Star of the Seas

The ship

Icon-class sister — Category 6, Surfside, AquaDome

Star of the Seas is the second Icon-class giant after Icon of the Seas from 2025: Category 6 waterpark, Surfside family neighbourhood, AquaDome, The Pearl, Chill Island pools and The Hideaway aft — Meyer Turku megaship living for over 5,600 guests. She clones Icon’s thrills-and-neighbourhoods formula so Royal Caribbean can run the product from more homeports. Still a multi-day learn; still the opposite of a quiet mid-size.

Specialty dining is the paid layer: among them Chops Grille, Empire Supper Club and Izumi — fuller list on the venue cards. Main Dining Room and Windjammer cover included meals; specialty adds cost. Reserve popular rooms on embarkation or before you sail — sea days still fill.

Evenings bring AquaDome high-dive and aqua shows plus Royal Theatre productions; daytime is Category 6 waterpark, Surfside for younger guests and the adults-only hideaways. She is Icon-class family megaship thrills at full stretch — budget packages before the brochure photo does the talking.

On board

Neighbourhoods and thrills

1. 01

   Eat across the neighbourhoods

   You will not eat everywhere in a week — highlights include Chops Grille, Empire Supper Club and Izumi (fuller set on the venue cards). Main Dining Room and Windjammer cover included meals; specialty adds cost. Reserve popular rooms on embarkation or before you sail — sea days still fill. Pick deliberately rather than treating the deck plan as a checklist.

2. 02

   AquaDome and the big stages

   The Royal Theatre is the centre of Star of the Seas’ show nights. Recent seasons have featured Back to the Future: The Musical. Treat any named show as current-season colour — the programme changes by season, so check your sailing before you plan the week around one title. Beyond the main house, notable entertainment rooms — among them the AquaDome, Absolute Zero ice, Music Hall and The Attic — are the spaces guests actually plan around, not every bar on the deck plan. Book AquaTheatre / ice / Two70 and headline theatre seats early — these are the rooms that sell out, not the casual promenade sets. Book a centre seat on night one if the headline matters; wandering in rarely beats a reservation on sea days.

3. 03

   Bars and after dark

   Swim-up bars, music venues, casino and nightclub energy. Drink packages are the usual Royal Caribbean decision — price them against what you will actually order. The mood is megaship buzz across neighbourhoods, not one quiet observation lounge as the main event. Specialty cocktails sit outside the included dining. Short walks still feel long on Icon class; pick a bar district and linger rather than racing the whole map every night. Programme and featured acts change by season — treat any named show as current-season colour, not a permanent fixture.

4. 04

   Category 6 and the open decks

   Category 6 waterpark, endless pools, FlowRider-style thrills and Chill Island lounging define daytime. Height and reservation rules apply on the biggest rides — check the planner on embarkation evening. Sunbeds vanish after breakfast on warm sea days. Vitality Spa and Solarium cover paid calm and adults water when the waterpark is loud. There is no “quiet small-ship deck” narrative here: the outdoor day is slides, splash and Chill Island recovery.

5. 05

   Surfside families and suites

   Surfside is built for families with young children; Adventure Ocean and teen spaces cover the rest. Suite guests get dedicated restaurants and lounge access where fitted. Sign-in windows shift by sea day and port day — check early or popular slots fill. Families who will use Surfside, Category 6 and AquaDome get the most from Star; couples seeking hush will feel Icon energy in every neighbourhood. Quiet adult-only corners are limited outside specialty dining, spa and Solarium.

Fit

Who she is for

• Families and first-timers who want Icon-class thrills — Category 6, Surfside, AquaDome — without insisting on the lead ship by name, happy walking between neighbourhoods.
• Repeat Royal Caribbean guests who already speak neighbourhood and will budget for specialty dining plus drinks, treating waterpark reservations as part of the holiday plan.
• Not the ship if you want quiet traditional dining, a small footprint, or ultra-luxury inclusions — choose a Voyager-class, Saga Spirit, or Silversea instead.

Where

Where Star of the Seas tends to go

Expect Florida–Caribbean and Perfect Day at CocoCay-style loops as Royal Caribbean beds the second Icon ship into the network; European seasons can appear later.

Treat this as the ship’s range, not a fixed timetable. When this guide is public, sailings with two or more UK agent prices will sit at the bottom.

Before you book

What the brochure skips

• Specialty dining, drink packages, spa and some thrill reservations sit outside the included dining — price the holiday as cruise plus extras.
• Compare UK agents on the same sailing — same ship, same date, cruise-only, two sharing.