When could you book Royal Caribbean's newest cruise ship, Star of the Seas, and get the best price on it?
As the newest ships for Royal Caribbean, these vessels have quickly become some of the most popular in the cruise line's fleet. Between the ship's record-breaking size, cutting-edge design, and wide array of family-focused amenities, Icon Class ships have so much to offer.
But, all these innovations and fun things to do come with a price tag to it. New cruise ships always command higher prices, but the public wants to be able to try it all out without paying top dollar.
If you’re looking to sail aboard Star of the Seas in the next couple years, you’ve come to the right place! As a data analyst by day (and cruise writer by night), I spent some time combing through pricing data on Gangwaze.com to determine the best times to cruise on Star of the Seas.
My analysis looks at balcony stateroom pricing per person for Star of the Seas’ itineraries through April 2027. Some values are normalized to calculate an average nightly price for comparative purposes. Additionally, I’ve incorporated data for Icon of the Seas to see how pricing compares between two of the largest cruise ships in the world.
Here’s when you should consider booking your cruise on Star of the Seas, especially if you’re hoping to save money.
How much does it cost to cruise on Star of the Seas?
Before diving into the pricing trends, let’s get a better idea of how much you can expect to pay nightly on a per person basis.
All of Star of the Seas’ itineraries are 7-night sailings to Eastern or Western Caribbean. In addition, all of her itineraries include a stop at Royal Caribbean’s private island in the Bahamas, Perfect Day at CocoCay.
Using data provided by Gangwaze, here’s a breakdown of the different cabin categories and the average nightly cost per person.
- Inside cabin: ~$241
- Oceanview cabin: ~$267
- Balcony cabin: ~$301
- Suite: ~$732
As expected, interior cabins without windows are the most affordable staterooms on Star of the Seas, followed by Oceanview cabins. Balcony cabins cost only slightly more, likely because of the higher proportion of balcony staterooms available on the ship. On the other hand, suites are priced much higher than all other categories.
Additionally, some of the prices for Star of the Seas vary slightly depending on the itinerary, particularly between Eastern and Western Caribbean sailings. We can also see this pricing gap becomes more pronounced in 2026 and 2027.
For instance, the data shows that Star of the Seas' Western Caribbean sailings are marginally cheaper overall.
The average cost for a balcony stateroom per person is $2,070 for Western Caribbean sailings compared to Eastern Caribbean itineraries at $2,075. These itineraries include ports of call in Cozumel (Mexico), Costa Maya (Mexico), Roatan (Honduras), and Perfect Day at CocoCay (Bahamas).
Comparatively, Eastern Caribbean itineraries on Star of the Seas visit destinations like Perfect Day at CocoCay (Bahamas), Charlotte Amalie (St. Thomas), and Philipsburg (St. Maarten). These ports of call tend to be more popular, likely leading to higher demand and higher prices overall.
Looking only at 2026 sailings, we see the average cost per person for Eastern Caribbean itineraries is $2,176. However, Western Caribbean sailings are slightly cheaper at $2,167. The gap widens even further in 2027 with Eastern Caribbean itineraries averaging a cost of $2,023 per person and $1,980 per person for Western Caribbean.
When is the cheapest month to sail on Star of the Seas?
Cruise fares typically fluctuate throughout the year with obvious seasonality trends. To better understand seasonality impacts and pricing trends for Star of the Seas, I analyzed the month-over-month pricing averages. Statistically, we can see that month of year explains about 56% of pricing variance for Star of the Seas.
Regardless of the ship’s age, seasonality is still an important factor to consider if you’re wanting to save money. Overall, we see prices for Star of the Seas continue to climb each month throughout the remainder of the year. Surprisingly, itineraries in the next few months on Star of the Seas are some of the ship’s cheapest sailings. For instance, the average price for September 2025 is $1,506, compared to $1,899 in September 2026.
June 2026 and July 2026 are the most expensive months to sail on Star of the Seas, with average prices of $2,674 and $2,700 per person, respectively. By September 2026, however, fares drop sharply to an average of $1,899. This is a 29.67% decrease from the summer peak!
Since Star of the Seas is branded as the “World’s Best Family Vacation,” it’s no surprise that demand skyrockets during school breaks. Families tend to book heavily in June and July, which drives up prices to match the surge in demand.
(Balcony pricing by sail date for Star of the Seas, from Gangwaze)
If you’re hoping to save money and avoid sailing with as many families onboard, September and October are the best months to book. Whenever possible, it’s worth skipping peak summer months altogether for a more affordable and relaxing experience.
Of course, we also see obvious price increases during other peak cruising months, including spring break and holidays. Massive pricing surges are observed for December 2025 and 2026. While early December itineraries have more typical pricing (around $1,930), holiday itineraries over Christmas skyrocket to $2,881 and $3,443 per person.
