Wonder of the Seas vs. Star of the Seas: Side-by-Side Comparison of Two Royal Caribbean Big Ships

Choosing between Wonder of the Seas and Star of the Seas isn't as simple as picking the newer ship.

Royal Caribbean keeps raising the bar with its newest ships, so choosing the right one seems harder than ever. While both are among the largest cruise ships in the world and packed with activities, dining, and entertainment, each has a very different ship design and itinerary.

Wonder of the Seas is one of the last ships in the popular Oasis Class, and is the product of refined updates. Star of the Seas is just the second Icon Class ship that introduced so many innovative experiences and redesigned neighborhoods that have set a new standard for the cruise industry.

Depending on what you're looking for in a cruise, each ship has a different approach to what you can expect on your vacation.

If you’re trying to decide which ship is better for your next cruise, here are the key differences you should know.

Quick Comparison

Before we dig into the nuances and aspects of what makes Wonder and Star different, here is a glance at key metrics.

Ship Basics

Wonder of the Seas was at one time the biggest cruise ship in the world. While it lost that title a few times over, it remains in the top 10 biggest ships in the world and certainly won't leave you bored.

Star of the Seas doubles as Royal Caribbean's newest cruise ship and biggest cruise ship in the world. Star is 14,000 gross tons heavier and a bit longer than Wonder.

Another key difference between each ship is Star of the Seas is about 24% more efficient than a ship like Wonder. That's largely due to the fact it runs on Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) as its primary fuel, as well as a streamlined hull design, and significant improvements made in waste heat recovery.

Star of the Seas currently sails 7-night Eastern and Western Caribbean cruises from its homeport in Port Canaveral, Florida. Every sailing includes a stop at Perfect Day at CocoCay.

Wonder of the Seas only sails short cruises that are 3- or 4-nights long and is based in Miami, Florida.

Design & Neighborhoods

Royal Caribbean introduced the concept of neighborhoods on a cruise ship with the launch of the Oasis Class, and it further enhanced it with the Icon Class.

Both Wonder and Star rely on neighborhoods to make it easy to navigate these megaships, even if you've never been on one before.

You will find some of the same neighborhoods on both ships, with a few differences. Here are the neighborhoods on Wonder of the Seas:

• The Boardwalk, a nostalgic, family-fun area featuring a carousel, Playmakers, and the AquaTheater.
• Pool & Sports Zone, which features a Caribbean-style pool deck and thrilling water slides.
• Central Park, a lush, open-air garden with thousands of live plants.
• The Royal Promenade, the main thoroughfare, complete with shops and entertainment venues.
• Entertainment Place, the center of entertainment, featuring the comedy club, casino, Royal Theatre, and Studio B.
• Youth Zone, home to Adventure Ocean programming, an arcade, and a teen club.
• Vitality Spa & Fitness, Royal Caribbean's spa and fitness center.
• Suite Neighborhood, reserved area for suite guests and has its own restaurant, bar, and sun deck.

Here's how Star of the Seas is different with its neighborhood lineup:

• Thrill Island, home to a six slide waterpark, surf simulator, rock wall, and more.
• Chill Island, the pools and hot tubs on the top deck of the ship designed for relaxing.
• Surfside, area designed with young families in mind with restaurants, activities, and Splashaway Bay.
• AquaDome, home to the AquaTheater, it also features restaurants and bars with sweeping views from the front of the ship.
• The Hideaway, the adults-only Vegas pool party with infinity pool off the back of the ship.
• Suite Neighborhood, even bigger area for suite guests.
• Royal Promenade, two deck bustling center of the ship with shopping, dining, and bars.
• Central Park, open-air garden in the center of the ship.

Dining

You will find lots of dining options on both ships with a mix of included and extra cost restaurants.

It can be argued Star of the Seas offers more included restaurants that are worth dining at, compared to Wonder. It's an impressive array of included restaurants that had me questioning buying a dining package.

Both ships have a Main Dining Room and Windjammer buffet, that offer meals every day.  The Main Dining Room is open every day for breakfast and dinner (lunch on sea days). The Windjammer is open every day for all meals.

