Royal Caribbean International announced that Star of the Seas, its second Icon-class ship, will homeport at Port Canaveral, Florida, when it enters service in the summer of 2025.
The world’s largest cruise ships are primarily aimed at families. Royal Caribbean gains an edge positioning Icon-class ships near Orlando, a popular family destination.
According to Michael Bayley, the company’s president and CEO, Royal Caribbean is aggressively competing with the city’s attractions.
“We’re really focusing on this target market, which is family and, of course, has many new neighborhoods, including a neighborhood called Surfside, which is focused on young families and those with children 6 and under. They travel all year round because, obviously, parents can pull their kids out of pre-K,” he said while on a call with investors.
What we know so far about Star of the Seas
The specific design features and amenities of Star of the Seas haven’t been revealed, but they will be closely patterned after its sister ship, Icon of the Seas, possibly with some minor changes and improvements.
The Icon is 1,198 feet long, weighs 250,800 tons, and can carry 5,600 to 7,600 guests. Counting the crew, it can hold nearly 10,000 people.
Compared to Royal’s Oasis-class ships, Icon-class vessels are around 5% larger than the biggest Oasis-class ships and have two more decks. Eighteen of which will be open to the public.
Both Icon-class vessels can be powered by liquefied natural gas. Like Icon of the Seas, Star of the Seas will probably have a waterpark with slides, the same massive AquaDome, and 8 neighborhoods.
Icon of the Seas joined Royal’s fleet a few days ago, and a third Icon-class ship is expected to be ready by 2026.
Where will it sail?
The cruise operator has yet to announce the itineraries for Star of the Seas, but based on the location of its home port, its sailings will most likely feature Caribbean and Bahamian destinations.
Interested cruisers can start booking their voyages this December 6.
