What’s Different Onboard Royal Caribbean’s Newest Icon Class Cruise Ship, Legend of the Seas

Every new cruise ship is an opportunity to try something trendy, to take a step into the future, to deliver a product that’s just a little closer to exactly what customers want. And that’s arguably nowhere truer than at Royal Caribbean, where management spends hours poring over feedback from guests and travel partners as it develops every new ship in its fleet.

Though it’s fundamentally the same as its predecessors Icon of the Seas and Star of the Seas, Legend of the Seas feels lighter and more colorful. Its open spaces are roomier; its family suites are more plentiful; its shows offer new options to entice those who have already sailed on the other ships; and its sew food and beverage options promise unique experiences and international cuisines.

Even the parade in the atrium is bigger and more fun, as the wider width of the atrium allows for more staging and less crowding. Kids and adults will enjoy the Voyage to Adventure, which celebrates the places where Royal Caribbean sails.

From the smallest of details – like adding seat backs to every spot in the AquaTheater – to huge new productions like the 90-minute Broadway version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory or the  new iteration of Royal Railway, Royal Caribbean has brought thoughtful new additions to its most popular ship category.

New Family-Specific Cabins & Entertainment

Though both ships are slightly different from the first Icon Class ship, Legend and its year-old  sister ship, Star of the Seas, were built together, and are almost identical. Legend is a tad bigger, holding 18 more guests and measuring 1,500 more gross tons, but they have basically the same layout of neighborhoods, waterpark, and AquaTheater.

As a popular family cruise line, Royal Caribbean is mindful of that particular customer segment. Legend features a new Family Ocean View Balcony category, measuring 285 square feet plus a 50-square-foot balcony. Many of these are adjoining cabins that share a vestibule with two entry doors, in a sort of mini-suite that holds groups of up to 12.

For entertainment, there’s a new Family Field Day, the Garden of Giants black-light puppet show, and the Quack Bash party with 15-foot inflatable ducks. Teens have their own silent disco.

Royal Caribbean also told us, “we’ve found that if we don’t do enough to engage them [teens] they become a nuisance, so we’ve started activating our Sports Court after dark for them.”

New Dining Experiences

At dinnertime, Legend has two new offerings. The Royal Railway: Legend Station is designed as a train traveling the Silk Route through India, China, Persia, Italy, and Turkey, with tastings from each country through which it passes.

Legend’s Hollywoodland Supper Club has a Hollywood Golden Age theme instead of the Chicago-themed Lincoln Park Supper Club on Star of the Seas.

The show on the main stage changed from “Back to the Future: The Musical” to a fun and colorful 90-minute adaptation of “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” complete with two adorable and talented preteen British actors who take turns going to school and starring in the play, and a custom-blended chocolate smell in the theater.

Both the ice show (Fusion) and the AquaTheater show (Shockwave: A Battle for the Beat) are new, adding breathtaking action and blending classical and modern music. The ship also is hosting America’s Got Talent LIVE at Sea, where five actual finalists from the TV show – aerial acrobats, illusionists, singers, and dancers – perform on a cruise ship for the first time.

The only change we didn’t love was in the AquaDome Market, where we thought the new food stalls – Seoulmate, Adobo, Cajun Kitchen, La Española, and Simply Pressed – weren’t as good as the ones on Star. The new smoothie bar is a win though.