Cruise Spotlight
Helping you find cruise ships you'll love
Carnival Miracle vs Royal Caribbean Icon of the Seas
The Carnival Miracle was built in 2004. It's 20 years older than the Icon of the Seas, which was built in 2024. Icon of the Seas is the first in a whole new class of ships by Royal Caribbean that's designed to provide the "ultimate family vacation." It is currently the largest cruise ship in the world.
Comparison Overview
- Ship Size
- Number of Passengers
- Food and Restaurants
- Bars and Drinks
- Pools and Hot Tubs
- Ship Features and Activities
- Cruise Costs
- Onboard Costs
Ship Size
The Miracle is considered a small size ship. Coming in at 963 feet long and 106 feet wide, it's roughly the length of 2.7 football fields, as wide as 2 tractor-trailers and the same height as a 12-story building. Compared to the Royal Caribbean Icon of the Seas, the Miracle is 65% smaller in terms of overall tons.
Number of Passengers
Carnival Miracle holds 62% fewer passengers than the Icon of the Seas based on double occupancy (two people per room). When you look at the "Space Ratio," or the total tonnage of a ship compared to the number of passengers, the Miracle has less space per person compared to the Icon of the Seas.
The Icon of the Seas uses a neighborhood layout to break up large crowds across the ship, often making it feel less crowded.
| Carnival Miracle | Royal Caribbean Icon of the Seas | |
|---|---|---|
| Class | Spirit | Icon |
| Gross Tonnage | 88,500 | 250,800 |
| Length | 963 | 1,198 |
| Beam/Width | 106 | 216 |
| Passenger Decks | 12 | 18 |
| Passengers (double occupancy) | 2,124 | 5,610 |
| Crew | 910 | 2,350 |
| Passenger to Crew Ratio | 2.3 | 2.4 |
| Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger) | 42 | 45 |
Food and Restaurants
Food is a big part of any cruise, and the ship you choose can make a huge difference in your food experience.
The Miracle has fourteen different dining options like Carnival Deli, Bonsai Sushi, and Blue Iguana Cantina. Of those options, eleven are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other three options have an additional fee.
The Icon of the Seas has fifteen more dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Playmakers, Basecamp, and Chops Grille. fourteen of these restaurants are complementary and the other fifteen have an additional fee.
If you like having a variety of places to eat, the Icon of the Seas might be a better choice. It has 107% more dining options than the Miracle.
If you're looking to avoid extra money while on board, the Miracle might be a better choice then the Icon of the Seas. More of the dining options are included in the base cruise fare, potentially saving you money.
| Carnival Miracle | Royal Caribbean Icon of the Seas | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Dining Options | 14 | 29 |
| Complimentary Dining Options: | 11 | 14 |
| Additional Fee Dining Options: | 3 | 15 |
| % of Included Options | 79% | 48% |
| See the options | See the options |
Bars and Drinks
The Carnival Miracle has 16 fewer bars than the Royal Caribbean Icon of the Seas. The Miracle has 10 bars like Alchemy Bar, Java Blue Cafe and SkyBox Sports Bar. On Miracle, you can grab a drink at 26 different bars such as Boleros, The Lemon Post and The Lime & Coconut.
| Carnival Miracle | Royal Caribbean Icon of the Seas |
|---|---|
| •Alchemy Bar • Atrium Bar • BlueIguana Tequila Bar • Dr Frankenstein's Lab Dance Club • Gotham Lounge • Java Blue Cafe • Mad Hatter's Ball • RedFrog Pub • Sam's Piano Bar • SkyBox Sports Bar | •1400 Lobby Bar • Basecamp Bar • Boleros • Bubbles • Cantina Fresca • Casino Bar • Desserted Milkshake Bar • Dueling Pianos • English Pub • Giovanni's Wine Bar • Lou's Jazz 'N Blues • Music Hall • Playmakers • Rye & Bean • Schooner Bar • Spotlight Karaoke • Swim & Tonic • The Attic • The Grove Bar • The Hideaway Bar • The Lemon Post • The Lime & Coconut • The Lime & Coconut: Frozen • The Overlook • Trellis Bar • Windjammer Bar |
In terms of drinks and cocktails, you have a variety of choices. The Miracle serves the Pepsi family of products. That means Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Starry, Mug Root Beer, and Mountain Dew, although the selection can vary by ship. The Icon of the Seas serves Coca Cola branded products. That includes drinks like Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite and Barqs Root Beer, although the selection can vary by ship. Most Royal Caribbean ships also have Coke Freestyle machines where you can make 100 different flavor combinations.
You can check out recent the bar menus for the Miracle and the Icon of the Seas below.
Pools and Hot Tubs
Nothing beats relaxing by a pool with a nice drink in hand as you feel the fresh sea breeze pass by you. The Carnival Miracle has a total of 3 pools and 3 hot tubs.
Royal Caribbean Icon of the Seas has more pools than the Miracle and more hot tubs. There are more exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Icon of the Seas. If you don't mind paying for exclusive access to areas in order to have less crowds, this might be a better choice.
