Star of the Seas will be the second of Royal Caribbean's Icon Class cruise ships when she launches in 2025.
Star of the Seas will be a close follow-up to the wildly successful Icon of the Seas, although Royal Caribbean announced a few ways she will be different, such as improvements to the family features, dining changes, and more.
After Star of the Seas, there will be one more Icon Class cruise ship. This ship is on order and due in 2026. No details have been revealed yet about Icon 3.
Here is a look at the most important things we know about Star of the Seas.
This page will be updated periodically when Royal Caribbean reveals what the ship will offer to guests.
Star of the Seas facts
Star of the Seas will be the second Icon Class cruise ship when she's built.
She will be based in Port Canaveral, Florida, and offer 7-night cruises to the Eastern and Western Caribbean.
Homeporting Star of the Seas near Orlando was a purposeful choice, as Royal Caribbean is targeting one of the biggest family markets for its ultimate family vacation cruise ship.
Star of the Seas' maiden voyage with paying passengers was originally August 17, 2025. Royal Caribbean pushed back the arrival date to August 31, 2025. This will be a 7-night Western Caribbean sailing that visits Perfect Day at CocoCay, Costa Maya, Roatan, and Cozumel.
Star of the Seas should be right around the same size as Icon of the Seas.
Icon of the Seas is 20 decks high, 1,198 feet long, and measures 250,800 gross tons. She has more than 40 dining venues and bars, a waterpark, seven pools, and can handle 9,950 people (2,350 crew and 7,600 guests at maximum capacity).
Royal Caribbean is fond of making new ships just a little bit bigger than the previous vessel so they can market the new ship as the "biggest cruise ship in the world." However, this will not be the case with Star of the Seas.
According to Jay Schneider, Royal Caribbean's Senior Vice President and Chief Product Innovation Officer, Star of the Seas will not be slightly larger than the world's biggest cruise ship, Icon of the Seas. He said, "The world's best family vacation was never about size for us. It still isn't."
New Star of the Seas features
Family
Much like Icon of the Seas, Star of the Seas will have a heavy focus on the family experience.
Surfside, a neighborhood just for families, appeals to those 0-6 years old, but on Star of the Seas, the age will increase to 10 years old. Splashaway Bay, Playscape, and The Water's Edge Pool will be updated to reflect this change.
Located near Surfside is Adventure Ocean, where there will be more "analog play" offered. The teen club will also be rebooted. In addition, Royal Caribbean is experimenting with a kid-finder option so parents can track where their kids are on the ship.
And don't worry, there will be a family dog on Star of the Seas named Sailor! Sailor will become the second Chief Dog Officer in the Royal Caribbean fleet, after Icon of the Seas' Rover.
Dining
There will be a supper club on Star of the Seas, but it won't be the same as the one on Icon of the Seas. Instead of the Empire Supper Club, which had a New York City theme, Star of the Seas will have a Lincoln Park Supper Club with a Chicago theme.
Schneider said, "It's our flagship intimate fine dining entertainment concept [that] will bring forward that same formula that's worked so well in the Empire Supper Club. But again, themed menu, music, all paired to the Chicago and Chicagoland area."
Royal Caribbean is also looking to improve one of its new restaurants, AquaDome Market. Don't expect any drastic changes, as there will still be food stall options such as crepes, mac and cheese, and sandwiches.
Lastly, there will be a new restaurant in the Surfside neighborhood instead of Pier 7. The name of the restaurant or what the menu will look like hasn't been released.
Cabins
Royal Caribbean is testing out facial recognition cabins on Star of the Seas. This is a pilot program, so Royal Caribbean isn't sure how many cabins will have this new feature.
Also, The Ultimate Family Townhouse will receive a "new look" and "uplift" according to Schneider.
Entertainment
Cruisers can expect to find similar onboard amenities as Icon of the Seas, including Crown's Edge, Category 6 waterpark, multiple swimming pools, and more.
There will be an extra hot tub onboard. "We are adding a little bit of incremental water weight back in a hot tub that will be adjacent between Lime and Coconut and the AquaDome Market that was originally planned on being there [on Icon of the Seas], but got pulled at the last minute due to water weight," Schneider said.
Star of the Seas construction progress
The ship is currently under construction at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland.
In February 2023, a steel-cutting ceremony was held for Star of the Seas, which is when the first piece of steel is cut. This is an important milestone in the construction of any new cruise ship.
In December 2023, the keel was laid at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland. The hull assembly of Star of the Seas followed shortly thereafter in late December.
The laying of the keel means a crane lowered a massive steel block to the bottom of the construction pool on trestles to signal the start of assembling the ship's hull.
Read more: How long does it take to build a cruise ship
When will Star of the Seas be delivered?
According to filings Royal Caribbean Group made with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, delivery of the ship from the shipyard to the cruise line should take place in the second quarter of 2025.
The delivery date represents when the cruise ship would be handed over from the shipyard to the cruise line, but that is not when the ship is ready to enter service.
When a new cruise ship is delivered, formal construction is complete, but the ship still needs to be staffed, and amenities brought onboard as the ship prepares to enter service.
Incredible demand
The demand for this new ship has been incredible because of its follow-up to the ultra-successful Icon of the Seas.
The company saw the largest booking day in its history when reservations for the Icon of the Seas opened in October 2022. Royal Caribbean President & CEO Michael Bayley said Icon of the Seas was "the best-selling product in the history of our business."
Michael Bayley thinks Star of the Seas will build on the impressive legacy Icon of the Seas has already. "The idea of combining the best of every type of vacation into one ultimate adventure has created more excitement than ever anticipated, and Star of the Seas will be the next bold answer to the record-breaking consumer demand we’ve seen for Icon of the Seas."
Read more: Royal Caribbean ship classes
Next-gen power
Like Icon of the Seas, Star of the Seas will take advantage of cleaner fuel options.
This will be Royal Caribbean's third cruise ship powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG), as well as using some of the cleanest-burning marine fuel available to date with a proven lineup of industry-leading environmental programs on board.
With applications ranging from waste heat recovery systems to shore power connection, Royal Caribbean’s most sustainable ship will advance parent company Royal Caribbean Group’s journey to introducing a net-zero cruise ship by 2035.
When do bookings open for Star of the Seas?
Royal Caribbean opened bookings for Star of the Seas on December 5, 2023.
You can now book a cruise on Star of the Seas between August 2025 and April 2026. The new ship will offer 7-night cruises to the Eastern and Western Caribbean. All sailings visit Royal Caribbean's private island, Perfect Day at CocoCay.
There are four different itineraries:
- Perfect Day at CocoCay, St. Thomas, St. Maarten
- Perfect Day at CocoCay, St. Thomas, St. Kitts
- Perfect Day at CocoCay, Puerto Rico, St. Maarten
- Perfect Day at CocoCay, Cozumel, Roátan, Costa Maya
Read more: Royal Caribbean's new cruise ship prices are more expensive than Celebrity's new premium ship
