World's largest cruise ship performs sea trials before Port Canaveral arrival

Yahoo

21-05-2025

What will become the largest cruise ship in the world is set to begin sailing from Port Canaveral in August, but first Royal Caribbean's Star of the Seas has to complete a series of sea trials.
The sister ship to current titleholder Icon of the Seas that debuted out of Miami last year ventured out into the waters off the coast of Turku, Finland, where the 248,663-gross-ton vessel has been under construction since February 2023.
With less than 100 days before its Aug. 31 debut from the Orlando-area port, the ship left Monday on an 11-day series of trials to test out the vessel's navigation, naval architecture and engineering with more than 2,000 watchful eyes on board making sure Star of the Seas is seaworthy.
The open-ocean trials will cover hundreds of miles before it returns to the shipyard for final touches followed by an official handover to Royal Caribbean and transatlantic sailing to Port Canaveral.
The ship is the second of four announced Icon-class vessels that will each be incrementally larger than their sister ships. The class is about 15,000 more than the six existing Oasis-class vessels — five of which had previously held the title for world's largest cruise ship.
Star of the Seas will have a 5,610-passenger capacity based on double occupancy — but will approach 8,000 passengers plus 2,350 crew at full capacity.
Royal Caribbean's Star of the Seas cruise ship performs sea trials sailing out from the Meyer Turku shipyard in Turku, Finland on May 19, 2025 ahead of its debut in Port Canaveral in Aug.. (Courtesy/Royal Caribbean) Royal Caribbean's Star of the Seas seen during construction in fall 2024 at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Turku, Finland, ahead of its 2025 debut. (Courtesy/Royal Caribbean) Royal Caribbean's Star of the Seas has the glass-and-steel dome of the AquaDome neighborhood lifted onto the ship's bow at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Turku, Finland on July 17, 2024. The ship is set to debut next year from Port Canaveral. (Courtesy, Royal Caribbean) Royal Caribbean's Star of the Seas has the glass-and-steel dome of the AquaDome neighborhood lifted onto the ship's bow at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Turku, Finland on July 17, 2024. The ship is set to debut next year from Port Canaveral. (Courtesy, Royal Caribbean) Royal Caribbean's Star of the Seas remains in dry dock in this shot from Sept. 23, 2024 ahead of its float out at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Turku, Finland on Sept. 28, 2024. The ship is set to debut next year from Port Canaveral. (Courtesy, Royal Caribbean) Royal Caribbean's Star of the Seas is floated out at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Turku, Finland on Sept. 28, 2024. The ship is set to debut next year from Port Canaveral. (Courtesy, Royal Caribbean) Royal Caribbean's Star of the Seas is floated out at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Turku, Finland on Sept. 28, 2024. The ship is set to debut next year from Port Canaveral. (Courtesy, Royal Caribbean) Royal Caribbean's Star of the Seas has the glass-and-steel dome of the AquaDome neighborhood lifted onto the ship's bow at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Turku, Finland on July 17, 2024. The ship is set to debut next year from Port Canaveral. (Courtesy, Royal Caribbean) Royal Caribbean's Star of the Seas is floated out at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Turku, Finland on Sept. 28, 2024. The ship is set to debut next year from Port Canaveral. (Courtesy, Royal Caribbean) Royal Caribbean's Star of the Seas has the glass-and-steel dome of the AquaDome neighborhood lifted onto the ship's bow at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Turku, Finland on July 17, 2024. The ship is set to debut next year from Port Canaveral. (Courtesy, Royal Caribbean) Royal Caribbean's Star of the Seas has the glass-and-steel dome of the AquaDome neighborhood lifted onto the ship's bow at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Turku, Finland on July 17, 2024. The ship is set to debut next year from Port Canaveral. (Courtesy, Royal Caribbean) Show Caption1 of 12Royal Caribbean's Star of the Seas cruise ship performs sea trials sailing out from the Meyer Turku shipyard in Turku, Finland on May 19, 2025 ahead of its debut in Port Canaveral in Aug.. (Courtesy/Royal Caribbean)Expand
The signature architectural feature of the class is the 367-ton, 82-foot-tall, 164-foot-wide glass-and-metal AquaDome that sits atop the bow of the ship.
It's the signature space on board the Icon class that houses the AquaTheater, home to original productions that combine diving, aerialists and dancing with a high-energy fountain and light show. The ship also features an ice-skating rink and main stage theater, for which the marquee show will be a 'Back to the Future' musical.
Star of the Seas will feature 40 food and beverage options mostly mirroring the venues found on Icon of the Seas, except Icon's Empire Supper Club themed to 1920s-era New York will become the Lincoln Park Supper Club themed to 1930s-era Chicago.
The ship will sail seven-night alternating Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries, partnering alongside Royal's Utopia of the Seas that debuted in summer 2024 at Port Canaveral. It will continue three- and four-night Bahamas itineraries.