When people talk about the latest and greatest cruise ships, they tend to focus on the most high-profile features. 

It’s, of course, impressive that Carnival’s latest ships offer onboard roller coasters and Royal Caribbean has ships with bumper cars, indoor skydiving and ice rinks.

In reality, though, new rides and activities aren’t what makes or breaks a cruise vacation. Yes, it’s fun to play laser tag or climb a rock wall, but both of those things are readily available on land, and relatively few people make either a regular priority.

Related: Royal Caribbean quietly fixes a big passenger problem

On a cruise, the real innovation comes more in the bones of the ship, the things you don’t think about more than the robot bartender or the fancy smoke machine that makes visually impressive drinks.

That’s where Royal Caribbean (RCL) – Get Free Report has stepped ahead of its chief rival and really the entire family-cruise business. Its latest ship, Icon of the Seas, incorporates the best features of the Oasis-class ships that came before it, but it also changes the entire experience of being on a ship.

It’s subtle, maybe not even noticeable, for people who have not been on dozens of different ships, but it’s impressive and a game changer compared to its rivals.

Icon of the Seas flows

Royal Caribbean’s previous class of ships, Oasis-class, was built around distinct neighborhoods. Each one had a distinct feel, but getting between them felt a bit like leaving one store at the mall to head to another.

On Icon, the neighborhoods flow into each other. You can start on the lower floor of the Royal Promenade — the two-floor heart of the ship packed with bars, restaurants, and entertainment venues — and walk all the way to Central Park on the eighth floor without taking an elevator.

The neighborhoods are distinct, but you can move among them in a way that makes the ship feel like it’s all part of the same thing.

Icon of the Seas has better elevators

Unless you’re in fantastic shape, taking elevators is a fact of life on cruise ships. Icon of the Seas has 18 decks, so it’s quite a hike to go from the casino or Playmakers sports bar on Deck 4 to the pools on Deck 15.

On most ships elevator lobbies become crowded with people hoping to snare a space on an elevator. That means that you can press up and hope, but the elevator may show up full, and even if you get on, you may end up stopping at countless floors on your way to your destination. 

Icon has an entirely new elevator system. You enter your intended floor on a touch pad, which directs you to an elevator by letter. Once you board, the elevator may make a stop or two, but it generally takes you right to your floor.

Carnival has used a variation of this technology on some ships, but not on its newest Excel-class ships. Its Vista-class ships have so-called smart elevators, but its version did not work well enough to make it onto its latest-and-greatest ships.

It may seem like a small thing, but it meaningfully cuts down on waiting, frustration and wasted time.

Icon of the Seas shows you the seas

When Icon was being built, Royal Caribbean teased people by showing a mysterious structure, the Pearl. It was pretty, but nobody knew exactly what it was.

The Pearl spans decks 5 and 6 on Icon of the Seas. It’s a stunning photo op with a grand staircase that leads to a large cafe, which features massive windows offering a spectacular view of the seas.

On Oasis-class ships, you have to be outside on lower decks if you want to see the sea. The Pearl, however, isn’t just a pretty visual. It’s actually load-bearing and structural, allowing for windows in a place that’s steel on the previous group of largest ships in the world.  

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