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As a yachting journalist, I’ve spent years waffling on about the perks of superyachts – such as absolute privacy and the chance to escape the masses. So, I was more than a little hesitant when Royal Caribbean invited me to experience a three-night inaugural Bahamian cruise aboard Star of the Seas, its newest flagship that sleeps 8,000 guests. My modus operandi was to find a quiet corner and a crisp glass of sauvignon blanc, before cooling off with a dip in the sea. Would either one be possible aboard the world’s (joint) largest cruise ship?
For context, Star is the length of three football pitches. It’s the second vessel in Royal Caribbean’s Icon Class of ships, following the launch of Icon of the Seas last year. According to the Royal Caribbean’s senior vice president, Jay Schneider, neither was designed to be the world’s biggest cruise ship, but “the best family vacation.” With two more ships in build, each costing $2bn (around £1.5bn) a pop, and 7.5 million people choosing to sail with the brand in 2025, they must be doing something right.
I’d heard success with the Icon Class comes from better access to water, though the closest I got to the ocean was from my balcony suite on deck eight (preferable to the inward-facing balconies that overlook the ship’s interior). Of course, for some, this is part of the appeal. “I’m afraid of the sea, but on here you don’t even know you’re on a boat,” one fellow guest told me. She’s not wrong.
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Instead, water access is from the seven swimming pools, including the largest ever built on a cruise ship. Luckily, I was allowed to drag my husband (who has never been on a yacht or a cruise) along for the ride, and he mandated that the top deck Category 6 waterpark with the world’s tallest at-sea water slide be the first thing we sampled. The tangle of gaudy pink and green tubes had caught my eye when we approached the ship at Florida’s Port Canaveral, and as I screamed my way down loud enough to drown out the DJ’s blasting tunes, I began to fully live in the moment.
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I rewarded my heroism with a visit to the adults-only Hideaway, easing into cruise life in the first suspended infinity pool at sea, and drinking in spectacular views along with a cocktail or two. While all areas were new to me, seasoned cruisers will recognise most from Icon of the Seas. That said, Star has hundreds of minor improvements, electric cabin windows being one, and even more fun for kids of all ages, including a design overhaul of the signature kids club, Adventure Ocean. It caters for babies and upwards, but the main programme is aimed at 5-12-year-olds with games tables, an arts and crafts workshop and a kids’ puppet show.
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What’s more, it’s directly connected to Surfside, the family neighbourhood (one of eight distinct zones), where a new and improved toddler splashzone can be found. It’s intended for little people, but brought out the big kids in us as we battled in the arcade and ate our fill of bottomless soft serve ice cream.
Games are scattered across all decks, from pool and shuffleboard in the Playmakers sports bar to life-sized inflatable table footy on Deck 16. There are even two on-board escape rooms. To truly celebrate your inner child, the Ultimate Family Townhouse is where soft play meets a $40k (£29k) per person per week two-storey suite. Oh, to be a fly on the wall when the execs dreamed up the winding tube slide that connects the bedrooms to the living room, and the musical piano staircase. There’s no escaping the wacky paw prints and headache-inducing primary colours, but there’s no denying it’s a child’s dream come true.
Older kids are well catered for in Social020, where gaming stations, a movie theatre and swing chairs make for a cool graffiti-styled hangout that even my scathing teenage son would approve of. Teens are given a 1am curfew (though we barely saw any out that late), and thanks to the kids tracking app (ages 3-12), even tweens have free run of the ship, allowing parents to take in a relaxing trip to the spa or plan a little retail therapy. You can just as easily snag a vintage Berken or a second-hand Rolex on-board as you can a caramel macchiato at Starbucks.
For us, the live jazz bars and five world-class stage shows were the real highlights and, along with a large proportion of the 40 food and drink offerings (The Windjammer buffet provided the best value), are included in the cruise fare. We eagerly planned our evenings around them, watching the headliner Back to the Future on the first night and the adrenaline-pumping ice skating show SOL on the second.
Each of the venues, from Absolute Zero (the largest ice skating arena at sea where families can skate during the day) to the more intimate Attic, which hosts live stand-up, has their own distinctive personality. A must-visit bar area, only available to those staying in a suite, is The Grove, where the affable Ephraim (one of Star’s 2,000 fantastic crew) serves up a mean passionfruit spritz.
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It wasn’t long before we were successfully navigating our way around the ship, helped by the “destination elevators”. We were mostly drawn to the open-air Central Park neighbourhood, not least because it’s one of the few locations with access to other decks amidships, but also the thousands of plants, living walls, trees and (virtual) birdsong provided a welcome break from the shopping mall vibe.
It’s also where most of the speciality restaurants (priced as optional extras) are found, such as the excellent Izumi Hibachi & Sushi, and the Lincoln Park supper club, a super cool cocktail-paired speakeasy with only one sitting a night for no more than 40 guests.
A hidden indoor gem that doesn’t require booking is The Overlook, which sits at the very forward area of the ship under a large glass dome (reminiscent of the 1980s TV classic The Crystal Maze) and delivered on my hunt for a cosy book nook with ocean-facing loungers. It also has a bar in dangerously easy reach, and hosts Torque at the AquaTheatre, another jaw-dropping live production where we watched ex-Olympian divers throw themselves off dizzyingly high platforms.
All of Star of the Seas seven-night itineraries to the Eastern and Western Caribbean include a day at Royal Caribbean’s private island in the Bahamas, Perfect Day at CocoCay. We stopped there on day two, welcoming the chance to put our feet in the sea, but left craving something other than the plethora of pools, slides and American food outlets that felt like a replica of Star’s offering.
Would I swap yachts for cruises? I doubt it. But does Star of the Seas allow kids of all ages to live out their best life? There’s no doubt about it.
Julia Zaltzman was hosted by Royal Caribbean Cruises aboard Star of the Seas.
How to get there
Flights with Norse Atlantic Airways flying from London Gatwick to Orlando, Florida, start from £550 return.
How to book it
An Ocean View Balcony room on board Royal Caribbean Cruises Star of the Seas is priced at £2,378 for 7 nights for a double.
