Icon of the Seas Surfside neighborhood: What to expect

Icon of the Seas is full of brand-new experiences at sea, including the family-family Surfside Neighborhood. 

Replacing what was the Boardwalk on Oasis Class ships, Surfside is where families can stay and play all day. With an arcade, kids splash zone, aft pool, carousel, and both complimentary and specialty venues, there’s enough to keep everyone satisfied! 

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With younger families making up a significant portion of Royal Caribbean guests, the cruise line wanted to create a space just for them. 

Unlike Royal Caribbean’s Boardwalk, Surfside has a vibrant design that’s reminiscent of a surfing town that’s complete with a beach-theme carousel where you can ride anything from a flamingo pool toy to a “Volkswagon” van. 

Rather than having to drag kids to the Windjammer, your family can grab a bite to eat at the Surfside Eatery, which is Royal Caribbean’s first buffet just for families! 

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While not as large as the Windjammer, it’s the perfect place to fuel up without having to stray from the fun. 

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There’s also Surfside Bites, where you will find grab-and-go options, such as popcorn chicken, hot dogs, cheeseburgers, french fries, fruit, and even cinnamon sugar churros!

The third dining option in Surfside is Pier 7, a specialty restaurant that’s exclusive to Icon of the Seas and will serve an all-day brunch with items like surf and turf tacos, mango lime shrimp tostadas, smoked salmon benedict, and fluffy buttermilk pancakes. 

Parents won’t be far from a bar, either. The Lemon Post Bar will serve both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks for everyone in the family. 

While you are enjoying a tropical cocktail, your child can order from a menu of mocktails curated just for them!  

While Icon of the Seas’ food and beverage spots are certainly a highlight of the 250,800 gross registered ton vessel, it is hard to overlook all the fun activities onboard. Surfside is a hub of activity for everyone, starting with the arcade that has over 30 different games inside! 

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Here, you can challenge your family members to a friendly game of air hockey, work on your claw machine skills, or play skeeball. As with all other Royal Caribbean ships, the arcade isn’t included in your cruise fare. 

At the very end of Surfside, you will find Splashaway Bay, Baby Bay, and Water’s Edge, a pool pressed against the aft of the ship that’s sure to get some impressive ocean views on sea days. 

Fans of Oasis Class ships will notice that there’s no AquaTheater here. Instead, high-diving spectaculars will be held in the brand-new AquaDome. 

Located at the front of the ship, this is a whole new neighborhood in and of itself where you’ll find, of course, the next-level AquaTheater, bars, and tranquil places to relax during the day. 

While there’s so much more of the ship to explore, we have not seen all of Surfside yet! 

In addition to restaurants, splash zones, and more, Surfside is also where you will find Sugar Beach, a candy lover’s dream that also serves Royal Caribbean’s in-house ice cream, for an extra charge. 

Read more: What’s included in your Royal Caribbean cruise fare

Once your children have had their sugar fix, they can get some of their energy out while exploring the Playscape area. 

Surfside will also have its own Coca-Cola Freestyle Machine for those who purchase one of Royal Caribbean’s drink packages, making it easy to refill your cup throughout the day. 

Don’t forget to look up, either. You’ll see some of the record-breaking waterslides in the Category 6 water park.