As the arrival of Royal Caribbean’s next “Icon of Vacations” approaches, the cruise line has made some unexpected changes to the new ship’s inaugural sailings that have left some loyal passengers a bit frustrated.
Some “loyal to Royal” cruisers have been counting down to the highly anticipated ship’s launch since before it opened for booking in December 2023.
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The sequel to Royal Caribbean’s in-demand mega-ship Icon of the Seas, which sails from Miami, Star of the Seas will offer seven-night Caribbean getaways from Port Canaveral. It will offer a family vacation experience designed to rival Orlando’s theme parks.
Star of the Seas was originally scheduled to sail its inaugural cruise on Aug. 17, 2025 but the cruise line later pushed the sailing back to Aug. 31, citing a delay in the ship’s expected delivery.
However, as the ship floated closer to completion, the delivery date for Star of the Seas was pushed up to January 2025.
At that time, Royal Caribbean decided to add two “showcase sailings” ahead of the ship’s inaugural voyage. This created an opportunity for Royal Caribbean passengers interested in a shorter sailing on the new Icon Class ship but also frustrated some passengers who wanted to be the first to sail on the new ship on its longer seven-night inaugural voyage.
Now, the cruise line has done it again, pushing up Star of the Seas’ launch yet again.
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Star of the Seas is under construction at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland.
Image source: Royal Caribbean
Royal Caribbean adds earlier showcase sailing for Star of the Seas
“We have an updated timeline for the arrival of Star of the Seas at Port Canaveral,” Royal Caribbean said in an email to passenger booked on the ship’s first sailings. “Building such a large and incredible ship is no easy feat, but lucky for us, there are times when we get to embark on our new ship ahead of schedule, and that time is now!”
Ahead of two four-night showcase sailings scheduled to depart on Aug. 23 and Aug. 27, the cruise line is now adding one extra Star of the Seas showcase sailing, a 3-Night Perfect Day Cruise departing on Aug. 20, 2025.
In the email, Royal Caribbean assured passengers that the other showcase sailings will still take place, and it understands that some passengers may have booked their Star of the Seas sailing to be the first on board the new ship.
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Because of this, the cruise line is offering passengers booked on the other showcase sailings a priority opportunity to book the new sailing or transfer their existing booking to the Aug. 20 cruise.
No matter which sailing date they choose, passengers on the first voyages can expect some inaugural goodies.
“Whether you join us on your original sailing or the new one, we’re thrilled you’ve chosen to set sail on Star of the Seas for the inaugural season,” Royal Caribbean stated in the email. “Make sure to look out for some sweet commemorative items to celebrate our newest ship in the fleet in your stateroom during any of these sailings, regardless of which one you end up choosing.”
Star of the Seas’ changing timeline is frustrating for some passengers
For some passengers who want to be the first to sail on the new ship, Star of the Seas’ earlier arrival date is not great news, however.
One passenger who booked the original inaugural sailing when it first became available vented about the way the cruise line has handled the situation in the Royal Caribbean community on Reddit.
“When we got the first email, we still wanted to be on the very first sailing, so we moved to the new 4-night sailing. We called the morning after we got the email, and all of our room type was sold out,” mooncheddar69 wrote.
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“Then this morning, they did it again! They added another three-night cruise ahead of ours. I just rebooked this thing like a month ago, into a room I don’t like as much, for a trip half as long as we wanted, and now, we won’t even be on the first sailing,” mooncheddar69 explained.
“We’re still excited for the opportunity. If I was really that mad about it, a refund has always been an option, but boy oh boy are they making us work for it.”
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