Wonder of the Seas has the Mason Jar, which is a Southern American restaurant. It's a country restaurant and bar, with many staples of comfort food from the South.

Star of the Seas has the Lincoln Park Supper Club, which is six-course meal that pairs music, cocktails, and food to create a fancy night out. This jazz club dining experience is unparalleled with the level of sophistication and service provided.

Perhaps the best included restaurant on any Royal Caribbean ship is the AquaDome Market. This is a food hall concept where there are different stalls for different types of cuisine. Thai, BBQ, Mediterranean and more are available.  

Plus, Star has specially designed restaurants for kids in the Surfside area. These lean heavy towards pizza, chicken fingers, hot dogs, and the typical foods kids love.

Here's a look at what venues are on each ship: 

Staterooms

Each of these Royal Caribbean ships have the same basic four cabin categories: inside, oceanview, balcony, and suite.

Star of the Seas actually has less cabins at 2,805, while Wonder of the Seas has 2,867 cabins.

Both ships have balcony rooms that face inwards instead of out to the ocean. You'll find Boardwalk and Central Park view balcony rooms on Wonder, while Star has Surfside and Central park view balcony rooms.

Star of the Seas has a number of room categories that you won't find on Wonder, and that's because Royal Caribbean came up with new ones for this ship class. Over half of the staterooms on Star of the Seas are unique to the Icon Class, including 8 new Suite categories and rooms designed specifically with families in mind. 

The Surfside Family Suite is one such room that offers space for kids and their parents to share.

It's divided into three areas and can handle up to 4 passengers.

The beauty of this room is the kids nook, which has a pullout sofa that converts to a bed. There's a TV just for the kids, along with USB plugs too.

Both Star and Wonder each have an impressive Ultimate Family Suite.  

The Ultimate Family Townhouse on Star of the Seas is an over-the-top jaw-dropping stateroom that easily costs over $100,000.

It has its own slide, movie room, bunk beds, and private patio with a fenced-in backyard.

The suite’s total indoor space measures 1,772 square feet, but when you add in the multiple balconies and backyard, the outdoor space totals more than 700 additional square feet.

Entertainment and activities

You won't be bored on either of these two ships, because Royal Caribbean has a well-deserved reputation for offering more to do onboard than anyone else.

Both ships offer trivia, rock wall climbing, surfing, mini golf, water slides, and laser tag.

One notable difference is Wonder of the Seas has the Ultimate Abyss, a 10 story high dry slide that looks quite intimidating. While not as scary as it seems, it's a thrill attraction families love.

Star of the Seas has significantly more water slides than Wonder. In fact, Star has double with 6 slides.

Both ships have Royal Caribbean comedians, live performances, ice skating shows, and AquaTheater shows. However, Star stands out because it has a full Broadway show.

Back to the Future: The Musical is performed on Star of the Seas and it's included in your cruise fare.  This is the same musical you'd see touring in theaters and it's a fantastic production.

The exact bars and lounges vary slightly, so here's a breakdown of which are available:

Who each ship is best for

In deciding to sail on Wonder of the Seas or Star of the Seas, the length of the cruise will be a major factor.

Wonder of the Seas offers 3- and 4-night cruises, and these are usually the kind of cruises first time cruisers gravitate towards because they offer a sampling.

Another advantage of going on Wonder is it will likely cost less because they are shorter sailings.  This allow someone on a budget or anyone wanting to squeeze in an extra cruise an attractive option.

You'd want to pick Star of the Seas for a traditional weeklong cruise vacation. Star visits many more places outside of The Bahamas, and there's a good mix of sea days and port days.

Plus, Star of the Seas is brand new and has the latest and greatest options. 

Certainly families will love either ship, but if you have kids under the age of 8, I'd recommend Star of the Seas because of how much more there is for them to do onboard.

You can argue adults sailing without kids might find Wonder more appealing because it has an indoor adults-only Solarium, the Mason Jar bar, and more of a party vibe because of the short sailings that include more parties.