Star of the Seas First Impressions: What’s New vs Icon of the Seas
Today we’re boarding the newest, biggest, and most expensive cruise ship in the world — Royal Caribbean’s two-billion-dollar Star of the Seas. This isn’t just a ship; it’s a floating city, and we’re here on her maiden voyage.
We’ve already sailed on her big sister, Icon of the Seas, so we were curious: is Star just a copy-and-paste job, or has Royal Caribbean actually changed things up? Spoiler: there are plenty of differences, and some of them are really exciting.
We paid for this cruise ourselves. Royal Caribbean did not know we would be reviewing the ship.
Watch Our First Impressions Onboard
This vlog takes you through boarding, our first walk around the neighborhoods, and everything that stood out the moment we stepped onto Star of the Seas.
Getting to Port Canaveral
Star of the Seas sails from Port Canaveral, which is a convenient port and perfect for a pre-cruise trip to the Orlando theme parks — just like we did. We stayed near Epic Universe, and it was about an hour and fifteen minutes’ drive from Orlando, all on one straight road. Super easy.
We’d already checked in, uploaded documents, and completed the muster drill on the Royal Caribbean app. Honestly, if you’re cruising with Royal, download the app — it saves so much time at the port.
We stuck to our port arrival time of 12:30 (highly recommended, otherwise you risk being turned away).
Walking up to the terminal, we could already see her in the distance. She’s absolutely gigantic. From the moment we saw her, we were buzzing with excitement.
Smooth Sailing Through Check-In
Check-in was a breeze. The terminal was quiet, security was quick, and there was even a live Caribbean band playing steel drums to set the mood. Within minutes, we were stepping on board.
And honestly? Even after more than 100 cruises, we still get butterflies walking onto a new ship. This one felt surreal — that mix of excitement and nerves when you’ve been looking forward to something for so long.
First Look Onboard
The ship is absolutely brand-spanking new. It’s shiny, fresh, and buzzing with energy. We could already hear the music and party atmosphere from the pool deck.
Same Layout, New Twists
The ship is almost identical to Icon of the Seas, albeit with different artwork, colors, and small touches. It feels fresh, vibrant, and modern. But beyond those tweaks, there are some big changes worth noting.
Entertainment Gets a Refresh
Star has her own exclusive headliner: Back to the Future: The Musical. Yes, complete with a live orchestra and time-traveling DeLorean moments. The ship even has a dedicated Back to the Future channel showing all three movies back-to-back — perfect for fans, or in David’s case, for watching them for the very first time (shameful!).
The AquaDome show has been refreshed too. On Icon, it was AquaAction; on Star, it’s Torque, a brand-new acrobatic stunt spectacular. On our sailing it was still “In Preview,” meaning some of the stunts weren’t quite working yet.
Over at the rink, the ice show Starburst has been swapped out for Sol, which is already getting rave reviews. It’s the biggest ice cast on any Royal Caribbean ship, with incredible projections and amazing talent on display.
Even the parties have had an update. The old 70s night has been replaced with the Millennium Party, which includes a Y2K fancy dress night (we didn’t pack for that one!) and a new deck party playing hits from the 90s and 00s.
Dining Expands in the AquaDome
The AquaDome Market now offers even more choice, with three new stalls: La Cocinita (South American bites), Pig Out BBQ (slow-cooked comfort food), and Mai Thai (Asian flavors). These join favorites like Feta Mediterranean and Crème de la Crêpe.
There’s also a new twist on the supper club. Icon had the Empire Supper Club with a New York theme, but Star introduces the Lincoln Park Supper Club, inspired by 1930s Chicago. Think jazz and speakeasy vibes. We didn’t try it this time — at $300 USD per person, it’s a splurge we couldn’t justify.
Surfside Grows Up
The Surfside neighborhood is still the family heart of the ship, but Star makes it better for older kids too. Splashaway Bay and the Playscape are larger, and Royal has introduced a clever new feature: “Find My Kid.” On a ship this size, knowing exactly where your kids are is a big relief for parents.
Adults Finally Get Swim & Tonic
One of the biggest changes is Swim & Tonic. When Icon launched, Royal marketed it as open to all ages. In reality, it worked much better as an adults-only space. On Star — and now on Icon too — Royal made the change official.
It feels more like a proper resort swim-up bar now, and we love the shift. Star also adds a tenth hot tub on deck 15, easing some of the sea-day crowding.
Smarter and Greener Tech
Star debuts clever sustainability features. She uses AI-powered systems to predict food demand, cutting down on waste. Leftovers are even reprocessed into fuel.
There’s also a robot cleaner gliding through the ship. Is it necessary? Maybe not. But it was a hit with guests who loved snapping photos of it.
And for anyone who needs to stay connected, Starlink Wi-Fi is standard. We’ve already noticed it’s faster and more reliable than on other ships.
Extra Personality
Star isn’t without her own personality. She has a new Chief Dog Officer, Sailor the golden retriever, carrying on Rover’s legacy from Icon.
Final Thoughts
Stepping onboard Star of the Seas felt familiar, but also brand new. Yes, the neighborhoods and layout mirror Icon, but the differences are more than cosmetic. The shows are fresh, the dining is expanded, the family areas are smarter, and the pool deck finally gives adults a proper space to call their own.
Our first impression? Star of the Seas is Icon’s confident younger sister. She takes what worked, fixes what didn’t, and adds a few surprises of her own.
This is just the beginning. We’ll have a full ship tour and more vlogs covering dining, entertainment, and life onboard coming soon — but for now, our first walk around Star has left us very, very excited for the week ahead.
