New on Icon: 'Starburst' ice show, 'Pirates vs Mermaids,' Father-Daughter Dance
The world's largest cruise ship will be rocking with entertainment, as Royal Caribbean International SVP Nick Weir revealed more new shows aboard Icon of the Seas.
October 25, 2023
As already reported, 'The Wizard of Oz' headlines the Royal Theater, and extreme-sports-themed 'AquaAction' the AquaTheater, but Weir today teased some of the new entertainment for those venues plus ice rink Absolute Zero and elsewhere.
Absolute Zero
Speaking to travel partners during Vicki Freed's 'Coffee Talk,' Weir said Absolute Zero — in its new location on the Royal Promenade and the line's first oval (not rectangular) ice rink — might be his favorite space on Icon of the Seas.
A new show there, 'Starburst Elemental Beauty,' is science-inspired.
An exploding star in 'Starburst,' with elements of the Periodic Table figuring in
'We're going to explode an enormous star and all the elements of the Periodic Table will come out,' Weir said, with the metals like gold, silver and platinum making for some dazzling costumes.
Another ice show, 'Once Upon A Time: The King's Royal Ball,' is jammed with fairy-tale characters like Pinocchio, Rapunzel, Cinderella, Humpty-Dumpty, Little Red Riding Hood and others. The story is set in the kingdom of Frostoria, where a tricked-out Zamboni towing a carriage will take kids from the audience for a spin on the ice.
And Absolute Zero will be the setting for events like RED Nightclub, Cruise Director Night, laser tag, game shows and the new 'Let There Be Light' party with participants invited to wear white as a surface for projections.
AquaTheater
The AquaTheater will go to another level on Icon of the Seas, Weir said, with plenty of extreme sports but also quite different programming like a Veterans Tribute, fountain shows and live music including 'Sunset Strings' performances.
The previously announced 'AquaAction' show will be 'as close as it gets to a multimillion-dollar action movie done live every night,' in Weir's telling, with skateboarders, slackliners and trampolines, and incorporating technology invented by Royal Caribbean.
The new 'Pirates vs Mermaids' looks like rollicking fun for families with 'plenty of jokes, gags and moments parents will love.'
Royal Theater
Icon of the Seas' Royal Theater will be a step up from others in the fleet, providing incredible sight lines, with 'not a bad seat in the house,' according to Weir.
'The Wizard of Oz' was the first show the SVP entertainment proposed to Royal Caribbean President/CEO Michael Bayley, when he decreed Icon had to be the ultimate family vacation. The production will have costumes with a contemporary feel and special effects like the tornado.
Will Toto be a real dog or tech-generated? Stay tuned, Weir said, while predicting Toto will get the most applause during the show's curtain call.
With an 16-piece orchestra needed to produce 'The Wizard of Oz,' those musicians will also perform in the new 'Showband! The Most Music Ever.'
Father-Daughter Dance
Yet another new highlight to build on Bayley's laser focus on families for Icon will be the Father-Daughter Dance. Weir expects it won't just be dads and little girls but probably also 'fathers of 75 with 35-year-old daughters.'
Mothers and sons will be welcome, too.
Parade
Royal Caribbean's once-a-cruise Royal Promenade parade spectacular will have a new 'Ships Ahoy!' theme with floats including a yellow submarine.
A yellow submarine float figures in the new 'Ship's Ahoy!' parade
Matinees and more
Icon of the Seas will reprise other brand favorites like the wacky Stowaway PIano, which pops up in elevators and other unexpected spots, plus the game show 'Name That Tune,' for which Royal Caribbean is the official cruise line.
And, Weir disclosed: 'We want to own matinees.'
He reckoned that while there's so much to do on Royal Caribbean's open decks, by 3 p.m. it might be nice to come into the air-conditioning and see a theatrical matinee, something other lines don't typically offer.
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