Royal Caribbean Postpones Launch of Star of the Seas, Cancels Inaugural 2025 Voyages

Royal Caribbean has canceled the first two cruises aboard Star of the Seas, a new ship scheduled to make its debut next year. The vessel will now launch two weeks later than planned on August 31, 2025.

The cruise line emailed passengers about the delay this week, according to the Cruise Critic Royal Caribbean forum. Royal Caribbean’s website also now shows just one August sailing for Star of the Seas.

Travelers were given the option of getting a refund or shifting their booking to the August 31 sailing. They can also choose a different sailing on Star of the Seas or some other Royal Caribbean ship. Passengers must decide by March 12.

Royal Caribbean opened bookings for Star of the Seas in early December. The vessel is under construction at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland. Star of the Seas is an Icon-class ship—the same category as Royal Caribbean’s new Icon of the Seas, the largest cruise ship in the world. 

Other cruise lines have also had to delay the launch of new ships in recent weeks. The delivery of Princess Cruises’ newest ship, Sun Princess, was also late, which forced the cruise line to postpone its inaugural sailing. Oceania Allura’s 2025 launch date was also postponed.

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