by Sarah Kuta
Last updated: 2:50 PM ET, Tue December 5, 2023
While crews are hard at work building Royal Caribbean’s new Star of the Seas ship, the cruise line is opening bookings for the vessel’s inaugural season.
When it sets sail in August 2025, Star of the Seas will take travelers on 7-night vacations departing from Port Canaveral near Orlando, Florida, the cruise line revealed today. The ship will sail to ports in the Caribbean, with stops at Royal Caribbean’s private island, Perfect Day at CocoCay.
Bookings are now open for members of the cruise line’s loyalty program, the Crown & Anchor Society. Starting Wednesday, all other travelers will also be able to book trips on the forthcoming vessel.
Star of the Seas will offer both Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries, with stops at destinations like Basseterre, St. Kitts and Nevis; Cozumel, Mexico; Philipsburg, St. Maarten; Roatan, Honduras; and San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Every Star of the Seas itinerary will also include a visit to Royal Caribbean’s private island in the Bahamas, which features 13 waterslides, a helium balloon ride, a zip line and a large freshwater pool. In January, Royal Caribbean is also opening a new adults-only area, called Hideaway Beach, complete with cabanas and a private beach.
Star of the Seas is the second ship in Royal Caribbean’s soon-to-be-launched Icon Class. And while travelers eagerly await the arrival of Star of the Seas in two years, another Royal Caribbean megaship is gearing up for its inaugural cruise. Icon of the Seas, which is the largest cruise ship in the world, will set sail in January from Miami.
A third Icon Class ship is also in the works and scheduled to launch in 2026. Finnish shipbuilder Meyer Turku is constructing all three ships, which run on liquified natural gas.
Like Icon of the Seas, Star of the Seas will have eight distinct neighborhoods, plus dozens of food and beverage venues and seven pools. It will also feature Royal Caribbean’s Category 6 waterpark, home to six waterslides, and a Crown’s Edge adventure area, which combines a skywalk, a ropes course and a thrill ride.
Port Canaveral officials celebrated Star of the Seas’ homeport assignment. The ship will join several other Royal Caribbean vessels there, including Wonder of the Seas and Allure of the Seas, which are both in the Oasis Class. When it launches next year, Utopia of the Seas will also be based out of Port Canaveral.
“This is tremendous news, and we are very proud to be the homeport for this remarkable new ship,” said Capt. John Murray, chief executive officer of Port Canaveral, in a statement shared with the Orlando Sentinel. “Star of the Seas will add even more excitement to the Royal Caribbean fleet that calls Port Canaveral home. We’re looking forward to her arrival in 2025 and will be ready to welcome her and the many cruise guests who will enjoy all that she has to offer.”
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