Tired of loud kids and splashing? One of the pools and one of the hot tubs are adults only on Miracle.| Carnival Miracle | Royal Caribbean Icon of the Seas | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Pools | 3 | 7 |
| Pools - General Access | 2 | 5 |
| Pools - Adults Only | 1 | 1 |
| Pools - Exclusive | 0 | 1 |
| Total Hot Tubs | 3 | 9 |
| Hot Tubs - General Access | 2 | 7 |
| Hot Tubs - Adults Only | 1 | 1 |
| Hot Tubs - Exclusive | 0 | 1 |
Cruise Coloring and Activity Books for Kids
Get your kids ready for their cruise or keep them entertained while on board with our custom made coloring and activity books.
Cruise Ship Coloring Book for Kids 3-5
(Carnival Edition) (Royal Caribbean Edition)
Let's Get Cruising Activity Book for Kids 6-8
(Carnival Edition) (Royal Caribbean Edition)
Ship Features and Activities
Both ships have lots of activities to keep you busy throughout your cruise. Below you'll see a list of some of the major features on these ships. You might up paying more while on board the Miracle. Only 69% of the activities below are included in your cruise fare. On the Icon of the Seas, 80% of the activities are included at no additional cost.
| Carnival Miracle | Royal Caribbean Icon of the Seas | |
|---|---|---|
| Adult Only Relaxation Area | ✓ | ✓ |
| Aquatheater | ✗ | ✓ |
| Arcade | ✓ | ✓ |
| Basketball | ✗ | ✓ |
| Carousel | ✗ | ✓ |
| Casino | ✓ | ✓ |
| Climbing Wall | ✗ | ✓ |
| Comedy Club | ✓ | ✓ |
| Dr Seuss Breakfast | ✓ | ✗ |
| Escape Room | ✗ | ✓ |
| Fitness Center | ✓ | ✓ |
| FlowRider | ✗ | ✓ |
| Ice Skating | ✗ | ✓ |
| Jogging Track | ✓ | ✗ |
| Laser Tag | ✗ | ✓ |
| Mini golf | ✓ | ✓ |
| Ropes course | ✗ | ✓ |
| Shows - Broadway play | ✗ | ✓ |
| Shows - musical review | ✓ | ✓ |
| Spa | ✓ | ✓ |
| Splash park | ✓ | ✓ |
| Water slides | ✓ | ✗ |
| Waterpark | ✗ | ✓ |
| Learn more | Learn more |
Cruise Costs
Carnival and Royal Caribbean are both considered "Mainstream" cruise lines. Mainstream cruise lines cater to a variety of guests, hoping to provide something for everyone. These typically cost about $100 - $350 per person per day.
Cruise pricing is dynamic and varies for each specific sailing based on factors such as departure point, ports of call, and time of year. Typically newer ships cost more, so a cruise on Carnival Miracle will likely be cheaper than on Royal Caribbean Icon of the Seas.
Onboard Costs
Another way to gauge the cost of a cruise is to consider how much you'll spend on board. Even though a lot is included in the base cruise fare, you may still spend money on things like spa treatments, specialty dining, drinks, and excursions. In addition, guests can also have to pay for things like gratuities and tips.
Typically guests can expect to spend about 25 - 40% of the cost of the cruise on onboard expenses. In other words, if the cruise fare is $1,000 per person, you might spend between $250 and $400 on extra expenses.
The table below will help you compare onboard prices to see if you might spend more on a specific ship.
| Carnival Miracle | Royal Caribbean Icon of the Seas | |
|---|---|---|
| Base Daily Gratuities* (Per Person Per Day) | $16.00 | $18.50 |
| Tip added to drinks & services | 18% | 18% |
| Soda Price | $3.00 | $3.50 |
| Domestic Beer Price | $8.75 See drink menus | $8.25 See drink menus |
| Drink Package Price | $83 - $88 Learn more | $77 - $118 Learn more |
| Internet Plan | $18.70 to $23.80 per device per day | $19 to $30 per device per day |
| *Daily gratuities for a standard cabin. Suites or specialty rooms may have higher rates. | ||
Royal Caribbean uses dynamic pricing, which means the pricing for many things will vary per sailing. The daily gratuities and tip are consistent across the fleet, but the pricing for the drink package, internet, and excursions will change. The only way to know your price is to consult the Royal Caribbean cruise planner once you're booked.
Want to Stay Up-To-Date on All Things Cruising?
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, or subscribe to our monthly newsletter.
Articles Related the These Ships
About Cruise Spotlight
Founded in 2020, Cruise Spotlight's goal is to help people understand every aspect of cruising. Plenty of sites focus on the perfect Instagram pictures and marketing fluff. We focus on what really matters: onboard expenses, tips for cruise ships, detailed cruise reviews, and more. Our goal is to provide helpful, unbiased information to new and established cruisers. Over the years, we've helped millions of people get the most from their cruise vacation.
Learn more about Cruise Spotlight.