation is now reserved for most of 2024.
It’s an incredible cost for an incredible suite: At 2,523 square-feet, the multi-floor townhouse is larger than the average US apartment.
And unlike most on-land rentals, the floating mansion has sweeping ocean views, several balconies, and a multi-level slide that replaces the need for a staircase.
The suite’s bottom level is essentially a downstairs patio with loungers and a ping-pong table.
The white picket fence-lined space opens to Icon's Surfside neighborhood.
Similar to the Ultimate Family Townhouse, Surfside was designed for one purpose: to entertain families with children six years old and younger.
The actual townhouse can be entered through the patio’s curving staircase.
Upstairs, the first floor is filled with lounges — the largest of which resembles a traditional window-lined living room.
Guests can access the balcony and hot tub through the side glass sliding door.
What’s better than one TV? Try three.
The living room is next to a separate movie theater-like lounge that flexes a shaved ice machine, kitchenette, and karaoke.
Look closely: Another smaller television screen hangs between the bathroom and the conspicuous monster mouth daybed.
If that’s not enough, there’s yet another large screen next to the TV-filled den.
This time, it's in the form of a long touchscreen table pre-programmed with multi-player games like chess.
Most cruise cabins have one studio-like bedroom. But as the “ultimate” accommodation, travelers in the townhouse have two bedrooms at their disposal.
To access these slumber spaces, guests must walk up a piano-like staircase that plays a different note at every step.
Once upstairs, they’re immediately greeted by a suspended mesh-lined lounge and a bright red tube slide.
No need to walk back downstairs — just take a quick ride down the slide, and you'll find yourself back in the first living room.
Continue down the walkway to find the bedrooms, one for adults and the other for kids.
The former bears the most resemblance to a traditional cruise suite. Its private balcony and en-suite dual vanity bathroom could rival that of a bougie Manhattan penthouse apartment.
Thankfully, parents don't need to share their bathroom with the kids.
While the first bathroom exudes spa-like sensibilities, the second upstairs option — obviously for children — has nebulous green sinks and a wall with Lego block-like tiles.
The children’s bedroom is as chaotic as the colorful bathroom.
There's just enough space for a bunk and a couch. (If you count the townhouse's couches as beds, the mega-suite can sleep up to eight people.)
Cabins of this price range are typically associated with ultra-luxury cruise ships, which generally provide peaceful and quiet vacation experiences.
But this couldn't be more the opposite of Icon of the Seas' Ultimate Family Townhouse.
So, instead of a tranquil and restful high-end stateroom of the same cost, parents who've booked the townhouse must contend with its loud singing staircase and even louder karaoke sessions.
Hey, at least they can retreat to the private hot tub. Us townhouse-less normies are stuck at the crowded pool deck instead.
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