I’ve recently returned from one of the Star of the Seas Preview cruises from Port Canaveral and I’m sharing my experience from onboard Royal Caribbean’s newest ship.
Port Arrival/Parking
Port Canaveral is generally a pretty easy port to get in and out of, with a couple of caveats. If you’re flying in, I absolutely recommend using my friends at Go Port. Their packages will take the stress out of embarkation day arrivals and they even have hotel options if you want to come a day or two before, which I highly suggest. I parked right at Royal Caribbean’s Terminal 1 for my sailing. Arriving early as I always do, I was surprised to see the garage completely full and very limited outside surface spots. I believe that these preview cruises had a huge number of drive in guests and that attributed to the limited parking issues. Once parked, it was a very quick and easy process through security and check-in, then a short wait for boarding to start. One point to note, the gangways as you approach the ship are quite steep, so if you are pushing strollers, wheelchairs or have limited mobility, have someone to assist you if possible.
Star of the Seas – Terminal 1
First Impressions
One thing I love about Royal Caribbean’s newest ships is boarding directly into the large public spaces. On Icon class ships, this is especially nice since there is direct access from the gangway to the cavernous Royal Promenade. We were greeted by high-energy crew members and lots of visually striking elements like the Pearl, expansive outward facing views and plenty of photo-op moments. While waiting for rooms to open up, I would normally be looking to get all my reservations in order, but I did manage to pre-book everything using Royal Caribbean’s online Cruise Planner in advance (at least that is what I thought) more on that in a bit. Taking the opportunity to explore the ship, for the most part, Star of the Seas is a virtual clone of her sister Icon of the Seas. There are some artistic differences, but generally, the overall experience is the same.
Star of the Seas – The Pearl
Accommodations
On this cruise I stayed in one of the Surfside Family Balcony staterooms. These rooms are naturally located within the Surfside neighborhood, and offer views down to the activities below, however, with my room location, I had great views from the back of the ship out to the ocean as well. Room are nicely configure with comfortable bedding, great large showers and plenty of ports to power up your devices. There are dozens of other room categories available on Icon Class ships, from Interior, Central Park Views, Ocean Views and several suite options to the largest three-level Ultimate Family Townhouse.
Watch Video: Star of the Seas | Best Surfside Family Balcony (Full Tour)
Star of the Seas – Surfside Family Balcony
Star of the Seas – Central Park Accommodations
Amenities & Services
Star of the Seas has loads of ways to spend your day enjoying some incredible venues like The Overlook within the AquaDome that provides sweeping panoramic forward views or surrounded by nature within Central Park. There’s also ways to make yourself feel new again like a spa or salon service, a brisk walk on the jogging track or a visit to the fitness center. Crown & Anchor guests in the Diamond, Diamond Plus or Pinnacle levels have access to the Crown Lounge with a dedicated concierge to assist with dining reservations, show tickets, shore excursions and more, daily continental breakfast and snacks throughout the day and one of my favorite perks, the self-serve expresso machine. If you’ve got some onboard credit to spend, the shops have plenty to offer from brand name apparel, cosmetics and fragrances to logo items and duty free liquor. You’ll also find a massive casino ready to accept donations just an escalator away from the Royal Promenade.
Star of the Seas – The Overlook
Star of the Seas – Central Park
Star of the Seas – Casino Royale Entrance
Dining & Beverage
Make sure you bring your hunger and thirst with you onboard Star of the Seas as there are more places to eat and drink that I challenge everyone to try and get to all them while on your cruise. There is an impressive list of included dining options ranging from the most familiar like the Main Dining Room, Sorrento’s Pizzeria, El Loco Fresh, Windjammer Marketplace and Park Cafe to Icon Class exclusives like AquaDome Market, Basecamp, Pearl Cafe, Surfside Bites and Surfside Eatery. If you’re like me and enjoy specialty dining you’ll find several great venues to explore that can booked alone or included in the Unlimited Dining Package like Chops Grille, Giovanni’s Italian Kitchen & Wine Bar, Hooked Seafood, Izumi Sushi, Hibachi ($15 pp upcharge) and walk up window Izumi In The Park and Pier 7. Other speciality experiences not covered by the Unlimited Dining Package are Celebration Table, Chef’s Table, Desserted Milkshake Bar and Lincoln Park Supper Club.
