Key Aspects:
- Eagle-eyed guests have spotted a broken tile in the Pearl onboard Icon of the Seas.
- This is something that has happened before, and it likely does not pose a safety risk.
- But after several instances with glass shattering on multiple ships, some are wondering if this latest breakage is a sign that Royal Caribbean is using lower-quality materials.
As all the cruise lines do, Royal Caribbean is constantly striving to maintain its cruise ships and offer the best possible experience onboard.
But the down side of operating 24/7 every single day of the year is that sometimes things do break.
This time, guests onboard Icon of the Seas for a recent 7-night Caribbean sailing noticed that a tile was broken in the Pearl, which is essentially the heart of the first Icon-class ship.
The Pearl is located in the Royal Promenade, and spans from decks 5 through 8.
It functions as both a structural support for the world’s largest cruise ship, and is also an atmospheric art piece that features nearly 3,000 kinetic panels and integrated lighting.
“There’s a dead tile in the Pearl and it bothers me enough to take a photo,” a cruiser shared with a picture of the tile, which looks like it had shifted out of its normal position.
As a first-of-its-kind structure with so many individual pieces, sometimes things do end up out of whack.
Some cruisers from the 2024-launched vessel’s inaugural sailings even remember occasionally seeing some lights or panels malfunctioning.
“I was on the 6th public sailing of Icon and there was 2 that were out…on night 2 during my 2am Sorrento’s run, I saw them with the scissor lift fixing them,” one past guest shared.
“Funny enough, the last day, I saw another one not working. I imagine these break a lot and it’s a quick fix,” they continued.
Indeed, several members of the 2,350-person crew are highly trained engineers and maintenance workers who are equipped to make this repair.
Is the Broken Tile Dangerous?
Thankfully, the broken tile does not appear to pose a safety risk.
While the tile could presumably fall and hit someone or shatter, it does seem to still be well secured to the Pearl structure by at least one end.
The Pearl Panel Damage on Icon of the Seas (Credit: itsmrssmith)
The biggest risk it likely poses at the moment is annoying cruisers who notice the eyesore.
“I got off Icon yesterday and never noticed! It would have driven me crazy,” one person commented after seeing the picture.
However, some are wondering if this is a sign of more issues to come, with a smattering of cruise fans theorizing that Royal Caribbean may have begun using lower quality materials.
“It’s sad that making things cheaper these days reflects onto something so expensive like a cruise ship. Same thing as the slide that broke,” another cruiser wrote.
Read Also: Icon of the Seas Amenities and Everything You’ll Love Onboard
The commenter is referring to a recent incident in which a panel on the Frightening Bolt Waterslide within Icon of the Seas’ Category 6 Waterpark shattered while a passenger was riding it.
The guest did not fall through the hole, but did receive significant skin lacerations.
Meanwhile, there have been several other incidents of glass breaking on other Royal Caribbean ships in the past few months.
Most recently, a glass panel shattered in the Windjammer Marketplace onboard Utopia of the Seas in September. Thankfully, no injuries were reported.
Symphony of the Seas also had three separate panels break between June and August, and the newly launched Star of the Seas had a panel shatter on the pool deck during one of her preview cruises.
But while incidents like these can be concerning, keep in mind that Royal Caribbean is known for taking safety and quality extremely seriously and the cruise line actually exceeds industry safety standards in several areas.
Appeared first on: Cruisehive.com
