The world's second Icon Class ship is ready to make her grand debut in Florida.
Following in the footsteps of Icon of the Seas, Star of the Seas joins Royal Caribbean's fleet as one of the largest cruise ships in the world.
Onboard, guests will find everything from a record-breaking water park to one-of-a-kind entertainment options, unique dining options, and well-appointed staterooms.
Whether you're counting down the days until your Caribbean cruise on Star of the Seas or are in awe at how cruise ships continue to push the boundaries of innovation at sea, there's no denying that Star's debut is a major milestone.
Star of the Seas size
Star of the Seas is a massive cruise ship, measuring 1,196 feet long and 219 feet wide. At 248,663 gross registered tons with a maximum passenger capacity of 7,600, she's about 5% larger than Utopia of the Seas.
It will be a long time until the Icon Class sisters are dethroned as the world's largest cruise ships. To put that into perspective, Royal Caribbean's Oasis Class debuted in 2008, and Oasis vessels held the record for over 15 years until 2024.
Royal Caribbean loved making each Oasis Class ship slightly larger than the last. However, they've stepped back from that practice with Icon and Star of the Seas.
Read more: Royal Caribbean ships by age — Newest to Oldest
Now, they're more focused on creating the best family vacations. "[The size has] never been a focus for us. The world's best family vacation was never about size for us. It still isn't," said Jay Schneider, Royal Caribbean's Senior Vice President and Chief Product Innovation Officer, in 2024.
As such, there are some noticeable differences between Icon of the Seas and Star of the Seas. After Icon's launch, Royal Caribbean took guest feedback and made a few tweaks to Star.
What's new and different onboard Star of the Seas
Generally speaking, the structural bones of Star of the Seas are nearly identical to Icon. The layout and separate neighborhoods remain, but there are new dining and entertainment options, as well as refreshed public spaces to better appeal to the line's target audience.
Starting with entertainment, you can expect at least 3 new shows, including the highly anticipated Back to the Future: The Musical. There will also be a new high-diving spectacle in the Aquatheater (Torque) and an ice skating show in Absolute Zero (Sol).
Like with all theater shows aboard Royal Caribbean ships, Back to the Future: The Musical, Torque, and Sol are included in the cost of the cruise fare for all guests.
Read more: What's new and different on Royal Caribbean's Star of the Seas
Moving on to one of the most important aspects of a great cruise vacation (the food), Royal Caribbean has redesigned the specialty supper club, as well as changed a few of the food stalls in the AquaDome Market.
Instead of the Empire Supper Club (themed after none other than The Big Apple!), the Lincoln Park Supper Club will feature a Chicago-inspired theme. As such, the cocktails, menu, and music at the $200-per-person specialty restaurant reflect the spirit of Chicago.
There are new complimentary options in the AquaDome food hall, too. Three stalls were swapped to bring new flavors and dishes to the high seas — Pig Out BBQ, Mai Thai, and La Cocinita replaced GNGR, Mac's, and Toast & Garden.
Throughout the ship, guests may also notice new bar menus. Aside from the fleetwide menu going to all vessels, the pub has a new menu, along with new non-alcoholic frozen drink machines at The Lime and Coconut and a new Painchiller dispenser.
Outside, not much has changed. Unless, that is, you venture down to Surfside, the play-all-day neighborhood designed for families.
Compared to Icon, the Splashaway Bay aqua park and Playscape received new features and more interactive play elements. The Water's Edge pool is more kid-friendly, too.
There's also one extra hot tub near the entrance to the AquaDome Market. The hot tub was initally supposed to be on Icon of the Seas, but it was removed over weight concerns.
When Royal Caribbean reevaluated the design, they discovered it wasn't necessary to remove it. As such, it was added to Star of the Seas' design plans early on.
Finally, while there are no new innovations (such as an extra water slide), Star of the Seas is the only ship in the fleet to feature robotic vacuum cleaners.
28 different stateroom categories
Royal Caribbean built Star of the Seas to cater to families. As such, over 80% of the cabins onboard can accommodate three or more guests. Not only that, but 70% of all rooms will feature a private balcony.
Cabins exclusive to Icon Class ships include:
- Family Infinite Ocean View Balcony
- Infinite Ocean View Balcony
- Infinite Central Park View Balcony
- Surfside Family View Balcony
- Surfside Family View Interior
- Interior Plus
- Sunset Junior Suite
- Surfside Family Suite
- Infinite Grand Suite
- Sunset Suite
- Sunset Corner Suite
- Icon Loft
- Ultimate Family Townhouse
Countless dining options
It's impossible to go hungry on Star of the Seas. Between the complimentary and specialty venues, there's something to satisfy all cravings.
That said, you must be aware of which restaurants will cost you extra while on the ship. You can go the entire week without splurging on a specialty meal, but it's easy to be tempted by the restaurants' unique menus and atmosphere.
Complimentary restaurants
You'll find 14 complimentary dining venues on Star of the Seas, including Sprinkles and the two suite-only restaurants:
- Surfside Bites
- Surfside Eatery
- AquaDome Market
- Main Dining Room
- Coastal Kitchen (for those staying in suites)
- The Grove (for those staying in suites)
- Basecamp
- Sorrento's
- El Loco Fresh
- Vitality Cafe (with a few exceptions)
- Sprinkles
- Pearl Café (with a few exceptions)
- Park Cafe
- Windjammer Marketplace
Specialty restaurants
14 venues onboard Star of the Seas come with an additional charge:
- Hooked Seafood
- Lincoln Park Supper Club
- Celebration Table
- Chops Grille
- Chef's Table
- Izumi Hibachi & Sushi
- Izumi in the Park
- Sugar Beach
- Desserted
- Playmaker's
- Pier 7
- Starbucks
- Giovanni's Italian Kitchen and Wine Bar
- Trellis Bar (bar bites)
Star of the Seas will sail from Port Canaveral (Orlando), Florida, through at least April 2027
Star of the Seas will offer 7-night cruises to the Eastern and Western Caribbean from Port Canaveral, Florida.
Nearly every sailing will visit Perfect Day at CocoCay, Royal Caribbean's private island in The Bahamas. The one (current) exception is the May 3, 2026, cruise, which lists St. Thomas, Puerto Rico, and Haiti as its three ports of call.
Before arriving in Port Canaveral on Aug. 9, Royal Caribbean invited media and influencers on board for a quick 3-night preview sailing from Ponce, Puerto Rico.
Star of the Seas' official inaugural cruise will depart on Aug. 31 and sail to CocoCay, Roatán, Costa Maya, and Cozumel.
However, the ship will embark on a series of short preview cruises beforehand, as the vessel's construction finished ahead of schedule. The first will depart on Aug. 16, 2025.
The newest Icon Class ship was delivered to Royal Caribbean in July 2025
Construction of the brand-new vessel took over 730 days. The delivery was met with a celebration attended by cruise line executives, crew members, and shipyard employees in Finland.
Even though Meyer Turku's time with Star has come to an end, they're hard at work building Legend of the Seas. Legend of the Seas will sail out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, following her inaugural debut in Europe in 2026.
