Royal Caribbean’s Star of the Seas achieved a maritime milestone yesterday when it touched water for the first time.
The second Icon-class mega vessel has been under construction at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland for 19 months.
It moved on to one of the final stages of construction when over 92 million gallons of water flooded the dry dock, a nine-hour overnight process involving four tugboats.
The 250,800-ton vessel then moved to the outfitting pier to receive the final exterior and interior renovations. The entire activity took around 35.5 hours to complete.
A single cannon shot celebrated the moment and the work of thousands working on the vessel.
Newbuild Hotel Director for Royal Caribbean International, Gianluca Corneli, described the events, saying:
❝We’re moving from an assembly stage, really heavy construction, to now the outfitting. We’re going to give the soul to Star of the Seas. It’s an exciting time and it’s the sprint to the finish.❞
After the final refurbishments, Star of the Seas will undergo seat trials to test the ship’s performance. It will then enter service in August 2025.
Inside the Mega Vessel
Star of the Seas is the first sister ship of Icon of the Seas, Royal Caribbean’s largest cruise vessel. The two will be identical—1,198 feet long and 213 feet wide.
Once completed, the LNG-powered ship can accommodate a maximum of 7,600 passengers.
Related: Royal Caribbean Ships by Size
Twenty decks will host eight neighborhoods, more than 40 food and beverage outlets, an indoor AquaTheatre, and a waterpark with six waterslides.
Itineraries are open for Star of the Seas. It is scheduled to depart from Port Canaveral next year, taking guests to Eastern and Western Caribbean ports, including Royal Caribbean’s exclusive resort in The Bahamas Perfect Day at CocoCay.
The vessel was initially expected to enter service on August 17, 2025, but this was pushed back by two weeks to accommodate construction delays.
When its predecessor, Icon of the Seas, went on sale in December 2022, Royal Caribbean enjoyed its largest booking day in 53 years, creating a new sales record for the company.