Star of the Seas – AquaDome Market
Star of the Seas – Surfside Bites
Star of the Seas – Sorrento’s Pizzeria
Star of the Seas – Izumi In the Park
Star of the Seas – Pier 7
When thirst calls, you can find any number of cool concoctions at over 18 different venues. Playmakers Sports Bar & Arcade also offers a menu of food items that can be purchased separately or enjoyed with the Unlimited Dining Package up to $20 pp per day.
Star of the Seas – 1400 Bar
Star of the Seas – Playmakers Sports Bar & Arcade
Entertainment
When it comes to amazing shows onboard Star of the Seas, there’s no larger hype than Back to the Future: The Musical. I was really looking forward to this and it did not disappoint. In fact, I got to see the show two times during my 4 night sailing. Firstly, the cast was stellar, extremely talented and the casting was spot on, especially for the roles of Marty, Doc, George and Goldie. The live orchestration added so much to the experience and the sets and special effects, especially the Delorean scenes were next level. It is an abbreviated version of the Broadway production, but at almsot 2 hours, there’s lots to enjoy. Other entertainment around the ship was also as expected, with all new shows like high-energy thrills of Torque in the AquaTheater, SOL the new ice show in Absolute Zero, the Ocean Odyssey Parade in the Royal Promenade, and great lives performances in the Thorn &Thistle Pub, the Music Hall, Dueling Pianos, Schooner Bar and I even managed to vacate a ride in an elevator with the Stowaway Piano Player. To avoid long lines onboard, pre-book your shows as soon as available using Royal Caribbean’s online Cruise Planner.
Star of the Seas – Back to the Future: The Musical
Star of the Seas – Back to the Future: The Musical
Star of the Seas – Torque (AquaTheater)
Star of the Seas – The Music Hall
Star of the Seas – The Stowaway Piano Player
Activities
On a cruise ship as large as Star of the Seas, you can stay active all day long if you want to. If yo want to cool off from the hot Caribbean sun, there is ice skating offered for guest in Absolute Zero. Solve your way out of two different Escape room experiences (extra cost), ride the Carousel or head to Splashaway Bay in Surfside. I really like the Surfside concept, Royal Caribbean went all-in on making this a fantastic family zone. Lounge around at 5 pools on the upper decks including The Hideaway and Swim & Tonic that are for adults 18+ only. This ships also boats over eight large whirlpools to enjoy. Keep it going with actives like Basketball and Pickleball in the Sports Court or play through the challenging Lost Dunes mini golf course. Want to amp up the thrills? FlowRider offers a great opportunity to hone your surfing skills, to a leap of faith at the Crown’s Edge (extra cost) where you’ll swing past the ship’s iconic Crown & Anchor logo with nothing but the ocean 154 feet below and make you way up Adrenaline Peak rock climbing wall. Lastly, head over to Category 6 Waterpark, the largest at sea with 6 exhilarating waterslides, including Storm Chasers, head-to-head mat racing slides, two family raft slides Hurricane Hinter & Storm Surge, Frightening Bolt, the tallest drop slide on a cruise ship and Pressure Drop free-fall waterslide. Fortunately, lines were not that long when I went the afternoon of our stop at Prefect Day at CocoCay and was able to enjoy with minimal waiting. Try to avoid sea days as the lines can spiral all around the waterpark.
Star of the Seas – The Hideaway
Star of the Seas – Thrill Island
Star of the Seas – Lost Dunes Mini Golf
Star of the Seas – Category 6 Waterpark
Star of the Seas – Crown’s Edge
Departure
While nobody enjoys leaving the ship, Royal Caribbean is a well-oiled machine to make it as efficient as possible. I grabbed a quick departure breakfast and a coffee from the Crown Lounge and utilized the self-assist early departure, where I walk-off with my bags and was off the ship and in my car within minutes. For those wanting to have their bags waiting in the terminal, they offer structured staggered departure times to alleviate bottlenecks, and the actual disembarkation process commences in the Royal Promenade, so there’s lots of room and it never seems to busy. The terminal also has facial renovation for clearing customs that makes the lines move much quicker.
Final Thoughts
This Star of the Seas cruise was my second experience onboard an Icon Class cruise ship and as with my previous one, I am very pleased to see how Royal Caribbean has even further improved their already great cruise ship designs. With Icon Class, size is not just about being bigger, it allows for more comfortable experiences no matter where you are onboard the ship, while also providing guests with more choices than ever before. I’ll likely be back onboard Icon of the Seas and/or Star of the Seas while I wait for the third in this class Legend of the Seas to arrive in 2026.
Star of the Seas – Perfect Day at CocoCay
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