Royal Caribbean has officially disclosed the name of its second ship in the Icon-class series, Star of the Seas, and also announced the ship will debut in the summer of 2025.
The big reveal on October 5, 2023, came just three months before the first ship in the class, the highly-anticipated Icon of the Seas, enters service.
Second Icon-Class Ship Named Star of the Seas
The second vessel in Royal Caribbean’s Icon class, formerly known only as “Project NB-1401,” now has a name, Star of the Seas, as its construction continues at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Turku, Finland.
The cruise line also narrowed down the launch of the second Icon-class ship to the summer of 2025. Previously, Royal Caribbean had only revealed the ship would debut sometime in 2025. Royal Caribbean has provided no hints yet regarding where Star of the Seas will be deployed following her launch.
While few design details of the new Icon-class ship are confirmed, the new Royal Caribbean cruise ship is anticipated to be roughly the same size as Icon of the Seas.
Icon of the Seas, the first ship in the class, weighs 250,800 gross tons and has a capacity for 5,610 guests at double occupancy, and a total of about 7,600 guests with all berths occupied, making her the world’s largest cruise ship in 2024. At 1,198 feet long, the 20-deck ship will have 2,805 staterooms and an international crew of 2,350.
Like her sister ship, Star of the Seas will feature a variety of neighborhoods, theme park and thrill ride adventures, and other spaces.
When Icon of the Seas debuts in January 2024, the ship will offer neighborhoods and entertainment areas that include Central Park, AquaDome, Chill Island, Surfside, Thrill Island, and the Hideaway. Guests will enjoy the ship’s seven pools and six waterslides, among other activities.
While Star of the Seas is likely to have most of those public spaces already featured on her sister ship, Royal Caribbean also promises new features and experiences will be introduced.
“The idea of combining the best of every type of vacation into one ultimate adventure has created more excitement than ever anticipated, and Star of the Seas will be the next bold answer to the record-breaking consumer demand we’ve seen for nearly a year and counting with Icon of the Seas,” said Michael Bayley, president and CEO of Royal Caribbean International.
Star of the Seas will be Royal Caribbean’s third ship powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG), following Icon of the Seas and Utopia of the Seas. It will have other environmental protections and safeguards onboard.
Construction of the second Icon-class vessel began early in 2023, with a traditional steel-cutting ceremony held on February 14 at the Finnish shipyard. The ship’s next construction milestone will be her keel-laying ceremony, on a date not yet known.
Cruisers Get Glimpses Into the Icon Class
Royal Caribbean has provided glimpses into the construction of Icon of the Seas with a video series called “Making an Icon.” The multi-segment series has energized interest in the new mega-ship, as future cruisers can peek into the building, engineering, and design aspects of the vessel.
It is possible that the cruise line will also chronicle the building of Star of the Seas with a video series since the project has boosted traveler interest in Icon of the Seas.
However, anticipation of the new ship’s launch was evident from the day bookings opened in October 2022, which resulted in Royal Caribbean’s single largest booking day — and highest volume booking week — in the cruise line’s history.
Also being built at the shipyard in Finland, Icon of the Seas will sail her inaugural voyage on January 27, 2024. The ship, which successfully completed its first set of sea trials in June 2023, will homeport in Miami following the launch. Through the spring of 2025, Icon of the Seas will sail Eastern and Western Caribbean cruises.
