Star of the Seas: The Most Anticipated New Cruise Ship Set to Debut in 2025

Royal Caribbean’s Star of the Seas has been named the Most Anticipated New Cruise Ship for 2025 in the Cruise Hive Awards, garnering nearly 30% of reader votes. This comes on the heels of the success of Icon of the Seas, the line’s first Icon-class vessel, which debuted in January 2024 and was also highly anticipated, eventually winning the title of Best Cruise Ship of 2024.

Under construction at Meyer Turku shipyard in Turku, Finland, Star of the Seas is set to enter service on August 31, 2025. The ship will weigh 248,663 gross tons and accommodate up to 5,610 guests at double occupancy. It will be one of two largest cruise ships in the world operated by Royal Caribbean.

The ship will feature eight unique neighborhoods offering various amenities and services, including an AquaDome for entertainment and dining, Chill Island for relaxation, Thrill Island for adventure rides, and family-friendly Surfside. Popular areas like the Royal Promenade and Central Park will also be included.

Star of the Seas will be homeported at Port Canaveral, Florida, and will provide 7-night Eastern and Western Caribbean cruises, including a stop at the highly praised Perfect Day at CocoCay.

Cruise bookings for Star of the Seas opened in December 2023, but a delay in construction announced in February 2024 pushed back the ship’s inaugural sailing from August 17 to August 31, 2025, with no specific reasons given for this delay.

In the voting for the Most Anticipated New Cruise Ship, Norwegian Aqua from Norwegian Cruise Line secured second place with 14.7% of the votes, while Star Princess from Princess Cruises came in third with 12.8%. Other notable mentions included Celebrity Xcel and MSC World America.

For more information on these ships, you can check Cruise Hive and their related articles.

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