Royal Caribbean‘s giant new ship, Star of the Seas, sailed into Port Canaveral early on the morning of Aug. 9, officially becoming one of the two largest cruise ships in commercial operation.
Star of the Seas matches its Royal Caribbean sister ship, the Miami-based Icon of the Seas, as the world’s largest cruise ship. The Star has 20 decks, 2,805 staterooms, a double-occupancy capacity of 5,610 passengers, and a crew of 2,350.
Such a big ship deserves recognition from a big star. Motown legend Diana Ross is the ship’s “godmother” and will participate at a naming ceremony later this month.
“We’ve been preparing for the arrival of Star of the Seas for many months, including recent enhancements to Cruise Terminal 1, and are excited to officially welcome her to Port Canaveral,” Port Canaveral CEO John Murray said.
Murray called the Icon-class Star of the Seas “a fantastic new addition to our home-ported ship lineup,” adding that it “represents the growing demand for cruising from Port Canaveral,” which is the world’s second-busiest cruise port, behind PortMiami.
Royal Caribbean Group President and CEO Jason Liberty described his company’s taking delivery of Star of the Seas in July from the Finnish shipyard Meyer Turku as “another bold step forward in Royal Caribbean Group’s journey to reimagine the future of vacations. Star and the Icon class are a symbol of what’s possible when innovation, imagination and our relentless focus on delivering exceptional experiences come together.”
The ship took nearly two years to build, and is powered by cleaner-burning liquefied natural gas,
Where will Star of the Seas be sailing?
After several initial short sailings of three or four nights, Star of the Seas will begin its regular schedule of seven-night sailings out of Port Canaveral to the eastern and western Caribbean and the Bahamas.
The ship’s itinerary will include visits to Royal Caribbean’s private island in the Bahamas, Perfect Day at CocoCay. Among its ports of call — offered on a rotating basis — are Basseterre, St. Kitts and Nevis; Cozumel, Mexico; Philipsburg, St. Maarten; Roatan, Honduras; and San Juan, Puerto Rico.
What are some of the features of the ship?
The Star of the Seas has eight “neighborhoods” with distinctive themes. Among them:
Thrill Island: This neighborhood includes Category 6, the largest waterpark at sea with six waterslides, including family raft slides, a drop slide and dueling mat racers; Crown’s Edge, the part-skywalk, part-thrill ride 154 feet above the ocean; the FlowRider surf simulator; and a rock-climbing wall.
Chill Island: A three-deck area with four pools, including Royal Bay, the largest pool at sea. This area also has poolside performances by bands and DJs.
AquaDome: With wraparound ocean views, this area has shows at the AquaTheater, with high divers, aerialists and robots. AquaDome also is home to a variety of food and drink spots including theAquaDome Market food hall, the Rye & Bean bar, Hooked Seafood and The Overlook bar.
The Hideaway: Located 135 feet above the ocean, the adults-only spot features asuspended infinity pool , a DJ, a bar, a terrace with whirlpools and vast ocean views.
The ship also has six specific venues for young children and teens.
How many eating and drinking venues are on Star of the Seas?
The ship has 13 complimentary dining venues, plus 13 specialty dining venues. It has 18 bars and lounges.
What other entertainment is on the ship?
The ship’s signature theatrical show will be “Back to the Future: The Musical.”
Star of the Seas also has a casino, escape room, fitness center, jogging track, laser tag area, mini-golf, sports court, spa and whirlpools.
Motown legend godmother
Royal Caribbean named music icon Diana Ross as the godmother of Star of the Seas.
She will participate in the naming ceremony for Star of the Seas during an event in the ship’s AquaTheater on Aug. 20 while the ship is docked at Port Canaveral.
As godmother, Ross will preside at a long-standing traditional maritime ceremony of bestowing safekeeping onto the ship, its crew and its passengers.
How many passengers will be able to sail on the ship at one time?
Royal Caribbean isn’t disclosing the full-capacity figure, which would include cabins occupied by three or more passengers. It only is listing the capacity based on double-occupancy of cabins of 5,610 passengers.
But full capacity on Star of the Seas is likely to be over 7,000.
Will there be a public event marking the ship’s debut?
On Saturday, Aug. 16, at Jetty Park, Port Canaveral will have what it’s calling a “Star-Studded Sailabration” wave-out for Star of the Seas, starting at 3:30 p.m. The event will feature a DJ, food trucks, ice cream and giveaways.
Star of the Seas will be one of six cruise ships sailing out of port that day
Spectators need an annual or day pass to get into Jetty Park. To purchase one, go to https://shop.portcanaveral.com.
What other Royal Caribbean ships are based at Port Canaveral?
Adventure of the Seas and Utopia of the Seas also will be based at Port Canaveral. In addition, Symphony of the Seas — which is based at Cape Liberty, New Jersey — makes port-of-call stops at Port Canaveral.
Wonder of the Seas — which now is based at Port Canaveral — is being redeployed to Miami with the arrival of Star of the Seas to Port Canaveral.
With Star of the Seas joining the fleet, Utopia of the Seas becomes the world’s third-largest cruise ship and Wonder of the Seas becomes the fourth-largest.
Dave Berman is business editor at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Berman at dberman@floridatoday.com, on X at @bydaveberman and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/dave.berman.54
