Royal Caribbean's next massive ship will sail from Port Canaveral with a dog and a Chicago-themed restaurant
Get ready, Orlando: Royal Caribbean is basing another massive cruise ship in Port Canaveral beginning in 2025, and it will have a resident canine and a super-exclusive supper club that's an ode to the Windy City.
Star of the Seas, which sets sail next summer, will bring with it a slew of innovations that debuted on what is currently the world's largest cruise ship, Icon of the Seas — but with a few adjustments. Largely, though, the line says the original implements have been a tremendous success, leaving little that needs to be tweaked.
"With Icon just coming out, we wanted a little time to learn what was working, and it's turned out — I don't want to say everything is working, but instead I'll say — everything is working," Jay Schneider, Royal Caribbean's chief product innovation officer, said during an interview with TPG. "The ship has done so well resonating with our guests across the board. New concepts are doing phenomenally well."
Here's what will carry over from Icon of the Seas, what's new and what you can expect from Star of the Seas' itineraries.
What's returning
One of the most talked about aspects of Icon of the Seas is its chief dog officer, Rover. Yes, you read that correctly: There's a dog who lives on board and interacts with passengers. The concept has gone over so well that a second dog, Sailor, has been "hired" to fill the position on Star of the Seas.
"That program ... has been very successful, so we're excited to add the next chief dog officer to our fleet," Schneider said.
As with its Icon Class predecessor, Star of the Seas will focus heavily on youth and family with what Schneider said is an evolution of Surfside, the line's first purpose-built family neighborhood. The outdoor space, which takes up most of Deck 7, features a carousel, an arcade, a candy and ice cream shop, family-friendly food and drink outposts and the ship's family playground and water park area.
Star of the Seas will also see the return and full rollout of kid tracking. Using free wearable technology, parents can opt in to track their children's whereabouts while on the ship.
The wildly popular AquaDome — an indoor space covered by a glass dome — will also make a return appearance. As on Icon of the Seas, it will house the ship's AquaTheater high-dive and acrobatic shows, as well as the AquaDome Market, Royal Caribbean's first food hall concept.
What's different
A popular new addition to Icon of the Seas was the highly exclusive Empire Supper Club, a for-fee, adults-only, formal restaurant with a 1930s New York City theme. It features both food and entertainment in an intimate setting that accommodates just 38 people per night. The venue's eight-course meal costs $200 per person.
On Star of the Seas, the space will return under the name Lincoln Park Supper Club, featuring a similar experience but with a different menu and decor that's reminiscent of Chicago. (Schneider also told us the Supper Club will return with a Hollywood theme on Icon 3, the currently unnamed third ship in Royal Caribbean's Icon Class, set to debut in 2026.)
"Our Supper Club concept was never meant to stay the same," Schneider said. "It's kind of ... following the sun, the rotation of the Earth if you want to think of it that way. So, we started in New York [with the Empire Supper Club]. ... The evolution now moves to the Midwest; it moved to Chicago."
According to Schneider, the venue will continue to be the great "eatertainment" that's been so successful on Icon, with the core of the experience remaining the same.
"The difference is the theme, the decor, the interior, the music, and even the menu will kind of shift to a Chicagoland theme," Schneider said. "As we get to future Icon [Class ship]s, Icon 3, which we haven't named yet, will move to Hollywood."
Other tweaks include expanding amenities for passengers booked in Ultimate Family Townhouse suites, which can sleep up to eight people. These accommodations are some of the most expensive cabins afloat. They include kid and adult sleeping areas, an in-suite slide, a movie-viewing room, a karaoke machine and spacious indoor and outdoor living areas. Details about the specific added amenities have not yet been revealed.
Royal Caribbean will also expand the number of ways to play in its Adventure Ocean kids clubs.
"We have lots of great technological ways for kids to play, but one of the things we've heard is [that people want] more analog ways," Schneider said, noting that Star of the Seas will offer additional nondigital classic games like foosball.
Star of the Seas passengers can also expect more hot tubs than on Icon of the Seas, as well as what Schneider called a "pearlier" version of the Pearl, an indoor sphere that functions as an artistic stairway and a support structure for part of the vessel.
Itineraries
Star of the Seas will join Utopia of the Seas in sailing from Port Canaveral, about an hour from Orlando, Florida's theme park capital.
"We're bringing the world's best family vacation to one of the biggest family markets in Orlando and Port Canaveral," Schneider said, noting the latest play in Royal Caribbean's efforts is to capture families who might be in the Orlando area for other reasons than a cruise.
Michael Bayley, president and CEO of Royal Caribbean, shared a similar sentiment during a media briefing to talk about Utopia of the Seas in July.
"One of the reasons we put this brand-new Oasis Class [ship, Utopia of the Seas] into this market is that we really expect to see a certain amount of demand coming from tourists who are going in [to Orlando], either for ... Disney or Universal," he said.
Despite the line's similar reasons for positioning both Utopia of the Seas and Star of the Seas in Port Canaveral, the ships' itineraries will differ. While Utopia offers short three- and four-night Bahamas voyages, Star of the Seas will operate seven-night sailings to the Eastern and Western Caribbean.
Eastern Caribbean cruises will call on ports like Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas; Philipsburg, St. Maarten; and Perfect Day at CocoCay, the line's private island in the Bahamas. Western Caribbean routes are set to visit destinations like Cozumel, Mexico; Roatan, Honduras; Costa Maya, Mexico; and Perfect Day at CocoCay.
Schneider said Star of the Seas will also call on Royal Caribbean's two forthcoming Royal Beach Clubs, set to open in the Bahamas and Cozumel in 2025 and 2026, respectively.
Meanwhile, Icon of the Seas will continue to sail seven-night Eastern and Western Caribbean voyages from Miami, featuring what appears to be a larger variety of ports than Star of the Seas. Examples include St. Kitts and St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands; St. Maarten, the Dutch side of St. Martin; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic; Roatan, Honduras; Costa Maya and Cozumel in Mexico; Perfect Day at CocoCay; and Labadee, Haiti, another of Royal Caribbean's private destinations.
Find out more about Royal Caribbean:
- The ultimate guide to Royal Caribbean cruises
- Royal Caribbean cruise ship classes explained
- Royal Caribbean cruise ships by size
- Royal Caribbean cruise ships by age
- All you need to know about Royal Caribbean cabins and suites
- Royal Caribbean food
- Royal Caribbean drink packages
- Where you can cruise with Royal Caribbean
- How to find the best Royal Caribbean ship for you
- Royal Caribbean's Crown & Anchor Society loyalty program
- How to pack for a Royal Caribbean cruise
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