Royal Caribbean’s Star of the Seas Sets Sail on Its Inaugural Cruise

The Star of the Seas, Royal Caribbean International’s latest vessel, has officially set sail for its first revenue cruise on August 16, 2025, departing from Port Canaveral. This ship, weighing 250,800 tons, is the second in the Icon class and was delivered by the Meyer Turku shipyard in early July.

After a series of preparations and festive events, the ship welcomed its first paying guests over the weekend. The Star of the Seas is geared up to offer short getaways to the Bahamas, including visits to Royal Caribbean’s private island, Perfect Day at CocoCay.

On August 20, 2025, the ship will be officially named by research astronaut Kellie Gerardi during a ceremony. Initially, singer Diana Ross was expected to serve as the ship’s godmother but later opted out of the role.

The official maiden voyage is scheduled for August 31, 2025, inaugurating a year-round schedule of week-long Caribbean cruises. The first seven-night journey will explore the Western Caribbean with stops in Mexico and Honduras, such as Cozumel, Costa Maya, and Roatán, along with a visit to Perfect Day at CocoCay before returning to its homeport.

The Star of the Seas will continue offering these seven-night cruises from Port Canaveral through at least April 2027, also including ports of call in the Eastern Caribbean, including Philipsburg in St. Maarten, St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands, and San Juan in Puerto Rico.

This new ship joins the Icon class, which includes the already operational Icon of the Seas that launched in 2023, and will be joined by Legend of the Seas in 2026. A fourth sister ship is confirmed to be under construction at Meyer Turku for delivery in 2027.

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