Looking at all available monthly data, September is consistently the cheapest month to cruise on Star of the Seas. The average cost for a balcony stateroom per person drops to $1,730 in September compared to summer months. With kids back in school and hurricane season at its peak, September tends to see some of the lowest demand and most affordable fares for Star of the Seas.
Other months to consider booking for saving money include January (average cost of $1,908) and October (average cost of $1,892).
How does the price compare to Icon of the Seas?
With Star of the Seas joining her sister-ship as the latest Icon Class vessel, you might be wondering how the pricing compares between the two. Since Icon of the Seas has been sailing for nearly two years, prices have leveled out as the initial hype has worn off.
In addition, Star of the Seas isn’t the first of its kind like Icon of the Seas was. Therefore, pricing is already slightly less volatile than we experienced with Icon of the Seas during her inaugural season.
Overall, pricing for Icon of the Seas follows the same seasonality trends as Star of the Seas. The highest prices are seen in June and July, followed by the holiday season in December. Over the next two years, pricing between Icon of the Seas and Star of the Seas steadily comes into alignment with almost identical pricing in 2027. However, Star of the Seas will continue to be more expensive than Icon of the Seas through 2026.
In 2025, Star of the Seas has an average balcony price around $1,870.90 per person. Comparatively, Icon of the Seas has a lower average cost, around $1,767.80 per person. In 2026, this gap widens even further. The average cost for Star of the Seas increases to $2,229.90 while Icon of the Seas is about $262 less, at $1,968 per person. With Star of the Seas continuing to sail for her inaugural year, pricing seems to be consistently inflated throughout 2026.
However, we see a big shift in pricing trends in 2027. Looking at pricing data for 2027 sailings, Star of the Seas has an average price per person of $2,000 while Icon of the Seas is similarly priced at $1,966. By this point, the cost difference between Star of the Seas and Icon of the Seas is marginal at only $34.
Based on early trends for 2027 itineraries, pricing for Star of the Seas appears to stabilize, as we would expect with the ship entering her second year of service.
Right now, Star of the Seas is less sensitive to seasonality fluctuations
Both Star of the Seas and Icon of the Seas follow clear seasonal demand patterns, with prices peaking in the summer and dipping in the fall. However, Star of the Seas is currently less sensitive to seasonality changes.
During the busy summer months when families are most likely to vacation, Star of the Seas and Icon of the Seas have the highest prices of the entire year. However, once the prices begin to fall, Icon of the Seas has a steeper drop in pricing compared to Star of the Seas. For instance, from December 2025 to January 2026, Icon of the Seas declines in price by 33.28% while Star of the Seas decreases by 26.14%.
The difference here is how sharply the ships respond to these seasonal swings. Icon of the Seas is now almost two years old and shows steeper seasonal discounts as the initial launch hype has worn off.
On the other hand, Star of the Seas is still basking in the “new ship” effect and holds its pricing power more firmly over the next year. We see less dramatic pricing fluctuations with Star of the Seas right now.
However, it’s important to note that Royal Caribbean will introduce a third Icon Class ship, Legend of the Seas, in summer 2026. Once Legend of the Seas makes her debut in Europe, Star of the Seas will no longer hold the “newest ship” spotlight.
As a result, Star of the Seas' pricing is likely to normalize and follow a path more like Icon of the Seas with strong summer peaks and steeper discounts. Right now, Star of the Seas resists seasonality more than Icon of the Seas thanks to her novelty, but that advantage will fade once Legend of the Seas launches.
Surprisingly, you can still book impressive last-minute deals for Star of the Seas.
Last-minute cruise deals are largely a thing of the past. With most ships sailing at or near full capacity, waiting until closer to your departure date usually means paying more for your cruise. However, I was surprised to find some last-minute deals for Star of the Seas during my pricing analysis.
Considering Star of the Seas is brand-new, I would expect that a last-minute sailing for this fall would be astronomical. In fact, we see the opposite. You can book some of the cheapest fares for Star of the Seas in September 2025. Currently, Royal Caribbean has two sailings next month with an average price of $1,506 for a balcony stateroom. Interior cabins are even cheaper, as these windowless staterooms are priced around $1,300 for next month.
This could be related to September being considered peak hurricane season with lower demand. Regardless, it’s unusual to see lower prices for a last-minute deal on a brand-new vessel. If you have flexibility in your schedule and you’re looking for a spontaneous getaway, check out some of the September itineraries for Star of the Seas.
In addition, if you’re looking to plan a cruise on Star of the Seas in 2027, it’s best if you book your sailing soon. In general, we recommend booking your cruises as far in advance as you can. For those who aren’t able to plan years in advance, this might not always be realistic. However, for those who can plan this far in the future, you can grab a more affordable rate for Star of the Seas in April 2027.
