I'm a frequent cruiser on Royal Caribbean, and I've sailed on Star of the Seas five times. It's not only its newest ship but also it's most impressive.
New ships are incredible because they offer the latest and greatest features. Whether or not you take advantage of everything is secondary to the fact it's great to have access to it all, if you so choose.
Since Star debuted in August 2025, I've figured out all the nuances of the ship. But someone new to it should know a few things before boarding.
Here are the seven things I wish someone would have told me before I ever went on Star of the Seas to make it a better cruise.
The included restaurants are better than on other Royal Caribbean ships
There are so many different places to eat around Star of the Seas, and I was surprised by how good the included restaurants are.
Every Royal Caribbean ship has included and specialty restaurants. Usually the included restaurants are satisfactory, so you are easily tempted by the extra cost ones.
However, the included options on Star are so good that you can easily rely just on them.
Dining at Aquadome Market, Basecamp, Park Cafe, and Pearl Cafe are all good enough to keep me going all day. Add to that the Windjammer buffet and the Main Dining Room, and I really don't think you will long as much for specialty restaurants as you would on other ships.
Don't get me wrong, the specialty restaurants are all really good too. It's just the included food is that much better on Star.
To that point, I'd also add you should skip the Windjammer (and its crowds) on embarkation day.
You'll find really good alternatives at Aquadome Market or Basecamp with far fewer people to contend with.
Price is Right is pay to win
Royal Caribbean added the Price is Right game show to Star of the Seas as a new entertainment event onboard.
The game show offers guests the chance to win cash and prizes, similar to the television show. However, there are some notable differences.
First and foremost, you have to pay if you want to play. Before the show begins, you have the option of buying into the game. Essentially, you buy entries towards the grand prize and that gets you into the game as a potential contestant.
- 1 entry: $15
- 2 entries: $25
- 6 entries: $60
If you don't buy in, you can't be called up to participate and you can't participate in any of the games.
Each item up for bid and game played relies on passengers using their phone to access a website and submit their bid or vote. Only those that paid to enter the game can truly participate.
It reminded me how bingo works on the ship in that respect.
When I played, there were easily over a 100 people that paid to participate. This made it quite competitive with any of the audience voting.
When an item was up for bid, you basically had to get the amount exactly right and fast. In the case of a tie, whoever put their price in fastest wins. Most of the winning bids were submitted in under two seconds.
I had a lot of fun, but the cruise ship version is definitely not exactly what you remember on television.
Finding the dog is likely not going to happen
The top thing everyone I met on Star of the Seas wanted to see was the family dog that lives onboard, Sailor.
Royal Caribbean has captured the imagination of its cruisers by adding a dog to this ship. However, the dog is not so easy to track down.
Real talk: you're probably not going to even see the dog, let alone meet her.
It seems they limit Sailor to interactions in uncrowded areas and at random times. This means, you're not going to see Sailor on the Royal Promenade or the pool deck.
In all my sailings on Star of the Seas, I've seen Sailor only once or twice. On my recent sailing, she made a very brief appearance at the Top Tier event for Crown and Anchor Society members.
Based on photos I've seen from other passengers, it seems the only tried and true way to find Sailor is to stalk her relief pad on the jogging track. Sooner or later, she has to go there. This doesn't sit well with me as a strategy, but so many photos I've seen of guests with Sailor are on the jogging track and that's not a coincidence.
Don't skip restaurants in Surfside because you don't have kids
The Surfside neighborhood is an area of the ship specifically designed for young families, but you shouldn't avoid it just because you don't have kids.
Sure, the arcade, Splashaway Bay, and the mini slide are probably not going to be of interest to you. But you should still visit for the food.
There are three restaurants in Surfside that are vastly underrated and overlooked by too many cruisers:
- Surfside Eatery: family-friendly buffet
- Surfside Bites: grab-and-go comfort food
- Pier 7: specialty restaurant
Surfside Eatery might be advertised as a "kids buffet" but there are a lot of food that adults will enjoy too. Heck, on embarkation day they had the same filet mignon and lobster tails that the Windjammer had.
Plus, this buffet is far less crowded than the Windjammer.
I think Pier 7 is the most underrated restaurant on the ship. It's almost hidden in the back of Surfside, and it serves up "California-inspired dishes," and I really like that there are different foods you won't usually find elsewhere on the ship.
If you pre-purchase Pier 7 on the Royal Caribbean app, you can get in for just $8.99 per person and it's well worth it at that price.
The shower is amazing, but the basket storage is disappointing
Two things stand out about most of the cabins on Star of the Seas.
First, I love the shower on Icon Class ships. Royal Caribbean designed a larger than expected shower that has a seat in it too.
Other cruise ships typically have a "tube" design to their shower that feels constricted and tight.
But the shower on Star of the Seas is one you'd actually want to spend more time in.
However, one design flaw in these staterooms are the choice of baskets for storage.
While there are drawers and a closet, you'll find a set of wire baskets too. The issue is it puts its contents on display for anyone to see. But worst of all, they make an awful sound when you pull or put back the basket as it slides against the wood.
The ship's layout makes it feel so much less crowded
If you've been on other cruise ships, then you know how crowded they can feel at times. But that's not really the case with Star of the Seas.
Royal Caribbean engineered the crowd flow so well that even with 2,500 kids onboard our Thanksgiving cruise, it was rare to truly find a crowd.
Having the Royal Promenade be two decks and fully loop really helped open up that space and keep people moving. The pool deck is also well designed, with three decks and smaller, separate pools that spread people out.
Plus, the destination elevators are a godsend. You'll rarely wait for elevators and encounter even fewer crowded ones. This alone is one of the best quality of life changes I've seen on a cruise ship.
Don't expect the ship to feel like your own private yacht, but you can look forward to less lines than you might have had on other ships.
Some people really are bothered that there's no Solarium
I've heard from a number of readers that they missed having an enclosed adults-only pool area on Star.
Instead, the adults-only pool area are both outdoors at Swim & Tonic and The Hideaway.
Both pools are fun for different reasons, but each has a different vibe from the Solarium that you'd find on other Royal Caribbean ships.
Personally, it doesn't bother me because I'm not someone that ever spent much time in the Solarium. But it seems to be a piece of feedback worth repeating since it's often mentioned after trying this ship.
Ever since Royal Caribbean made the Swim & Tonic adults-only, I didn't have as much of an issue with the adult spaces. I find Hideaway too loud and lacking shade, but I recognize I'm not the target demographic for that space.
I'll gladly go back on Star of the Seas anytime
Each time I've sailed on Star of the Seas I've come home thinking how much I loved this ship.
Like Icon of the Seas, this class of ship is truly outstanding and I think it's worthy of being called the very best in the world.
Yes, you'll pay a premium to sail on it, but the changes, innovations, and additions to Star make it easily my favorite.
